The Scale-up Programme Is Looking for the 12 Urban Mobility Startups With the Most Potential to Improve European Cities

The Scale-up Programme, financed by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, identifies the 12 most promising startups with solutions for sustainable urban mobility. The programme aims to take the selected startups to the next level by helping them find funding and partnerships through attendance to major European events, giving them visibility to potential investors and bringing them closer to implementing their solutions in real environments. There will be two paths within the programme. The first one (Path A) will provide to the 5 selected startups international growth by attendance to high-impact events, visibility and building networking opportunities, with additional services valued at 25.000€. The second one (Path B) will be aimed at implementing 7 pilots with partner cities and industry with the opportunity of being funded up to 50.000€ by EIT Urban Mobility, plus the benefits of Path A. The application period is open until 12 June.

To identify the pilots for this programme, a call for challenges was previously opened. Over 20 challenges were received from cities and industry, of which 15 have been selected. The participating startups will have the opportunity to apply for Path B and solve one of the challenges raised by top European cities and relevant companies from the urban mobility sector, which will allow them to showcase their solution in a real environment. They will receive assistance in the process from the public authorities and organisations that have raised the challenges, as well as from the consortium members developing the programme.

Participant cities and industry companies are from Germany: Wolfsburg AG, Hamburger HOCHBAHN AG, City of Munich DB Station&Service. From Spain: IDIADA Automotive Technology, TUGSAL, City of Madrid (Spain). From Finland: City of Tampere. From Czech Republic: Prague 1 Municipal District, Prague City Hall, Prazska energetika and City of Helmond from Netherlands.

The programme, in which a total of 12 European startups will participate, is currently looking for the most promising emerging companies in Europe in the field of urban mobility and will boost them by helping to deal with the day-to-day challenges of mobility in Europe. In this way, the goal of the Scale-up Programme is to take mobility companies to the next level by offering them a coaching and mentoring programme. Above all, the programme helps startups to attract new investments thanks to the EIT Urban Mobility network and access to mobility innovation projects in European cities, as well as giving them access to funding and investment opportunities.

The Scale-up Programme is also a gateway for participant companies to make themselves known to potential investors, customers and partners by participating in key urban mobility events in Europe, such as the Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, part of the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC22), the Start-up World Cup Summit in Prague or the Future Mobility event in Berlin. In addition, the Scale-up Programme participants will receive support services worth more than €25,000 – provided by the programme partners, and attendance to internal events organised by EIT Urban Mobility in order to provide more visibility to the participating companies.

Startups wishing to participate in the Scale-up Programme can apply until 12 June. More information about the offer, challenges and selection criteria can be found on the programme page:  https://www.eiturbanmobility.eu/business-creation/scale-up-programme/

Scale-up Programme is financed by EIT Urban Mobility and led by CARNET, with the collaboration of PowerHub, Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research, UnternehmerTUM, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Niedersächsisches Forschungszentrum Fahrzeugtechnik (NFF), Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg and the City of Hamburg, Xpreneurs, and UnternehmerTUM Digital Hub Mobility.

For more information about the Scale-up Programme and registration, please visit:   https://www.eiturbanmobility.eu/business-creation/scale-up-programme/