HORIZON EUROPE

CL5-2022-D2-01-11 CALLS FOR PROPOSALS - CIVITAS SUPPORT CITY MOBILITY COORDINATION

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Imagine a means to store electricity as green hydrogen for the load levelling of national grids, while also supplying energy for commercial vans and heavy duty trucks. Fuel cells provide a way to convert hydrogen gas into electricity, but on their own they do not represent a solution.  The way forward for E-Mobility is with hydrogen batteries, as the beating heart of the Smartnet™ dual-fuel infrastructure.

Several of the calls in the HE pipeline (some in draft form), or at least part of those calls, appears to be looking for a SmartNet™ versatile solution, or could (should) be integrated with a smart mobility infrastructure.

HORIZON-CL5-2022-D2-01-11: CIVITAS 2030 – Coordination and support for EU
funded urban mobility innovation

CIVITAS is an acronym of CIty-VITAlity-Sustainability.

The EU estimates that an EU contribution of between EUR 4.00 and 5.00 million would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately.

The total indicative budget for the topic is EUR 5.00 million.
Type of Action: Coordination and Support Actions

Expected Outcome: Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Increasing the extent and speed of the take up of innovative, replicable urban mobility
solutions in Europe, targeting responsible authorities and other stakeholders, in order to
contribute to the priorities of the European Green Deal, which stresses that ‘’transport
should become drastically less polluting, especially in cities. A combination of measures
should address emissions, urban congestion, and improved public transport’’:

ο Develop, and put in place a communication, dissemination and promotion strategy
that will clearly distinguish the identity of the CIVITAS initiative amongst other
European city initiatives.

ο Provide a common communication and dissemination framework for the projects
funded, including providing a common corporate identity and producing a monthly
newsletter that includes project results as well as wider developments in the field of
sustainable urban mobility.

ο Reach out to national transport press correspondents and relevant European media,
the Horizon project community and a wider European and international audience of
cities and professionals with the aim of increasing the visibility of the network and
urban mobility projects.

• Providing coordination, monitoring and support activities to the living lab cities and
projects funded under CIVITAS, among others by formalising the collaboration with each
project through an MoU, and by providing a common realistic and user-friendly evaluation
framework with dedicated support to the projects: 

ο Facilitating exchanges among the CIVITAS projects and living labs and with the
European Commission with the aim of disseminating project results, key milestones
and achievements.

ο Organising capacity building, training sessions and three site visits per year, based
on latest results and best practices from the CIVITAS or other European projects, to
support the take up of innovative mobility solutions.

ο Organise a CIVITAS Forum to share results and best practice from urban mobility
projects.

ο Collaborate on the organisation of the Urban Mobility Days (flagship conference on
innovative, clean and integrated urban mobility and transport).

ο Looking at project results as well as wider developments in the field of sustainable
urban mobility, European media outlets, of cities and professionals.

ο Update and increase the database of subscribers of CIVITAS newsletters by 20%
every year.

ο Offer liaison activities, collaboration and synergy building with the different urban
mobility communities and initiatives at European level, such as the ELTIS, EIP SCC,
Driving Urban Transitions Partnership, EIT Urban Mobility and the Climate Neutral
and Smart Cities Mission.

ο Maintaining, optimising and promoting the CIVITAS website through usability tests,
and improving its functionality, to ensure that it remains the main platform for the
dissemination of relevant EU urban mobility innovation results increasing the
minimum of unique visitors with 10% every year.

ο Increase the CIVITAS twitter followers by 20% every year.

ο Preparing two policy papers per year on innovative solutions, good practices, and
their replication, putting in place ad-hoc three Thematic Groups (based on the
thematic areas of CIVITAS) to analyse developments and prepare recommendations,
and organising two meetings per year of the CIVITAS Policy Advisory Committee,
with one policy paper issued per year, to facilitate a continued dialogue between
cities, businesses and civil society.

ο Prepare policy recommendations and key learnings addressed to cities, Member
States/Associated Countries and the European Commission based on research and
innovation as well as results from ongoing projects.

ο Updating, promoting and enlarging the CIVITAS cities network, with at least 20 new
European cities added per year, providing support and funding to CIVINETS,
maintaining the secretariat for the CIVITAS initiative, and actively engaging with local, regional or national stakeholders, aiming to overcome language and other
barriers.

Scope: Together with initiatives of ELTIS and the European Mobility Week, CIVITAS is part
of the EU policy on urban mobility as a key flagship encouraging innovation at local level.
Since 2002 it acts as an open platform that facilitates research, the uptake of innovative
solutions, the validation of research results, the exchange of knowledge and best practices, and
common learning in the area of urban mobility and transport. The project selected under this
topic will help to ensure the long-term support for the CIVITAS projects offering governance,
and an organisational and logistical framework that guarantees the wide dissemination and take
up of urban mobility project results.

Proposals should aim at focusing activities on communication and event organisation and
coordination of living lab activities continuing and enhancing the operation of the platform, to
facilitate the continued coordination and knowledge exchange between the urban mobility
projects that have been, or that will be funded under the CIVITAS initiative. These projects will
deliver solutions that help achieve climate neutrality in cities, covering both personal mobility
and goods/urban logistics using all transport modes.

Proposals should aim at putting in place a common communication and dissemination strategy
to maximise the impact of the CIVITAS initiative. Proposals should ensure the monitoring of
activities, events and results of the urban mobility projects and communicate about their
progress and achievements. Proposers should also consolidate the common ‘CIVITAS Process
and Impact Evaluation Framework’ and ensure the continuity of the CIVINETs. They should
ensure continuity and provide a smooth transition from the previous Coordination and Support
Action, CIVITAS ELEVATE.

Call - Cross-sectoral solutions for the climate transition

CIVITAS is a network of cities for cities dedicated to cleaner, better transport in Europe and beyond. Since it was launched by the European Commission in 2002, the CIVITAS Initiative has tested and implemented over 800 measures and urban transport solutions as part of demonstration projects in more than 80 Living Lab cities Europe-wide.

The knowledge garnered through these practical experiences is complemented, and supported, by a number of research and innovation projects (ECCENTRIC, PORTIS and DESTINATIONS), also run under CIVITAS. These research projects look at ways of building a more resource efficient and competitive transport system in Europe.

CIVITAS offers practitioners opportunities to see innovative transport solutions being developed and deployed first-hand, and learn from peers and experts working in the field. CIVITAS nurtures political commitment, new marketable solutions, and offers funding and knowledge exchange with a view to creating growth and better connected, more sustainable transport modes.

The project works on 10 thematic areas, related to sustainable transport mobility covering: Car-Independent Lifestyles, Clean Fuels & Vehicles, Collective Passenger Transport, Demand Management Strategies, Integrated Planning, Mobility Management, Public Involvement, Safety & Security, Transport Telematics, Urban Freight Logistics.

CIVITAS is an acronym of CIty-VITAlity-Sustainability.

It has tested and implemented hundreds of urban transport solutions in more than 80 living lab cities. EU-funded CIVITAS ELEVATE advances the CIVITAS community to a higher level of knowledge and sustainability by increasing the Europe-wide impact of research and innovation actions on urban mobility policymaking. The project deepens the relationship between all involved actors, enriches the current CIVITAS generation and involves the next generation of transport professionals. Key aims include harmonising evaluation activities and advancing the knowledge that CIVITAS has built to improve urban mobility policymaking and planning.

SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Specific objective

The specific objective is to achieve a European transport system that is resource-efficient, climate- and environmentally-friendly, safe and seamless for the benefit of all citizens, the economy and society.

Europe must reconcile the growing mobility needs of its citizens and goods and the changing needs shaped by new demographic and societal challenges with the imperatives of economic performance and the requirements of an energy-efficient low-carbon society and climate-resilient economy. Despite its growth, the transport sector must achieve a substantial reduction in greenhouse gases and other adverse environmental impacts, and must break its dependency on oil and other fossil fuels, while maintaining high levels of efficiency and mobility and promoting territorial cohesion.

Sustainable mobility can only be achieved through a radical change in the transport system, including in public transport, inspired by breakthroughs in transport research, far-reaching innovation, and a coherent, Europe-wide implementation of greener, safer, more reliable and smarter transport solutions.

Research and innovation must bring about focused and timely advances for all transport modes that will help achieve key Union policy objectives, while boosting economic competitiveness, supporting the transition to a climate-resilient, energy-efficient and low-carbon economy, and maintaining global market leadership both for the service industry as well as the manufacturing industry.

Although the necessary investments in research, innovation and deployment will be significant, failing to improve the sustainability of the whole transport and mobility system and failing to maintain European technological leadership in transport will result in unacceptably high societal, ecological, and economic costs in the long term, and damaging consequences on European jobs and long-term economic growth.

Rationale and Union added value

Transport is a major driver of Europe's economic competitiveness and growth. It ensures the mobility of people and goods necessary for an integrated European single market, territorial cohesion and an open and inclusive society. It represents one of Europe's greatest assets in terms of industrial capability and quality of service, playing a leading role in many world markets. Transport industry and transport equipment manufacturing together represent 6,3 % of the Union GDP. The transport sector's overall contribution to the Union economy is even greater, taking into account trade, services and mobility of workers. At the same time, the European transport industry faces increasingly fierce competition from other parts of the world. Breakthrough technologies will be required to secure Europe's future competitive edge and to mitigate the drawbacks of our current transport system.

The transport sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gases and generates up to a quarter of all emissions. It is also a major contributor to other air pollution problems. Transport is still 96 % dependent on fossil fuels. It is essential to reduce this environmental impact through targeted technological improvement, bearing in mind that each mode of transport faces varying challenges and is characterised by different technology integration cycles. Moreover, congestion is an increasing problem; systems are not yet sufficiently smart; alternative options for shifting towards more sustainable modes of transport are not always attractive; road fatalities remain dramatically high at 34 000 per year in the Union; citizens and businesses expect a transport system that is accessible to all, safe and secure. The urban context poses specific challenges and provides opportunities to the sustainability of transport and for a better quality of life.

Within a few decades the expected growth rates of transport would drive European traffic into a gridlock and make its economic costs and societal impact unbearable, with adverse economic and societal repercussions. If trends of the past continue in the future, passenger-kilometres are predicted to double over the next 40 years and grow twice as fast for air travel. CO2 emissions would grow 35 % by 2050. Congestion costs would increase by about 50 %, to nearly EUR 200 billion annually. The external costs of accidents would increase by about EUR 60 billion compared to 2005.

Business-as-usual is therefore not an option. Research and innovation, driven by policy objectives and focused on the key challenges, shall contribute substantially to achieve the Union's targets of limiting global temperature increase to 2 °C, cutting 60 % of CO2 emissions from transport, drastically reducing congestion and accident costs, and virtually eradicating road deaths by 2050.
The problems of pollution, congestion, safety and security are common throughout the Union and call for collaborative Europe-wide responses. Accelerating the development and deployment of new technologies and innovative solutions for vehicles, infrastructures and transport management will be essential to achieve a cleaner, safer, more secure, accessible and more efficient intermodal and multimodal transport system in the Union; to deliver the results necessary to mitigate climate change and improve resource efficiency; and to maintain European leadership on the world markets for transport-related products and services. These objectives cannot be achieved through fragmented national efforts alone.

Union level funding of transport research and innovation will complement Member States' activities by focusing on activities with a clear European added value. This means that emphasis will be placed on priority areas that match European policy objectives where a critical mass of effort is necessary, where Europe-wide, interoperable or multimodal integrated transport solutions can help remove bottlenecks in the transport system, or where pooling efforts transnationally and making better use of and effectively disseminating existing research evidence can reduce research investment risks, pioneer common standards and shorten time to market of research results.

Research and innovation activities shall include a wide range of initiatives, including relevant public-private partnerships, that cover the full innovation chain and follow an integrated approach to innovative transport solutions. Several activities are specifically intended to help bring results to the market: a programmatic approach to research and innovation, demonstration projects, market take-up actions and support for standardisation, regulation and innovative procurement strategies all serve this goal. In addition, using stakeholders' engagement and expertise will help bridge the gap between research results and their deployment in the transport sector.

Investing in research and innovation for a greener, smarter and fully integrated reliable transport system will make an important contribution to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and of its flagship initiative 'Innovation Union'. The activities will support the implementation of the White Paper "Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area - Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system". They will also contribute to the policy goals outlined in the flagship initiatives 'Resource-efficient Europe', 'An Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era' and 'Digital Agenda for Europe'. They will also interface with the relevant Joint Programming Initiatives.
Broad lines of the activities

The activities will be organised in such a way as to allow for an integrated and mode-specific approach as appropriate. Multiannual visibility and continuity will be necessary in order to take into account the specificities of each transport mode and the holistic nature of challenges, as well as the relevant Strategic Research and Innovation Agendas of the transport-related European Technology Platforms.

(a) Resource-efficient transport that respects the environment

The aim is to minimise transport systems' impact on climate and the environment (including noise and air pollution) by improving their quality and efficiency in the use of natural resources and fuel, and by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
The focus of activities shall be to reduce resource consumption, particularly fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions and noise levels, as well as to improve transport and vehicle efficiency; to accelerate the development, manufacturing and deployment of a new generation of clean (electric, hydrogen and other low or zero emission) vehicles, including through breakthroughs and optimisation in engines, energy storage and infrastructure; to explore and exploit the potential of alternative and sustainable fuels and innovative and more efficient propulsion and operating systems, including fuel infrastructure and charging; to optimise the planning and use of infrastructures, by means of intelligent transport systems, logistics, and smart equipment; and to increase the use of demand management and public and non-motorised transport, and of intermodal mobility chains, particularly in urban areas. Innovation aimed at achieving low or zero emissions in all modes of transport will be encouraged.

(b) Better mobility, less congestion, more safety and security

The aim is to reconcile the growing mobility needs with improved transport fluidity, through innovative solutions for seamless, intermodal, inclusive, accessible, affordable, safe, secure, healthy, and robust transport systems.
The focus of activities shall be to reduce congestion, improve accessibility, interoperability and passenger choices, and to match user needs by developing and promoting integrated door-to-door transport, mobility management and logistics; to enhance intermodality and the deployment of smart planning and management solutions; and to drastically reduce the occurrence of accidents and the impact of security threats.

(c) Global leadership for the European transport industry

The aim is to reinforce the competitiveness and performance of European transport manufacturing industries and related services (including logistic processes, maintenance, repair, retrofitting and recycling) while retaining areas of European leadership (e.g. aeronautics).
The focus of activities shall be to develop the next generation of innovative air, waterborne and land transport means, ensure sustainable manufacturing of innovative systems and equipment and to prepare the ground for future transport means, by working on novel technologies, concepts and designs, smart control systems and interoperable standards, efficient production processes, innovative services and certification procedures, shorter development times and reduced lifecycle costs without compromising operational safety and security.

(d) Socio-economic and behavioural research and forward-looking activities for policy making

The aim is to support improved policy making which is necessary to promote innovation and meet the challenges raised by transport and the societal needs related to it.

The focus of activities shall be to improve the understanding of transport-related socio-economic impacts, trends and prospects, including the evolution of future demand, and provide policy makers with evidence-based data and analyses. Attention will also be paid to the dissemination of results emerging from these activities.

• HORIZON-CL5-2021-D2-01-08: Emerging technologies for a climate neutral Europe

• HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-01-05: Energy Sector Integration: Integrating and combining energy systems to a cost-optimised and flexible energy system of systems

• HORIZON-CL5-2021-D5-01-01: Nextgen vehicles

• HORIZON-CL5-2021-D5-01-03: System approach to achieve optimised Smart EV Charging and V2G flexibility in mass-deployment conditions (2ZERO)

• HORIZON-CL5-2021-D6-01-06: Framework for better coordination of large-scale demonstration pilots in Europe and EU-wide knowledge base (CCAM Partnership)

• HORIZON-CL5-2021-D6-01-08: New delivery methods and business/operating models to green the last mile and optimise road transport

• HORIZON-CL5-2022-D2-01-05: Next generation technologies for High-performance and safe-by-design battery systems for transport and mobile applications (Batteries Partnership)

• HORIZON-CL5-2022-D2-01-08: Coordination of large-scale initiative on future battery
technologies (Batteries Partnership)

• HORIZON-CL5-2022-D2-01-11: CIVITAS 2030 – Coordination and support for EU
funded urban mobility innovation

If anyone wants to form a consortium for an application (as lead perhaps) we'd be more than pleased to contribute the IP and flatpack and Universal Cartridge designs, on confirmation of funding grant. If commercial EV OEM car, van or truck makers joined, that would make a very solid consortium, though not essential, as the proposed Smartnet™ system is dual fuel, as well as load levelling - an international hydrogen and electricity supply network.

Copyright © Climate Change Trust & Universal Smart Batteries 2021. Solar Studios, BN271RF, United Kingdom.