[December 2024, EU] – EIT Urban Mobility, a prominent European innovation initiative driving sustainable urban transport solutions, today announced the launch of its sixth RAPTOR (Rapid Applications for Transport) programme. This highly successful programme pairs innovative startups and SMEs with 15 European cities to rapidly develop and pilot solutions for critical urban mobility challenges. The 2025 cohort includes cities from across the continent, demonstrating EIT Urban Mobility’s commitment to fostering innovation and impactful solutions in diverse urban contexts. Cities such as Poznań (Poland) and Belgrade (Serbia) are participating in the programme, highlighting EIT Urban Mobility’s ongoing efforts to support innovation within Eastern Europe.
RAPTOR: Accelerating Solutions for Urban Mobility Challenges
The RAPTOR programme is a unique, challenge-driven initiative designed to bridge the gap between innovative startups and the practical needs of city administrations. Unlike traditional grant programmes, RAPTOR adopts an agile, iterative approach. Cities identify specific, often niche, mobility challenges they are facing, and startups and SMEs respond with innovative solutions through a competitive open call. This highly targeted approach ensures that the solutions developed directly address real-world problems and have immediate relevance for participating cities.
Selected startups receive significant support, including up to €40,000 in funding, extensive mentorship from EIT Urban Mobility experts, and access to city resources to facilitate the development and in-situ piloting of their proposed solutions. This collaborative approach fosters rapid prototyping, testing, and refinement, accelerating the path to deployment and scalability. The six-month project timeline ensures a quick turnaround, allowing cities to see tangible results and startups to rapidly gain valuable real-world experience.
Addressing a Wide Spectrum of Urban Mobility Challenges
The 2025 RAPTOR programme addresses a broad spectrum of urban mobility issues, reflecting the diversity of challenges faced by European cities:
• Smart Parking and Accessibility: Several cities are focusing on improving parking management, with a special emphasis on ensuring accessibility for residents with disabilities. This involves leveraging technology to optimise parking space utilisation, provide real-time information on parking availability, and create more inclusive parking solutions.
• Enhancing Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety: Multiple cities are tackling the critical issue of enhancing safety for vulnerable road users. This includes the development and testing of innovative technologies, such as smart sensors and AI-powered analytics, to monitor traffic patterns, identify potential hazards, and implement preventive measures.
• Sustainable Last-Mile Delivery: Several participating cities are seeking innovative solutions to improve the efficiency and sustainability of last-mile delivery systems. This ranges from exploring the use of shared electric cargo bikes to optimising delivery routes and reducing congestion.
• Optimising Public Transport: Several cities are focusing on optimising public transport systems through improved data management and real-time information dissemination to enhance the efficiency, reliability, and convenience of public transport.
Poznań and Belgrade: Eastern European Perspectives
The 2025 RAPTOR programme underscores EIT Urban Mobility’s commitment to supporting innovation in Eastern Europe. Two particularly noteworthy participants are:
• Poznań, Poland: Poznań is addressing the challenge of providing real-time information to public transport users about unexpected route changes and disruptions. This focus on enhancing communication and transparency is key to building user trust and confidence in public transport, leading to increased ridership and reduced reliance on private vehicles.
• Belgrade, Serbia: Belgrade is tackling the significant challenge of improving pedestrian and cyclist safety. This requires a multi-faceted approach that combines technological solutions with policy adjustments to enhance the safety and usability of shared spaces.
The Power of Collaboration: Cities, Startups, and EIT Urban Mobility
The success of the RAPTOR programme hinges on the collaboration between cities, innovative startups, and EIT Urban Mobility’s expertise and support. The programme creates a dynamic ecosystem that fosters knowledge sharing, accelerates innovation, and ultimately leads to the development and deployment of impactful solutions. The positive feedback from previous participants underscores the effectiveness of this approach.
Open Call and Next Steps
The open call for the RAPTOR 2025 programme begins on 12th December 2024. Information days will be held from 16th to 18th December, providing startups and SMEs with the opportunity to learn more about the specific challenges identified by each city and to receive support in preparing their applications. EIT Urban Mobility encourages innovative startups and SMEs to participate in this transformative programme.
BACKGROUND
About EIT Urban Mobility
EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, aims to accelerate solutions and the transition towards a user-centric, integrated and truly multimodal transport system. As the leading European innovation community for urban mobility, EIT Urban Mobility works to avoid fragmentation by facilitating collaboration between cities, industry, academia, research, and innovation to solve the most pressing mobility challenges
For more information visit www.eiturbanmobility.eu.
