EIT Climate-KIC Selects Five Cities To Receive Funding in FedEx-Backed Sustainable Cities Mobility Challenge

MADRID, April 4, 2024 /3BL/ - FedEx Express Europe and EIT Climate-KIC have named five cities across Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands and the UK as the projects selected to receive funding in the second edition of the ‘Sustainable Cities Mobility Challenge.’ The challenge, launched and coordinated by EIT Climate-KIC, has been funded for the second year through the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) America, utilising a grant from FedEx.

The challenge set out to fund up to five local projects that support the transition toward cleaner, greener, and more people-centred transport. City councils, municipalities or local authorities in the EU Member States, Horizon Europe associated countries, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, were all invited to submit proposals that align with Europe’s climate agenda, including the EU Mission 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030.

EIT Climate-KIC evaluated almost 100 entries using criteria based on the potential for positive environmental and social impact, learning and replicability. Project-specific grants ranging from €65,000 to €80,000 in value, will be awarded to the five cities - Cornellà de Llobregat and Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Utrecht (Netherlands), and Liverpool (UK) - from a total prize pot put forward by FedEx of €365,000 ($400,000)

Four of the winning projects come from municipalities engaged in NetZeroCities, an initiative coordinated by EIT Climate-KIC and funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme to achieve 100 climate-neutral and smart European cities by 2030. The co-development and coordination of the Sustainable Cities Mobility Challenge, together with FedEx, further stimulates the ambitions and opportunities for cities to decarbonise transport, improve local air quality, and build more climate-resilient communities.

The previous edition of the Challenge supported the cities of Hackney (UK), Espoo (Finland), Olot (Spain) and Karasu (Türkiye) with grants of up to €65,000 ($70,000). Read more about the progress of projects in the first edition of the challenge and the selected projects in this second edition online. 

Kirsten Dunlop, CEO of EIT Climate-KIC said: “Through the Sustainable Cities Mobility Challenge, we're supporting cities to take bold steps towards achieving their climate ambitions. These pilot initiatives serve as testbeds where innovation, collaboration, and experimentation converge to catalyse transformative change at the heart of communities. We're thrilled to partner with the selected cities as they reimagine their mobility systems to enhance the daily lives of their citizens.”

Wouter Roels, SVP Marketing Operations and Customer Experience, FedEx Express Europe said: 
“Support for improving the sustainability and equity of transport systems around the world remains a focus area of our charitable giving platform, FedEx Cares. The fantastic thing about this challenge is that, together with EIT Climate-KIC, we’re helping cities to make even modest plans a reality – moving them one step closer to their own climate goals and contributing to the wider climate ambitions of the European region.” 

About EIT Climate-KIC
EIT Climate-KIC is Europe’s leading climate innovation agency and community, using a systems approach to shape innovation to support cities, regions, countries and industries meet their climate ambitions. Together with partners across the globe, EIT Climate-KIC acts to bridge the gap climate commitments and current reality by enabling decision makers to investors to act. They find and implement solutions in integrated ways and mobilise finance. They build skills to accelerate learning and explore innovation, opening pathways to shift mindsets and behaviours. Through radical collaboration, EIT Climate-KIC orchestrates large-scale demonstrations that show what is possible when cycles of innovation and learning are deliberately designed to trigger exponential decarbonisation and build resilient communities. 

About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce, and business services. With annual revenue of $88 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively, operating collaboratively, and innovating digitally as one FedEx. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 500,000 employees to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit fedex.com/about.