EIT launches funding initiative to address COVID-19 mobility challenges

As part of the EU’s collective efforts to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has announced the launch of the ‘EIT Crisis Response Initiative’.

The EIT Governing Board has decided to mobilise €60 million of additional funding to innovators powering high-impact solutions that tackle the unprecedented social and economic challenge. The financing aims to allow the launch of new innovation projects to address the immediate crisis as part of the ‘Pandemic Response Projects’, and support highly innovative start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs crucial to the economy’s fast recovery to benefit from additional funding under the ‘Venture Support Instrument’.

EIT Urban Mobility has, as part of this initiative, launched an exceptional COVID-19 Crisis Response Call, dedicated to addressing urban mobility challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Call is said to have simplified procedures and introduced an accelerated process to ensure impact can be delivered in the short-term.

Proposed activities must be implemented and completed within the 2020 calendar year. The available fund will be up to €6 million.

Projects should exclusively address the COVID-19 outbreak and propose an innovative approach whilst addressing two or more thematic areas: Innovation, Business Creation, Academy, Factory, Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) and Citizen Engagement.

EIT is also organising a series of virtual ‘Pitch & Meet’ events and has created a partner search tool to facilitate the communication and partner search for the COVID-19 Crisis Response Call.