RAPTOR 2023 Competition for Start-ups and SMEs

Deadline: 5-May-23

The Agile Innovation RAPTOR Call for Proposals is now open for start-ups and SMEs.

A typical incubator and accelerator programmes would offer some level of business training and investment or potential for investment. RAPTOR awards a cash grant and provides mentorship, with the end outcome being a minimum viable product and 1-week testing period.

To harness the wider city innovation capacity and ensure innovation closer to citizens, they developed a Rapid Application for Transport (RAPTOR) Pilot in 2020. This pilot helped 4 cities/towns identify niche mobility issues in specific locations with defined parameters and clear success criteria. Once these niche city mobility challenges were defined, a competition was launched for local innovators, teams, and start-ups to propose any solution as long as the original issue and outcomes were addressed. This provided space for lateral thinking beyond their own networks.  The initial pilot was extended to a total of 13 cities and 19 niche mobility challenges in 2022.

Each city, supported by technical and business advisors, selected the most promising solution to receive an award, in-kind and cash, to advance the proposal to a Solution to be tested in the city within four months of award. For the Innovation Programme of EIT Urban Mobility, agile entrepreneurial innovation based on problem/challenges with rapid development timelines closer to citizens and in a named location, has the potential to become a powerful tool in their innovation agenda.

RAPTOR, an agile innovation sub-project, is compatible with and complements their traditional larger scale projects funded in the Business Plan. Moreover, the internal competition in RAPTOR both promotes the wider urban mobility agenda and draws cutting edge innovators/ SMEs into their community. With the new edition of the RAPTOR programme in 2023, EIT Urban Mobility will select up to 12 Applicants from across Europe to develop solutions to niche mobility challenges. Existing documentation and lessons learned from RAPTOR 2022 will be key in ensuring an acceleration of innovation in cities, closer to citizens and closer to the innovation’s edge.

Benefits

• One start-up/SME per challenge is awarded a support package including:
  • 35 000 euro
  • Online customised mentoring sessions
  • Host city may offer 2-day per week workspace in their offices
  • A contact person for the city corresponding to your challenge
  • Real life testing of your solution in corresponding city.

Eligibility Criteria

• Start-ups and SMEs from Member States of the European Union and Horizon Europe Associated Countries, including the UK and Switzerland.
• Additionally, start-ups and SMEs should be registered as legal entities not more than 10 years ago from the official closing date of the call.

For more information, visit RAPTOR Competition.