Based in the drafted scope and the input in the Issues and Need dialogue, the below areas are considered to be included in the call. We may however decrease the number of areas due to budget constraints, if the area fits better to be included in the Academy fall 2022 call (for activity start July 2023), and if we think there will not be proposals addressing the area. Related to the last concern, we want you to either as a comment to this post or through other channels let us know if you want a specific area to be prioritised as you plan to send in a proposal.
- Raising awareness
- We see significant potential and need to raise the awareness of existing EIT Urban Mobility education activities and services to relevant target groups in RIS countries. We need to make sure existing activities are benefitting RIS.
- Capacity building
- On top of utilizing existing education initiatives, such as existing courses, we also need to build the local capacity to achieve lasting effects. This may include supporting local eco-systems.
- Education and training
- We see a strong need for education and training activities with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship potentially also including urban mobility, such as face to face or online courses.
- Startup student activities
- Somewhat overlapping with the above, but important to highlight, there is a significant need to further support student startup activities and training with the purpose to generate new ventures.
- Cross-Cutting Issues to Permeate all Call Items
- The gender balance in is still not meeting our objective. A key component in all our funded activities, not least around recruitment, needs to be how gender mainstreaming is integrated.
- Support further integration of the Knowledge Triangle in RIS countries, so that durable, evidence-based solutions can be implemented in a financially sustainable way. KTI can be either local, national, regional, or international. This should (a) support the knowledge transfer from universities to industry and beyond, and (b) help universities leverage relationships to improve knowledge generation, upskilling and financial sustainability goals.
- Do not fund generic projects addressing broad topics but very much linked to the specific needs of RIS countries, which may include: active mobility, digitalization, electrification. Specific over general: fund small-remit projects with clear impact that then can be replicated elsewhere.
- Identify good practice in terms of what’s already happening in RIS countries, and promote sharing of said good practice or scale up – whether this is education products, or occasions when education can play a part in supporting people obtain the skills/knowledge that have proved helpful otherwise.
- Invest in skills that will support sustainability of interventions including innovation & entrepreneurial skills, and how to navigate a very complex system (funding-wise, etc). This concerns both professionals, academics and civil servants – innovation skills and awareness may be missing in many places among civil servants, which jeopardises the generation of viable start-ups, ideas, etc. This needs to be specific to the characteristics and landscape of RIS countries.
- Clearly identify the local/national/regional knowledge and skills gaps, and invest in narrowing them, both in the area of urban mobility but also in innovation and entrepreneurship and other relevant areas.
- Bring stakeholders from RIS Hub countries together so that they can exchange what works in their jurisdictions, and to create matching opportunities for students, startups and stakeholders to foster innovation and creative thinking. Also encourage projects where RIS and non-RIS countries come together.
- Focus interventions on financial sustainability, so investment is not just a one-off but can be sustained over time and build economies of scale.
EIT Urban Mobility Academy Calls 