Call: Improving accessibility, inclusive mobility and equity: new tools and business models for public transport in prioritised areas

• Health, demographic change and wellbeing;
• Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research, and the Bioeconomy;
• Secure, clean and efficient energy;
• Smart, green and integrated transport;
• Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials;
• Europe in a changing world - inclusive, innovative and reflective societies;
• Secure societies - protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens.

Within this programme Horizon 2020 will provide funding for a resource efficient transport that respects the environment, aims at a better mobility, less congestion, more safety and security, supports a global leadership for the European transport industry and targets a socio-economic and behavioural research and forward looking activities for policy making.

Accessibility is a concept used in order to address both travel patterns, attitudes and needs of particular social groups – e.g. gender specific needs, unemployed persons, vulnerable to exclusion citizens such as elderly, children, disabled, etc., as well as the mobility needs and transport use characteristics of people living in different types of areas such as rural, remote or deprived urban areas. To obtain a more comprehensive view which will allow the elaboration of measures and transport systems that will improve inclusive mobility and equity, and support social innovation in this area, it is necessary to incorporate both approaches considering specific geographical factors as well as the mobility needs and capabilities of particular population groups.

Rural areas, for example, are faced with continuous challenges linked to demographic, socio-economic and mobility factors such as: declining populations characterised by more pronounced ageing; income factors; reduced number of services and economic viability of public transport schemes; longer distances and different mobility needs related to public transport. Urban peripheral, suburban and deprived urban areas on the other hand are often characterised by population groups which face acute social, demographic and economic problems which impact on their mobility and on their ability to use available transport systems on equal terms.

In this context, the main challenge of this topic is to examine whether organisational, technological (including extended use of ICT) and social innovations in public transport can lead to improved accessibility, inclusive mobility and equity in prioritised areas, by responding better to their specific needs and demographic/socio-economic characteristics.

At least three legal entities. Each of the three must be established in a different EU Member State or Horizon 2020 associated country. All three legal entities must be independent of each other. 

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between 1 and 3 million € each would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Funding rate: 100%