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The updated version of the report initiated in 2021 on the Romanian urban mobility ecosystem will be presented on Wednesday in the "Romanian Urban Mobility Startups Overview", which opens the series of thematic events of the EIT Urban Mobility Romania Hub this year.
The other sessions will focus on the presentation of ideas from the invited experts, as well as on the sharing of the experiences encountered by the start-ups in the field, informs a company's release.
Starting with March 2022, EIT Urban Mobility Romania Hub will organize a program similar to the one held in 2021, whose beneficiaries were over 15 mobility start-ups. Benefits of the program include: training and mentoring sessions tailored to the needs of start-ups, consultancy on accessing finance and new markets, increasing visibility and assistance in applying to EIT Urban Mobility's acceleration and investment programs. Applications for the program are open until February 27, 2022.
Also in the context of the start-up program, an open call is launched for experts who want to support start-ups in this sector, by offering mentoring sessions on various topics.
"Romania's economic and societal development has led to a massive increase in the number of inhabitants and goods to be transported, which translates into congestion in our cities. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a strong impact on the urban mobility start-up ecosystem (...) We notice many cities and citizens who seek to adopt technological innovations to improve mobility as part of their daily lives, thus creating more and more opportunities for innovators, companies and investors," says Alexandra Hincu, Hub Manager of EIT Urban Mobility Romania Hub.
In the same context, Mircea Vadan, Board member of Spherik Accelerator and Activize, maintains that there is a lot of interest in comfort and reliability in travel and trips, which comes with new challenges, and potential solutions can also be offered by technology startups. "According to our database, 70 startups in the field of mobility and transport are active in the Romanian ecosystem, offering various services, from parking and traffic management systems to carpooling and ride-sharing applications. And our goal through the activities of the program is to support them and connect them with potential clients and partners," said Vadan.
Also, the administrator of the Federation of Metropolitan Areas and Urban Agglomerations in Romania, Paul Pece, states that the new challenges facing cities and metropolitan areas, in the post-pandemic context, require solutions related to adapting public transport to user demand, as well as identifying projects to integrate new forms of mobility in an integrated way. "In this context, collaboration between local authorities, academia and companies in the field of mobility services is essential, in a way that ensures long-term sustainability and an increase in the quality of these services, in line with users' expectations," he added.
In order to meet the challenges facing cities, both the creativity and technological know-how of start-ups and innovators in the national ecosystem, as well as those of the European EIT Urban Mobility network, can be harnessed. Thus, in order to add value to cities, the EIT Urban Mobility hub in Romania will continue its journey to connect stakeholders in finding solutions and resources for the development of the innovation ecosystem in the field of intelligent transport and urban mobility.
EIT Urban Mobility Romania Hub, launched in October 2021, continues its activity throughout 2022, bringing together specialists in innovation, transport, public policy and financing to expand the portfolio of ideas and projects that can be financed, which can generate new solutions and investments in the urban mobility sector, Agerpres informs.
