CIVITAS 2020: EU FUNDING BOOST TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Civitas - an acronym for "cities, vitality, and sustainability" - is an initiative funded by the EU's research framework programme to support cities in their efforts to innovate for more sustainable urban mobility.

Since the start in 2002, Civitas has supported more than 700 demonstration activities in around 60 cities (within a total network of 200 cities who learn from those demonstration activities), with a total investment of more than €200 million from the EU. This leveraged an additional investment of close to €1 billion from local and regional authorities, and from private partners.

On the 30th of September, European Commission signed a grant agreement worth €4 million with a consortium of 14 European research institutes, associations and consulting companies - including 10 SMEs - for a three-year project known as "Civitas Capital".

Civitas Capital will:

 - pool existing knowledge through groups dedicated to specific topics who will produce best-practice guides;

 - issue recommendations on future Research and Development priorities which the Commission will integrate in its 2014–2020 research programme;

 - develop training packages and organise placement and exchange of urban mobility professionals — around 500 professionals will be trained or offered a placement;

 - manage an activity fund of close to €500,000 to support the transfer of measures to other cities, allowing more cities to implement successful urban mobility measures;

 - create five additional national and regional networks and continue to manage the five existing ones — these networks increase the dissemination of know-how and best practice within their language group or geographical group;

 - develop a knowledge centre that will be available to all stakeholders through the Civitas website — a one-stop-shop where all material produced for and by Civitas will be available to all, for learning and reapplication. 

Horizon 2020, the new EU's research framework programme will support several initiatives on sustainable mobility and transport

Civitas Brochure