Call for Proposals: #ChallengeMyCity in Heraklion & Larissa (Greece)

Deadline: 29-May-23

The EIT Urban Mobility is pleased to announce the applications for the #ChallengeMyCity, to test the best solutions through a six-month pilot and evaluates their social, economic, and environmental impact and estimate long-term integration into the city´s mobility strategy, to make mobility more sustainable and accessible for all.

#ChallengeMyCity is a programme enabling European cities to tackle their most pressing urban challenges by testing market-ready innovative mobility solutions.

#ChallengeMyCity provides enterprises of all types and sizes with a market-ready solutions with the opportunity to grow their successful business ventures and scale up their products and services.

Benefits for selected solutions  

• Funding: 360,000 EUR (180,000 EUR per city)
• Up to €60 000 in funding to implement a six-month pilot in real conditions
• Support to implementation by EIT Urban Mobility and city officers
• Networking opportunities with public administration and other innovators
• Promotion through the Mobility Innovation Marketplace by EIT Urban Mobility

Challenges

• The Greek cities of Heraklion and Larissa are seeking solutions to the urban mobility challenges they face. The best solutions to three challenges per city will be awarded implementation of the pilots. Find a brief description of each challenge:
  • Heraklion (Greece) 
    • Challenge: Creating micromobility hubs through secure bicycle parkings
      • The city of Heraklion strives to implement safe and secured bicycle parking with the possibility of charging e-bikes, located in a strategic point where the users, after finishing their trips, can park their bike safely to walk or use the public transport. The ideal flexible modular solution could be spread around the city and accommodate (each one) a small number (10-30) of bikes and e-bikes for both spontaneous parking and charging during the day by the registered users of the scheme.
    • Challenge: Management and control of parking spaces for persons with reduced mobility (PRM) and logistics
      • The desired solution should enable PRM residents and visitors, and truck drivers, to book a parking spot. It should also facilitate the movement of people with disabilities and encourage their integration and equal participation in the life of the city by informing them in real time about the next free parking spot. It should also facilitate the everyday work of the delivery companies and the shop owners, by avoiding illegal parking of trucks in random and not appropriate places for parking.
    • Challenge: Control of motorised vehicle access in the pedestrianised area of the city centre
      • The city is looking for a technology solution through which it can control the city’s entry points and/or exit points of the central pedestrianised area. The solution implementing the Urban Vehicle Access Regulations (UVARs) should allow the city to grant the permissions to an authorized driver to enter the area during certain time slots. The control of the entry and exit points should not rely on the involvement of the police in the enforcement of the regulation.
    • Challenge: Electric-powered micro-vehicle for PRM passengers’ mobility in the pedestrianised city centre
      • Heraklion is interested in piloting a new mobility option friendly both to people and the environment, operating in slow speed (up to 25 kilometres per hour) and allowing ride-hailing anywhere on the street. Smart or conventional telephone ordering should also be an option. This vehicle should be operated by a professional driver (city employee or employee of a private organisation, e.g. the Urban Public Transport Operator) and have capacity of 5 passengers without wheelchairs, or less passengers with wheelchairs.
  • Larissa (Greece) 
    • Challenge: Creating micromobility hubs through secure bicycle parkings
      • The city of Heraklion strives to implement safe and secured bicycle parking with the possibility of charging e-bikes, located in a strategic point where the users, after finishing their trips, can park their bike safely to walk or use the public transport. Safe bike parking facilities will encourage more cyclists to use e-bikes, which is expected to increase the number of cyclists for long peri-urban distance trips and trips to uphill destinations.
    • Challenge:  Collection of environmental and traffic data
      • The city of Larissa is looking into the use of smart devices to be installed close to schools and hospitals and also less sensitive locations to measure and compare the level of environmental pollution (air and noise) and traffic flows. The collection of relevant environmental and traffic data by smart devices will enable the city to take informed decisions and to re-shape urban mobility based on minimizing the harmful effects.
    • Challenge:  Management and control of parking spaces for PRM 
      • Unauthorized parking causes major accessibility issues for PRM. The desired solution should enable holders of blue cards (PRM residents in Larissa) and visitors with reduced mobility to book a parking spot. It should furthermore facilitate the movement of people with disabilities and encourages their integration and equal participation in the life of the city by informing them in real time about the next free parking spot.

Requirements 

• All types of companies located in a Member State of the European Union or from Third Country associated to Horizon Europe that can present solutions to the challenges mentioned are invited to participate.
• The proposal shall be in line with the Vision and Mission of the EIT Urban Mobility Strategic Agenda.
• The solutions/product should bring novelty and being results-focused.
• The solution should propose a financial sustainability mechanism to the EIT UM.
• The solution shall be at least TRL-7 and present a letter of recommendation from a previous pilot implementation.

For more information, visit #ChallengeMyCity: Heraklion & Larissa.