New generation of full electric urban and peri-urban Bus Rapid Transit systems to strengthen climate-friendly mass transport (2ZERO)
Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
Τhe investment in innovations in city buses (e.g. clean propulsion) can be optimized through BRT systems. As such, revisiting the concept of BRT with new, enabling technologies and solutions offers a key opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of the transport sector, particularly in cities.
The focus of projects is expected to be on mass transport, full electric Bus Rapid Transit (e-BRT) systems using full size buses (M3).
Detailed Call Description
Demonstration and testing in real operation are expected to be developed in four or five different European cities and at least one city in a partner country in a developing context either in Africa or in the region of Latin American and Caribbean countries. The demonstration activities should include mega-cities, larger/smaller cities and the link to peri-urban, inter-urban and sub-urban dwellings in order to afford complementary solutions in test and demonstrations. Zero tailpipe emission buses and their related infrastructure are expected to be applied in BRT lines, in different city contexts, together with the needed integration of e-BRT with other mass-public transport systems, and with personal mobility solutions. Solutions include both the physical vehicles, recharging infrastructure and the overall services offering.
Proposals are expected to address all the following:
- Electrification combined with automation and connectivity enablers, to optimize and validate the whole advanced BRT system.
- Operational concepts: increasing the capacity use rate; the average commercial speed; punctuality / regularity.
- Synchronization with other city transport modes; service quality whilst reducing CO2 emissions, and cost per km/passenger.
- Replicability: use of the e-BRT technology under environmental, infrastructure and social conditions different from the European ones.
Proposals are expected to take into consideration the transport operators’ and transport authorities’ needs for financial viability, effectiveness, flexibility, environment conformance, safety and security. The impact of e-BRT technologies on bus performance and on the frequency of necessary repair and maintenance work, the life duration of the bus, and the costs that have to be covered at the end of the life (recycling; upgrading etc.) might have a huge influence on the financial side and should, therefore, also be covered.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
70%
EU contribution per project: between €20,00 and €25,00 million
This funding rate applies both to members and non-members of the partnership, except for non-profit legal entities, where the funding rate is up to 100% of the total eligible costs.
Thematic Categories
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Transport
- Urban Development
Eligibility for Participation
- Central Government
- Large Enterprises
- Local Authorities
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
Legal entities established in all member states of the African Union are exceptionally eligible for Union funding.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Research and Innovation Foundation
29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia
P.O.Box 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Phone Number: +357 22205000
Email Address: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/
Contact Persons:
Mr Christakis Theocharous
Scientific Officer A’
Contact Phone: +357 22 205 029
Contact Email: ctheocharous@research.org.cy
Mr George Christou
Scientific Officer
Contact Phone: +357 22 205 030
Contact Email: gchristou@research.org.cy
(Publish Date: 08/12/2021-for internal use only)
EU Contact Point
European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/research-and-innovation_en#contact