Driving Innovation in Urban Mobility: A Conversation with Martin Vendel, Academy Director at EIT Urban Mobility and member of the Supervisory Board of Start for Future

In the rapidly evolving landscape of urban mobility, collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship are more critical than ever. To explore how ecosystems of innovation can drive sustainable transformation, Martin Vendel, Academy Director at EIT Urban Mobility, sits down with Pavlina Vujovic, Executive Manager of SFF and the Head of Internationalisation at Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship, to answer a couple of questions about the future of mobility, the power of partnerships, and the strategic role of Start for Future in shaping Europe's innovation ecosystem.

EIT Urban Mobility, co-founded by the European Union, is at the forefront of reshaping how cities function—making transportation of people, goods, and waste more sustainable, efficient, and integrated. The organization acts as a catalyst for innovation, bringing together diverse stakeholders—municipalities, industries, entrepreneurs, and researchers—to foster a collaborative environment where new ideas can thrive.

Pavlina: Dear Martin, thank you for taking the time to answer a couple of questions of mine. You´ve been the Academy Director of EIT Urban Mobility from its establishment, a department actively involved in collaboration with many universities across Europe in innovation, entrepreneurship and making the bridge to venture creation. What in your opinion makes EIT Urban mobility special and unique when it comes to driving innovation in the mobility sector?

Martin Vendel: Always happy to reconnect. What makes EIT Urban Mobility unique as an EU-supported institution is that we bring together different stakeholders at the European level and maintain close cooperation with the European Commission. We act as a kind of spider in the net, facilitating dialogue between key stakeholders while focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship. As part of this transformation, we ensure that start-ups can fill emerging roles in the changing mobility landscape, making sure new value networks function properly. Beyond start-ups and innovation, we also emphasize education and training, as many people need to be upskilled or reskilled to keep up with these changes. That’s why we combine innovation with start-up activity, education, and training involving all the relevant stakeholders at every stage.

Pavlina Vujovic: It is quite obvious that innovation in complex fields like urban mobility doesn’t happen in isolation but it requires collaboration. Transforming cities into more sustainable, efficient, and livable spaces requires a networked approach, where diverse stakeholders work together to break down barriers and co-create solutions. How do partnerships help you realize the vision for urban mobility? 

Martin Vendel: For us at EIT Urban Mobility, success is all about partnerships. If we truly want to move the needle and change the system, we need to work across sectors, bringing together cities, industries, start-ups, and academia to create solutions that are both innovative and implementable.

One of the biggest challenges in urban mobility is that different stakeholders speak different languages. Cities are primarily focused on regulation, infrastructure, and public interest, ensuring that solutions serve citizens in a sustainable and equitable way. Industries, on the other hand, push for new technologies and business models that scale, while start-ups are often in the early stages of their journey, navigating funding challenges and trying to secure their first market opportunities. These different priorities can create misalignment, slow innovation, and prevent good ideas from becoming reality. That’s where partnerships come in. By working closely together, we foster a better understanding between all stakeholders and create a shared framework for innovation. Instead of each sector working in silos, co-creation allows us to develop, test, and scale solutions more effectively.

For example, when cities engage with start-ups and industry players early in the development process, they can help shape solutions that fit regulatory needs and urban planning goals. At the same time, start-ups get access to real-world environments where they can test and refine their ideas, while industries benefit from fresh, agile approaches to innovation. This collaborative model accelerates adoption, reduces risk, and ensures that new mobility solutions are both sustainable and scalable.

At EIT Urban Mobility, we act as a catalyst, facilitating connections and ensuring that start-ups, cities, and industries work together rather than in parallel. In the end, partnerships are not just beneficial, but also essential. Without them, we cannot achieve the large-scale transformation needed to make urban mobility more efficient, sustainable, and truly fit for the future.

Pavlina: Talking about partnerships - Martin, you have been involved with SFF and its drivers from the very beginning and supported its further development and formalization into SFF Cooperative. What motivated you and your colleagues at EIT UM to join SFF? 

Martin Vendel: Within our ecosystem at EIT Urban Mobility, SFF plays a crucial role in expanding our network for innovation and entrepreneurship. It is more than just a platform—it’s a strategic enabler that connects regional ecosystems, fosters collaboration, and provides new opportunities for start-ups, industry players, and public institutions to co-create impactful solutions.

One of the most valuable aspects of SFF is how it allows us to actively support the development of local innovation ecosystems. Urban mobility challenges are highly regional and context-specific, meaning that solutions must be tailored to different cities, regulations, and stakeholder needs. Through SFF, we gain access to on-the-ground insights from different regions, helping us understand what accelerates or hinders innovation in different environments. This knowledge allows us to refine our approaches, improve our support structures, and make local ecosystems work much more effectively.

But SFF is not just about local impact, as it also amplifies our reach. By connecting with a wider network of start-ups, universities, cities, and industry players, we can engage a much broader audience and share our expertise, best practices, and strategic vision for sustainable urban mobility. This creates a two-way exchange: while we help emerging ecosystems grow, we also gain valuable knowledge and collaborations that strengthen our own efforts at a European scale.

Pavlina Vujovic: Where do you see SFF in five years, and what role can EIT UM play in that?

Martin Vendel: In five years, I see SFF evolving into one of Europe’s most powerful innovation alliances—a truly interconnected, pan-European ecosystem that unites universities, SMEs, start-ups, and regional players to drive real change. While SFF already has a strong European presence, the future focus will be on even greater scale, diversity, and impact, expanding into new regions and integrating more partners who share the ambition of fostering innovation-driven entrepreneurship. But what excites me the most is the shift in how SFF will be sustained. In five years, I see it moving beyond grant dependency and towards a more sustainable, partner-driven funding model, where industry, universities, and public stakeholders co-invest in a shared vision. 

As SFF evolves into one of Europe’s leading innovation alliances driven by HEI´s, EIT Urban Mobility is positioned to play a pivotal role in shaping its strategy, fostering partnerships, and ensuring that mobility remains at the forefront of Europe’s innovation agenda. Our mission aligns perfectly with SFF’s core principles—collaboration, co-creation, and impact-driven entrepreneurship—making us one of the key players in the next phase of SFF’s growth.

Pavlina Vujovic: Any call to action to other potential Start for Future applicants?

Martin Vendel: This isn’t just another set of programs, it’s an opportunity to be part of something transformative. If you’re a university, start-up, SME, or regional innovation leader, joining SFF should be a strategic decision, not just a one-time engagement. I believe that the most successful participants will be those who align with SFF’s long-term mission, those who see the value in co-creating, sharing knowledge, and building a truly collaborative innovation ecosystem. This is not about short-term funding or isolated projects; it’s about long-term commitment, purpose, and shared success.

Pavlina Vujovic: Thank you Martin, that was great! I have one last question: If you had to choose just one word that describes Start for Future, what would it be?

Martin Vendel: For me, it's passion. It has always been the passion of people driven by a vision and who believe that entrepreneurship is one of the keys to fix the future and make Europe more sustainable, livable and globally competitive.