Official call identifier: EITUM-BP26-28
Objective of the call
The RIS Education Open Call 2027 aims to fund projects that support the EIT Urban Mobility Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) strategy by delivering high-quality education activities in innovation, entrepreneurship and urban mobility. The call focuses on capacity building in RIS countries and aims to improve transferable skills that can lead to further innovation and entrepreneurship in urban mobility.
The call is aligned with EIT Urban Mobility’s strategic objectives to close the knowledge gap and promote effective policies and behavioural change. Activities should contribute to sustainable urban mobility, support the development of mobility for more liveable urban spaces, and strengthen innovation capacity in RIS countries.
Scope of activities
The call supports education, training, capacity-building, networking and scaling activities in the field of urban mobility, innovation and entrepreneurship. Activities should be place-based and respond to the needs of local, regional or national ecosystems in RIS countries. In-person delivery is expected, with online components limited and justified where relevant. The use of local language is recommended where it can improve stakeholder participation and engagement.
The call covers five activity types:
RISE1: Capacity-building in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Activities should support the growth of entrepreneurial and innovation capacity in RIS countries and regions. They may include training for cities, universities, research organisations, industry, researchers, university professors, trainers, civil servants, start-ups and young people aged 12–19. Courses should be delivered across at least three teaching modules and include self-study methods between modules.
RISE2: Education and Training Activities in Urban Mobility
Activities should provide education and training in urban mobility, with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. They should be based on sectoral and geographical needs and may include technical urban mobility topics, social and regulatory innovation, citizen engagement, behaviour change, stakeholder participation and upskilling of urban mobility professionals. Courses should include at least three teaching modules and combine theoretical and practical formats.
RISE3: Organisation of Winter and Summer Schools
This activity type supports challenge-based winter and summer schools in innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of urban mobility. The target groups are bachelor students who have completed at least their second year of undergraduate studies, or young people aged 12–19. Activities should include recruitment, awareness raising, challenge-based learning, study trips, coaching, involvement of a host city in an RIS country, participation of local industry players and final pitching of solutions.
RISE4: Scaling-up of Local, Regional and National Initiatives
This activity type supports the scaling up of existing local, regional, national or EU-funded educational initiatives addressing urban mobility, innovation and entrepreneurship. Activities should expand the audience, geographical reach and impact of existing training and capacity-building initiatives. The scaled-up activities should have a minimum duration of three teaching modules and include self-study methods between modules.
RISE5: Network Building with Educational Players
This activity type supports the creation of networks with relevant institutions in RIS countries that provide training in innovation, entrepreneurship or urban mobility. Projects should build collaboration among educational stakeholders and generate educational agendas or strategies for a specific region, based on existing assets such as trainings, events, networks or collaborative platforms.
Target groups include students and professionals, including civil servants and industry representatives; professors, researchers, mentors and trainers; and young people aged 12–19.
Eligible applicants
This call is open to all types of legal entities established in EU Member States and/or third countries associated with Horizon Europe. Eligible entities may include universities, research organisations, SMEs, start-ups and cities, among others. Applicants may or may not be EIT Urban Mobility partners at the time of proposal submission.
Applicants should have expertise and previous experience in developing and implementing capacity-building projects in urban mobility and/or innovation and entrepreneurship.
The call is open to both mono-participant and multi-participant proposals from one or more RIS countries.
For mono-participant proposals, the applicant must be a legal entity established in one of the RIS countries.
For multi-participant proposals, the consortium must include entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe-associated third countries, with at least one entity coming from a RIS country. In the case of multi-participant proposals involving entities from one country only, and in the case of mono-participant proposals, applicants must explain how the project will achieve a pan-European dimension.
RIS countries eligible to take part in the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme in 2026 include:
EU Member States: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Horizon Europe Associated Countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine.
Outermost Regions: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint-Martin, the Azores and Madeira, and the Canary Islands.
Eligible costs
All expenditure must comply with Horizon Europe rules. The application budget follows Horizon Europe cost categories and must be justified in the proposal. The application guidance refers to employee/personnel costs, travel costs and other goods and services as examples of cost categories to be explained in the budget.
Funding conditions
Type of action:
Cascade Funding
Funding rate:
For RISE1, RISE2, RISE3 and RISE5, proposals must include a minimum co-funding rate of 25%, meaning EIT funding may cover up to 75% of the total project budget.
EU contribution per project:
• RISE1 and RISE2: up to EUR 300,000 per project
• RISE3: up to EUR 180,000 per project, with a maximum of EUR 90,000 per edition
• RISE4: up to EUR 140,000 per project
• RISE5: up to EUR 70,000 per project
Project duration:
• RISE1, RISE2 and RISE4: between 12 and 23 months, until 30 November 2028 at the latest
• RISE3: between 9 and 23 months
• RISE5: maximum 12 months
Deadline for submission
8 September 2026