HORIZON-MISS-2023-CIT-01 Call is open!

Today, on 10 January, the first of the CCAM-related Work Programme 2023 topics is opening for project submission. The title of this multidisciplinary Horizon Europe call is: “Co-designed smart systems and services for user-centred shared zero-emission mobility of people and freight in urban areas” (HORIZON-MISS-2023-CIT-01).

Tripartite topic, drafted among CCAM, 2Zero*, and the Cities Mission**, has in the scope to support cities in their acceleration in transitioning to climate neutrality. It is not an easy task as citizens, logistics and delivery stakeholders, urban planners, transport operators, and technology providers should jointly exploit the combined potentials of electric, automated, and connected vehicles as well as integrated and shared people mobility and freight transport in their planning and actions. It requires a mutual understanding and alignment of the opportunities of existing technical solutions from the CCAM and 2Zero Partnerships and of needs identified by users and cities striving for the Mission target of climate neutrality.

The call does not limit itself to the field of technology. It includes effective contribution of social sciences and humanities disciplines for appropriately improving the quality of the progress of related research projects. Social innovation is to be embraced to support these activities in order to develop new ideas with the use of individuals’ needs. Inclusiveness of vulnerable populations (older persons, children) as well as gender perspectives in mobility should be considered.

Climate neutrality for cities is associated with important co-benefits and urban qualities such as reduced air and noise pollution, improved health and well-being, reduced urban environmental footprints, enhanced urban greening, reduced soil sealing and improved water management. It is also associated with policy coherence across sectors and with participatory and inclusive decision-making. Therefore, in addition to a significant contribution to the objective of the European Green Deal to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050, the actions funded will also contribute to the UN Agenda 2030, the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Fit for 55 strategy, the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change, the EU Industrial Strategy, the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and the New European Bauhaus initiative. In the process, they will support cities in their twin green and digital transformation.

The call for CCAM is at the heart of Partnership work and goals. The innovative solutions for mobility submitted by the proposals will have to be tested and demonstrated in real environments and use cases before being replicated. It implies pilot demonstrations in at least two cities (lead cities) situated each in a different Member State or Horizon Europe associated country (not necessarily cities formally involved in the Cities Mission). Proposals should provide evidence of the cities’ commitment to testing and implementing the co-designed solutions. Each submission should also engage at least four replication/follower cities to foster replicability and up-taking of the outcomes.

The call’s detailed requirements can be found on the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal of the European Commission. The call closes on 27 April 2023. The other CCAM-related calls in the Work Programme 2023 will open in May.

*The Towards zero emission road transport (2Zero) is a co-programmed Partnership funded under the Horizon Europe programme and aiming at accelerating the transition towards zero tailpipe emission road mobility across Europe.

**The Cities Mission will involve local authorities, citizens, businesses, investors as well as regional and national authorities to

• Deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030
• Ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050