The GEMINI project involves testing new mobility services and their business models in eight urban areas across Europe.
Objective
The GEMINI project involves developing and testing new, more sustainable mobility services. The main testing sites are eight “living labs,” meaning urban areas where pilots are carried out in collaboration with local residents.
In the first phase of the project, pilots will be conducted in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Munich and Turin. In the second phase, pilots will be carried out in Helsinki, Ljubljana, Paris and Porto.
The project focuses particularly on business models that could allow sustainable mobility services to become a part of people’s everyday lives on a large scale. The pilots involve travel chains linked to public transport services, shared-use cars and micromobility, i.e. bicycles and scooters, among others.
For example, in Amsterdam, the project will test a new community mobility model for vehicle sharing facilitated by the City (Mobility-as-a-Common (MaaC)). In Copenhagen, the project will test a travel chain combining different modes of transport for traveling from smaller municipalities to the urban region.
Duration, partners and funding
The project will run from 1 June 2023 to 30 November 2026.
The GEMINI project is led by the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI). The project consortium consists of 43 partners from 16 European countries.
The project is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme. The project has a total budget of EUR 10,173,871, of which Forum Virium Helsinki’s share is EUR 212,500.
The role of Forum Virium Helsinki
Forum Virium Helsinki is responsible for the implementation of the GEMINI project pilot in Helsinki, which will be carried out in cooperation with Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. It involves developing and testing travel chains extending from peri-urban municipalities to the Helsinki region. The testing areas are Karkkila and Raasepori, which were also involved in the Smart Countryside Mobility project coordinated by Metropolia.
The pilot will be conducted in 2025–2026.
Benefits for Helsinki
The Helsinki region pilot will help those who commute to Helsinki from elsewhere in the Uusimaa region. The project will outline and explore solutions to challenges related to commuting on Helsinki’s end.
So-called last-mile challenges are a frequently discussed topic in the transport sector, but for those commuting to the expansive Helsinki region, it may be the last 10–20 kilometres that pose the greatest challenge. Exploring the perspective of those commuting from outside the Helsinki region can help identify and address everyday mobility challenges that have previously remained hidden.
Sustainability
GEMINI promotes responsibility through sustainable smart mobility, resident inclusion and environmental friendliness. The project supports the green transition and promotes regional cooperation in the development of more sustainable mobility services.
Links to project channels
Follow the international events of the project:
Photo: Jussi Hellsten