How MOBILITIES for EU Is Transforming Urban Transportation
MOBILITIES for EU is a Horizon Europe innovation project dedicated to pioneering sustainable solutions for urban mobility across Europe. Madrid (Spain) and Dresden (Germany) serve as Leading Cities implementing 11 pilot projects for 27 highly innovative solutions, and five Replication Cities—Ioannina (Greece), Trenčín (Slovakia), Espoo (Finland), Gdańsk (Poland), and Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina)— participate directly through their own Urban Mobility Laboratories.
The aim of the project is to demonstrate that innovative concepts for passenger mobility and freight transport, developed and implemented using approaches focused on the participation of the users, are both cost-effective and viable solutions. These innovations play a key role in advancing cities toward climate neutrality, accelerating efforts to achieve emissions reductions by 2030.
This past November marked a significant milestone for the MOBILITIES FOR EU Project as partners got together in the city of Ioannina, Greece, to reflect on the project’s progress and strategize for the road ahead. The gathering brought together partners’ representatives from across Europe to advance in the sustainable mobility solutions that conform the project. It was a highly productive two-day consortium meeting, which offered a valuable opportunity for collaboration and reflection, as these gatherings result in stronger connections, ultimately benefiting the outcomes of the project.
The event showcased the project’s commitment to advancing sustainable mobility solutions across Europe. The meeting opened with presentations from the project’s Leading Cities—Madrid and Dresden—highlighting their work across the innovative mobility solutions developed, such as vehicle electrification, autonomous driving, smart charging and digital twin technologies. Each city presented their achievements in stakeholder engagement, infrastructure improvements, and the development of the pilots. Replication Cities also shared their unique challenges and successes as they adapt the solutions inspired by the Leading Cities. These exchanges demonstrated the collaborative spirit of MOBILITIES for EU, and how diverse urban environments can benefit from shared knowledge to address common mobility challenges.
WP3 Contributions: Evaluation and Monitoring
As leaders of Workpackage 3 (WP3), CARNET played a crucial role in the Ioannina meeting, leading a workshop dedicated to refining the project’s evaluation and monitoring efforts. This workshop focused on fundamental aspects of WP3, and it was key to helping partners align on metrics and responsibilities, and ensuring the project is on track to meet its ambitious goals.
The workshop began with a status update, providing an overview of the progress made in WP3 to date. Following this, the monitoring platforms of the project were introduced, which will play a central role in tracking project performance. Representatives from T-Systems and SAP presented their respective platforms designed for monitoring and data analytics. T-Systems showcased its mobility data space, while SAP introduced its KPI analytics cloud. These platforms were designed to streamline data collection and analysis, enabling partners to make informed decisions.
Next, CARNET facilitated discussions on data sharing and quality of cooperation. Participants reviewed surveys designed to assess the quality of cooperation across partners and collect relevant data for evaluation purposes. These are vital tools for assessing both the technical outcomes and the social aspects within the consortium. Insights gained will help to enhance project execution and stakeholder engagement, and will serve as baselines for the social KPIs of the project.
The final part of the workshop involved a collaborative discussion on roles and responsibilities for data collection. This segment encouraged an open dialogue and ensured that all stakeholders clearly understood their contributions to WP3. This collaborative effort allowed partners to align on expectations and commitments, and will be valuable in improving the evaluation framework, laying a solid foundation for the next phase of the project with the monitoring of the pilots.
The meeting also included updates from other work packages: analyzing innovative governance models and strategies for Urban Mobility Labs; reviewing the progress in deliverable structures and collaborative efforts between Madrid and Dresden; emphasizing communication strategies, including plans for a quarterly newsletter, short videos, and infographics; and addressing business model development and data management plans, including the alignment with the CIVITAS initiative and NetZeroCities agreement.
Exploring Ioannina: Culture Meets Sustainability
Beyond the workshops, partners explored Ioannina’s rich history and culture through the visit of landmarks like the Citadel, the Byzantine Museum, and Lake Pamvotis, which highlighted the city’s mixture of sustainability and cultural heritage.
The MOBILITIES FOR EU consortium meeting in Ioannina showed the importance of collaboration, innovation, and shared vision in creating a sustainable future for urban mobility. It provided a platform for knowledge sharing, strategic planning, and relationship building. CARNET’s contributions to WP3 during this meeting have set the stage for continued progress in monitoring and evaluating MOBILITIES for EU. By using innovative tools and building on collaboration, CARNET’s work in WP3 will provide the insights needed to evaluate the project’s impact effectively. The consortium remains committed to achieving its objectives with innovations that play a key role in advancing cities toward climate neutrality in Europe.
