The conference on KIC in Urban Mobility was organised by the European Commission, DG MOVE, in Brussels on 29 March 2017. The event brought together city representatives, academics and entrepreneurs to discuss how to work together in the field of urban transport in Europe.
The main focus of the conference was to discuss the bottom-up and long-term approach of the EC to stimulate innovation in urban mobility by means of a possible Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC). The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) sets up the KICs, six of which are already covering different sectors. In 2018, the creation of the new KIC in urban mobility is foreseen to join the existing EIT community. Essentially, a KIC supports the innovation life cycle, from idea to marketisation and scale-up. It should be an autonomously run consortium with the aim to foster excellence and innovation in the European urban mobility area, with a clear industry engagement that brings companies to the market, and educates the next generation of innovators.
Key messages from the event can be summarised as follows:
- the importance to provide structures suitable for innovation to meet the important urban mobility policy challenges
- KIC in urban mobility should provide sustainability to the efforts already made, by linking education and entrepreneurship in transport
- a strong innovation strategy on how to deliver impact should be at the centre of any prospective application
- the funding structure of the KICs should enable these networks to eventually become financially sustainable
- the challenges in the urban mobility field require diverse skillsets and unforeseen combinations that are not achieved through conventional education.
In conclusion, there seem to be great expectations of public-private partnerships and willingness to work together and find solutions to the challenges posed by urban mobility. There was no doubt among speakers and participants that it would be possible to attract young talents to academic and entrepreneurship programmes in urban mobility, an area with many opportunities for continued learning and advancement.
Further information:
Event website
2018 Call for KICs proposals.
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