Strategic innovations. EIT Urban Mobility Grant

The Strategic Innovation Open Call is a multi-year open competition by EIT Urban Mobility (EITUM) aimed at supporting innovative, scalable and commercially viable solutions for urban mobility. Its goal is to accelerate the deployment of high-impact solutions that improve quality of life in cities by enabling safe, accessible, sustainable and efficient mobility.

The call accepts projects at TRL 5–8 focused on:

• development and testing of new products, services or processes,

• demonstrations, field trials and pilots in real urban environments,

• deployment of solutions with cities, transport operators and private partners,

• market preparation and commercialisation.

EITUM expects projects to generate social, environmental and economic impact and contribute to the organisation’s long-term sustainability through the FSM.

Key domains include: digital mobility, AI/autonomous transport, urban logistics, transport safety, sustainable transport systems, energy solutions for mobility and air-quality/health improvements.

• A project must include at least 2 independent legal entities from 2 different EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries.

• One partner must act as commercial lead, responsible for FSM.

• Eligible organisations:

  • private companies (SMEs, corporates),

  • cities/municipalities,

  • public transport operators,

  • research organisations, universities,

  • NGOs and other legal entities.

• Special conditions:

  • some Hungarian universities are not eligible for funding.

  • Swiss entities may participate but cannot receive EITUM funding.

• The consortium must cover: technology development, piloting, access to real urban environments, and commercialisation capacity.

• Maximum funding: up to 2,000,000 EUR per project.

• Total call budget 2026–2028: 60M EUR, incl. ~13M EUR for RIS countries.

• Eligible costs follow Horizon Europe and EITUM rules and include:

  • personnel;

  • equipment and depreciation;

  • subcontracting (limited and justified);

  • travel;

  • other direct costs related to pilots, testing, prototypes, certification;

  • indirect costs (flat rate).

• Ineligible costs:

  • large infrastructure investments;

  • non-project-related costs;

  • any costs prohibited under Horizon Europe (fines, credit interest, non-recoverable VAT, etc.).

• All projects must include a Financial Sustainability Mechanism (FSM) — a return-to-EIT model based on revenue sharing, royalties, licensing or similar.

• Funding is awarded through portfolio selection considering impact, geography, diversity of partners, TRL balance and cross-sectoral value.

Supported activities include:

• development of innovative products/services (TRL 5–8);

• creation of MVPs, prototypes, demonstrators;

• laboratory and field testing;

• demonstration and piloting in cities;

• feasibility studies, deployment models;

• business modelling and commercialisation strategies;

• certification and regulatory preparation;

• scaling and deployment plans;

• user engagement (UX, co-creation);

• impact assessment;

• technology development in AI, autonomy, mobility data, logistics, charging and energy systems.

- Eligibility check: up to 1 week after cut-off.
- Evaluation: up to 6 weeks.
- Panel hearings: ~2 weeks later.
- Results: ~2 weeks after panel.
- Project start: ~4 weeks after results.

1. Study all required documents

Applicants must read:

• Call Manual
• Guidance for Applicants
• FS Guidelines
• KPI List
• IP Checklist
• FAQ

2. Ensure eligibility

Not eligible if:

• fewer than 2 independent legal entities from 2 different EU/associated countries;
• no commercial lead;
• TRL outside 5–8;
• no city/operator for pilots (if applicable);
• budget does not comply with Horizon Europe.

3. Register or validate the organisation profile

Each partner must provide:

• organisational information,
• PIC number (Horizon Europe),
• legal entity documentation.

4. Build the consortium

Consortium must include:

• project coordinator;
• mandatory commercial lead;
• technical partners;
• piloting partners;
• partners responsible for business development.

5. Prepare required documents

Must be uploaded:

• Application Form
• Work Plan (WPs, deliverables, milestones)
• Budget (EITUM Excel template)
• FSM Proposal
• IP Checklist
• Partner Declarations
• KPI Plan
• TRL justification
• Risk Plan
• City Letters (if applicable)

6. Complete the online application

Fill in:

• Project description:
  • problem, innovation, need, impact, deliverables.
  • Technical section:
  • TRL, methodology, testing, piloting, scalability.
• Commercialisation section:
  • market analysis, business model, FSM.
• Budget section:
  • full cost breakdown.

7. KPI alignment

Each proposal must select at least one KPI and provide:

• target values,
• measurement methodology.

8. IP compliance

Submit:

• IP ownership model;
• joint results rules;
• access rights;
• confirmation of no infringement.

9. Submit before the cut-off deadline

Late submissions are not accepted.

The evaluation process includes:

1. Eligibility/admissibility check

2. External expert scoring

3. Panel hearings and portfolio selection

Expert criteria:

• Relevance: fit with call objectives, TRL 5–8, urban mobility focus.

• Impact: environmental, social and economic benefits; scalability; replicability; commercial potential; FSM contribution.

• Quality & efficiency: structure, methodology, pilots, risk assessment, KPI validity.

• Consortium strength: partner expertise, commercial lead, market readiness.

• Budget: justification, cost-efficiency, realism.

• EIT added value: alignment with EIT strategies and EU missions.

• Application Form.

• Budget (EITUM Excel template).

• Work Plan.

• FSM proposal.

• Partner declarations.

• IP Checklist.

• KPI Plan.

• Letters of Commitment (if applicable).

• TRL justification.

• Risk mitigation plan.

• City support letters (for pilots).

Horizon Europe and EIT Urban Mobility requirements: financial reports, technical reports, audit.