Unite! Sustainable Mobility Forum
New Seed Fund initiative launched in 2025
2025/07/18
A new online exchange module is strengthening teaching collaboration across seven Unite! universities – with a focus on sustainable mobility in climate-resilient cities. Funded through the Unite! Seed Fund for Teaching and Learning, the Unite! Sustainable Mobility Forum (U!SMF) launched in the summer semester of 2025 and now brings together around 120 master’s students from the Unite! alliance and the EIT Urban Mobility Master School.
The goal is to promote a European perspective on sustainable transport and foster critical reflection on the intersection of mobility, climate action, and digital innovation. Hosted on the Unite! Metacampus platform, the forum carries up to 12 ECTS credits and is aimed at students in engineering, urban planning, mobility research, transport, traffic, and related disciplines.
Cross-cutting expertise, shared debate
Designed as a recurring, year-round initiative, the U!SMF combines academic lectures, interactive discussions, and insights from industry and policy stakeholders. Professors from seven Unite! Universities lead the seminar series, sharing expertise in sustainable transport systems, traffic engineering, logistics, and AI.
By inviting external experts and the general public, the forum aims not only to strengthen knowledge exchange within the alliance but also to contribute to the wider European discourse – acknowledging the transport sector as a key lever in achieving climate goals.
What’s in it for you?
For participating students, the forum offers a unique opportunity to:
- gain insights from leading academics and practitioners in sustainable mobility
- engage in critical discussions on real-world challenges in transport and urban resilience
- earn up to 12 ECTS (per year) credits within an internationally recognised setting
- build cross-European networks with peers, researchers, and industry partners
- strengthen intercultural and interdisciplinary skills relevant for careers in science, policy, or the mobility industry
“The UNITE! Sustainable Mobility Forum is an amazing opportunity for students to understand mobility across European cities and learn how actors shape a resilient European transport system through best practices, novel solutions, and new inventions.“
Professor Eva Kaßens-Noor, Chair of the Institute of Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering.
Led by TU Darmstadt
The programme is coordinated by Professor Eva Kaßens-Noor, Ph.D. MIT (TU Darmstadt), supported by Niklas Suhre. Together with local coordinators from the Unite! Universities, the team will organise two seminar cycles per year, including a kick-off workshop, ongoing evaluation, and continuous refinement. mho
Reseachers:
- Eva Kaßens-Noor Full Professor, IVV TUDa
- Niklas Suhre PhD Researcher, IVV TUDa
- Francesc Robusté Full Professor, BIT UPC
- Francesc Soriguera Associate Professor, BIT UPC
- Miquel Estrada Associate Professor, BIT UPC
- Bruno Dalla Chiara Full Professor, Dept. DIATI – Transport systems PoliTO
- Erik Jenelius Full Professor, Transportplanering KTH
- Luis de Picado Santos Full Professor, IST ULisboa
- Filipe Vilaça Moura Associate Professor, IST ULisboa
- Agnieszka Tubis Associate Professor, Department of Operation of Technical Systems PWR
- Milos Mladenovic Associate Professor, Spatial Planning and Transportation Engineering Group Aalto
