IRF Projects | Mobilities for EU

DRESDEN, 15th of May 2024 – The partners of the MOBILITIES FOR EU project gathered in Dresden over the last three days for its Second General Assembly, bringing together key partners and stakeholders to advance the project's objectives to accelerate the transition towards green urban mobility in European cities.

Under the leadership of coordinator Julia Vicente Gómez from CARTIF, the assembly commenced with a comprehensive review of the project's initial phases. This included an assessment of progress made thus far with a focus on the Lead and Replication Cities status and strategic planning for the forthcoming period. The event, held concurrently with the #IEEE6GSummit, attracted a diverse array of participants, including innovative tech startups and projects. This convergence of expertise promises to enrich discussions and foster collaborative opportunities.

A joint policy dialogue with another EU project, NEUTRALPATH also took place. Representatives from the cities of Vantaa, Dresden, Madrid and Espoo explored examples from their respective cities of solutions they have implemented and plan to implement in the next few years to reduce carbon emissions and finance the green transition.

Throughout the assembly, attendees engaged in a series of technical workshops, presentations by city partners, and a site visit of the Dresden demo site, the Ostragehege. At the site visit, colleagues from Dresden introduced the consortium to pilot activities planned on-site which are geared towards accelerating the development and implementation of cleaner, more efficient mobility solutions. 

The International Road Federation (IRF) was pleased to bring together the different project partners for a productive week to advance climate neutrality in the 7 cities in Europe. Agostina Massarini, IRF Communications & Project Manager, delivered a presentation on the work to be done in the upcoming months for the Work Package on Upscaling & Replication – From Demonstration to Long-term City Plans, being led by the IRF.

The European Green Deal aims to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. Cities account for a major share of emissions and therefore have great leverage in achieving the ambitious European goal. Their journey towards climate neutrality can secure co-benefits such as reduced air and noise pollution, improved health and well-being, and reduced urban environmental footprints. Within the framework of the European Commission’s Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, 112 European cities have committed themselves to achieve climate neutrality much earlier: by 2030. Transportation is a key aspect of this journey, being the second-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and accounting for over 30% of total energy use. 

MOBILITIES for EU demonstrates innovative urban mobility solutions that can accelerate the transformation of the urban transportation sector, embracing electrification, automation, and connectivity as central themes to reach this goal. Seven European cities, the majority of them having committed themselves to reach climate neutrality by 2030 as part of the 112 Mission Cities, represent the core of the project.  

They are divided into Lead Cities and Replication Cities: 

Two Lead Cities, Madrid (Spain) and Dresden (Germany), demonstrate the effectiveness of 27 innovative mobility solutions in eleven pilot actions. The 27 solutions tackle innovation both in vehicles and in overarching infrastructure. Examples are autonomous mid-size e-buses for the transport of around 20 persons or the development of a Sovereign Mobility Decentralised Data Ecosystem for automated driving. Demonstration includes a design phase, the deployment of the solutions and their evaluation to assess their impact and relevance for future up-scaling and replication. 

Under the lead of the International Road Federation (IRF),  five Replication Cities – Ioannina (Greece), Trenčin (Slovakia), Espoo (Finland), Gdansk (Poland), and Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina) – intend to replicate the Lead Cities' processes, designing their own adaptations for the tested solutions.  

The implementation of new urban mobility solutions can only be effective if they meet the needs of urban residents and other local stakeholders. Therefore, Urban Transport Labs (UT-Labs) that involve these stakeholders are established in all seven project cities and play a vital role in the project. The Labs are integrated in all project phases, especially in the co-design of pilot activities and in the planning of up-scaling and replication activities beyond the project period.  

Julia Vicente Gómez, MOBILITIES for EU project coordinator and renowned expert in the field of urban transformation towards climate neutrality, conveyed her excitement about the project: 

“The big strength of MOBILITIES for EU is its holistic approach. The demonstration of 27 innovative urban mobility solutions for both passengers and freight as well as tackling the big area of mobility infrastructure will provide crucial insights to everyone working in the field of electric, automated and connected mobility. A key component for me is the establishment of local Urban Transport Labs in our project cities. Through the Labs, we gather the wide variety of perspectives across sectors and professions. In the end, we can only achieve climate neutrality in our cities if we work together, break silos and design innovation centred around actual urban needs.” 

The project is set to run over the next five years during which the technologies will be deployed and monitored by a project consortium that includes 29 esteemed institutions from nine European countries and covering the diverse perspectives from academia, industry, and the public sector. MOBILITIES for EU is funded under the framework of Horizon Europe – the European Commission’s research and innovation funding programme, in collaboration with the two European partnerships CCAM and 2ZERO.