The Malta EIT Urban Mobility Hub aims to inspire positive change to ensure accessible and sustainable mobility for all.
It will be hosted by a consortium of three partners that represent the three communities of the ‘Knowledge Triangle Integration (KTI)’. Project Aegle Foundation (PAF) will be the lead partner representing the industry community in Malta, while the Valletta Cultural Agency, through the Valletta Design Cluster, represents the community of start-ups and neighbourhood groups and MCAST (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology) represents the academic and education community. The hub will also connect with the relevant national and local authorities such as Transport Malta and local councils, sharing expertise from the EIT Urban Mobility innovation community with them.
“The main objective of this hub is to facilitate networking between all the stakeholders and develop opportunities for local players representing industry, academia, research, innovation and cities,” said Camille Bon, lead project manager at Project Aegle Foundation.
“From its physical home at the Valletta Design Cluster, the hub will deliver the networks, collaborative processes, and a focused vision to best engage with EIT Urban Mobility projects into the future. It will also offer support and grants to encourage positive initiatives to improve Malta’s traffic situation and infrastructure.”
Stakeholders that are part of the initiative can expect multiple benefits. Apart from accessing EU funding and other funding streams, they will enjoy opportunities and potential investor connections throughout Europe via increased visibility in an international network. They will also benefit from innovation and stakeholder networking through the inter-national EIT Urban Mobility ecosystem and education and training support from leading international universities. By the bridge formed through the initiative between the EU and Malta – and the transport industry and its users – stakeholders can also share knowledge and establish good practices between countries already running successful initiatives.
The launch event of the Malta EIT Urban Mobility Hub included presentations by Minister Ian Borg, EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub South director, Daniel Serra, EIT Urban Mobility RIS (Regional Innovation Scheme) director, Bence Huba, Prof. Joachim James Calleja, principal and CEO of Malta College of Art, Science and Technology (MCAST) and Corinne Muscat Terribile from the Malta Council for Science and Technology.
The event also marked the Hub’s first official activity: a stakeholder workshop. This interactive session discussed limitations and requirements when building a resilient, long-term management plan that will achieve sustainable urban mobility in Malta.