Urban Mobility Berlin and India (UMBI) is an AsiaBerlin partner project that connects German and Indian actors in climate-friendly urban mobility space to develop solutions for identified challenges jointly and to set impulses for improved mobility in India.  

Urban Mobility Berlin and India (UMBI) is an AsiaBerlin partner project that connects German and Indian actors in climate-friendly urban mobility space, to jointly develop solutions for identified challenges and to set impulses for improved mobility in India.  

Freight management, gender-inclusive public transport, and decarbonization of the transport sector – the Urban Mobility Berlin India (UMBI) aims to improve urban mobility in India by connecting German and Indian actors in addressing these challenges. Bringing together innovative companies, public institutions, and private actors in close long-term cooperation, the project bridges the key players in the urban mobility sector – both in the innovation hubs of Berlin and the fast-growing markets of India. 

The call for applications is currently live! UMBI is seeking five European and five Indian startups to participate in an innovation sprint to address these challenges in sustainable urban mobility. In order to qualify, companies need to choose one of the three key challenges. If selected, the companies are offered a week-long, sponsored, innovation sprint in Bengaluru, India in the first week of February 2023 to develop their solutions. Companies are connected with ecosystem builders, guided by a business coach and dedicated mentor in the urban mobility sector in the duration of the sprint. After presenting their proposed solution to a jury of private and public sector stakeholders, the winning company may potentially be offered a pilot or partnership!

To apply, your solution should address the following:

1) Handling Freight with Finesse
The highly fragmented urban freight sector in Bengaluru suffers from lack of data on types of freight vehicles, loads carried, routes taken, travel duration, demand for parking, and various other such basic data points. As a result, efficient management of freight flows through the already congested city roads has become a challenge, leading to avoidable delays for freight movement. 

Government agencies are hence in need of tools and solutions that can capture data with minimal manual intervention, to derive analytical insights for planning and regulation of urban freight. UMBI aims to deliver on this front. 

2) Creating a Gender-inclusive system
The perception of safety in public transport in India influences educational attainment, labor force participation rates, and decisions to opt for less climate-friendly, private, and car-based modes of transport for women and transgender persons. Currently, there are no tools and processes to collect gender-disaggregated data, creating a gap for transport authorities in understanding mobility patterns and special needs, and taking steps to make transport more gender-inclusive. 

UMBI aims to deliver tech-based solutions that can facilitate all genders to commute with a better sense of comfort, safety, and security in India, by making public transport more sustainable, inclusive, and accessible. 

3) Decarbonizing Transport with Hydrogen
In India, the road sector is responsible for 90% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions resulting from transportation. One way to achieve broad decarbonization of this segment is by switching to hydrogen-fueled vehicles. In addition to being produced with a low carbon footprint, hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier, making it the ideal fuel for the purpose. Hydrogen-powered vehicles, with their high performance and convenience offered by fast refueling times, can complement electric vehicles, and compete with the conventional internal-combustion-engine (ICE) varieties. 

UMBI aims to support startups with the pilot implementation of hydrogen-powered technology in the mobility sector, in order to achieve decarbonization of road transport in India.

UMBI offers 

• All expenses paid exposure trip to Bengaluru, India inclusive of travel, accommodation, and daily allowances 
• Coworking and business spaces during innovation sprint in Bengaluru, India 
• Opportunities for market entry into European and Indian markets  
• Potential pilots with well-established entities and corporates  
• Access to the extensive AsiaBerlin and GIZ networks in India 
• Dedicated mentoring to support further development of the solution and preparing for market entry

To qualify, your company should  :

• Be based in either Europe or India 
• Have achieved a round Series A funding at the time of application 
• Select one of the three key challenges to address
• Have the capacity to undertake the Innovation Sprint in Bengaluru, India
• Propose a strong product-market-fit for the Indian market
• Demonstrate commitment to making an impact in the Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) sphere
  
  To apply, please click here or get in touch!
  
  Deadline: January 22, 2023

About UMBI

The Urban Mobility Berlin India (UMBI) project targets challenges of sustainable urban mobility in Bengaluru, India, by connecting companies based in India or Germany with policymakers, mobility service providers, government institutions, and corporations. The project aims to offer innovative solutions to three challenges revolving around equitable, inclusive, and sustainable access to climate-friendly urban mobility, combining the expertise of the private and public sectors in both India and Germany via an innovation sprint in Bengaluru, India.  

The project specifically targets scaleups in Germany and India that are adjacent to urban mobility, have around Series A funding at the time of application, can adequately address at least one of the three key challenges, and be able to undertake the Innovation Sprint in Bengaluru, India. The ideal outcome is a pitch, service, or prototype with a strong product-market fit for the Indian market, along with a subsequent potential corporate pilot, making a strong impact in the Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) sphere.  

Urban Mobility Berlin and India (UMBI) project connects German and Indian actors in climate-friendly urban mobility space, to jointly develop solutions for identified challenges and to set impulses for improved mobility in India.  

The UMBI project was established in 2022 by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the Bund-Länder-Programm (BLP), and is implemented by enpact e.V. as an integral part of the startup platform AsiaBerlin. 

It is cooperating in India with the bilateral program “Promoting India’s transformation to sustainable and climate-friendly e-Mobility”, commissioned by BMZ and implemented by GIZ and  the develoPPP programme “Green Urban Mobility Innovation Living Lab” with the partner Bosch Limited in Bangalore, India.