Techstars x EIT Urban Mobility Founder Catalyst programme

The project running this call: EITUM-BP26-28

EIT Urban Mobility Business Plan 2026-2028

EIT Urban Mobility is Europe’s leading innovation community, accelerating the transition to sustainable urban mobility for more liveable cities. Building on our Strategic Agenda 2021–2027, its 3 societal impact goals and the achievements of its startup and ramp-up phase, the Business Plan 2026–2028 sets out an ambitious programme to deliver scalable, inclusive and impact-driven solutions through strong Knowledge Triangle Integration across education, research and business, aligned with EU policy priorities.Actions focus on 5 priority domains where change is most urgent and promising: Public and Shared Transport, Health and Mobility, Electrification and Alternative Fuels, Sustainable Urban Logistics, and Mobility Data Management, supported by cross-cutting technologies such as AI and robotics.This Business Plan raises ambition across all programmes, with a unified innovation call,…

Official project record ↗

Who runs it: the consortium

7 organisations in the project. The coordinator usually manages the open call and its evaluation.

• EIT KIC Urban Mobility SL · Spain · SMECoordinator
• EIT Urban Mobility Foundation · SpainPartner
• EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub C · GermanyPartner
• EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub South SL · SpainPartner
• EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub North ApS · Denmark · SMEPartner
• EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hubeast S.r.o. · Czech RepublicPartner
• EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub West BV · Netherlands · SMEPartner

Other open calls from EITUM-BP26-28

• Student Entrepreneur Grant Scheme (SEGS)EITUM-BP26-28 · closes 28 Apr 2027
• Strategic Innovation Open CallEITUM-BP26-28 · closes 28 Jan 2027
• SME Market Expansion Open Call 2027 EITUM-BP26-28 · closes 1 Dec 2026

Similar open calls from EU projects

Other cascade calls on related topics that you can apply to now.

• SYSTEMEU - Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) What is the aim? To support digital innovations in healthcare, energy and mobility as they progress from the prototype stage (TRL 6) to a market-ready system (TRL 8). Who can take part? Regions: Bavaria (DE), Norte Region (PT), Castile and León (ES), Romania (RO) and Tuzla (BiH) only. Consortia: 2–8 partners from at least 2–5 regions (depending on project size). Type: Triple Helix (academia, business, public authorities). Project sizes & SYSTEMEU · closes 23 Nov 2026
• Együttható (Civil-Business) CLD · closes 10 Nov 2026
• Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Call 2026DUT · closes 17 Nov 2026
• UPRAISE: Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) call for International Mobility, Type of financial support: Students Incoming, Cycle 1 – Academic Year 2026/2027UPRAISE · closes 10 Dec 2026
• UPRAISE: Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) call for International Mobility, Type of financial support: Students Outgoing, Cycle 1 – Academic Year 2026/2027 – Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC)UPRAISE · closes 10 Dec 2026
• UPRAISE: Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) call for International Mobility, Type of financial support: Students Outgoing, Cycle 1 – Academic Year 2026/2027UPRAISE · closes 11 Dec 2026

Cascade funding: what to know before you apply

What is cascade funding?

Cascade funding (also called financial support to third parties) is money the European Commission gives to an EU-funded project, which the project then passes on to startups, SMEs, researchers or other organisations through its own open calls. You apply to the project, not to the Commission, and the project's own call rules apply.

Who can apply?

Each call sets its own eligibility in its call document: usually organisations established in an EU member state or a Horizon Europe associated country, often startups and SMEs. Check the call's eligibility section and the official guide before you apply.

Do I need a consortium?

Most cascade calls accept single applicants, which makes them one of the easiest ways into EU funding. Some calls ask for small teams; the call document says which.

How large are the grants?

Typically tens of thousands of euros per applicant and rarely more than €200,000, because the EU rules for financial support to third parties keep amounts per recipient modest. The exact maximum is in each call.

Can I combine it with other EU funding?

Yes, as long as the same costs are not funded twice. Many startups use a cascade grant to build evidence before applying to larger programmes such as the EIC Accelerator.

Cascade funding in the glossary · All open cascade calls