The new mobility has a strong impact on the industry of the mobility sector and therefore faces great challenges where all the agents involved must adapt. We are facing a new industrial revolution and a profound transformation of the industrial fabric where collaboration between companies is key to taking advantage of new opportunities. For this reason and after two years of work, we announce the creation of the MOVEM Foundation, the largest alliance in Europe in terms of the number of companies represented, with the aim of accelerating the transition towards sustainable and connected mobility in Catalonia.

MOVEM was created by 9 partners, among which there are the main clusters of the mobility sector in Catalonia: the Cluster of the Automotive Industry of Catalonia (CIAC), In-move (Rail Group), the Light Mobility Cluster , the Digital Cluster, the Efficient Energy Cluster of Catalonia (CEEC), the Advanced Materials Cluster of Catalonia (MAV Cluster), as well as other entities such as Vall de l'Hydrogen Catalunya and the Association of Municipalities for Mobility and the Urban Transport (AMTU), with the support of the Generalitat of Catalonia through OPTIMA, the Public Office for the transformation of the Mobility and Automotive Industries and the Department of Business and Work.

During the presentation, councilor Torrent assured that the project of the MOVEM Foundation "is a project of great potential and coincides with the Government's objectives around green and digital reindustrialisation". The head of Empresa i Treball recalled that "we have common objectives such as facing the major challenges of the sector with the greatest guarantees of success, transforming the Catalan industrial fabric, filling the gaps in the value chain, and developing the technologies that new mobility industry will require".

Working collaboratively in industrial projects, key to the transformation of the sector and the entire productive ecosystem

The sector sees how the traditional mobility ecosystem is transformed and expanded with new agents who must join forces in the future to work transversally and add synergies to be competitive at a global level. Hence the importance of the creation of MOVEM as a meeting point to promote the effective collaboration of all these new players in the mobility ecosystem in Catalonia, not only to significantly influence the decisions of the Public Administrations, both at local, national and European level, but to jointly develop industrial projects and new lines of work that mark the transformation of the sector and the entire productive ecosystem.

"From the CIAC we are 100% involved with the national plan for electric mobility and we work to increase the presence of our partners through collaborations with different actors that allow us to develop transversal projects. Hence the importance of the creation of MOVE. In fact, we're making our innovative project and talent platform available to all alliance members so that it's the core tool for all workgroups, benefiting over 30,000 members," says Sergio Alcaraz, president of CIAC and MOVEM.

1. Obtain synergies resulting from collaboration and intersectoral technological cooperation and throughout the value chain.

2. Encourage the exchange of knowledge for the application of innovations and new developments.

3. Achieving the goal of climate neutrality, in parallel with increasing business competitiveness and improving people's well-being.

MOVEM's work lines aim to guarantee urban, sustainable, efficient and connected mobility and at the service of the end user. Therefore, we must work together to improve infrastructure: increase charging points, unify payment methods, digitize services, as well as adapt the legislative framework. The alliance's strategic axes are to promote R&D in the sector through projects with public funding and training; encourage participation between EU clusters, participate in joint projects and maintain agreements with centers of reference. In addition to promoting the development of projects encouraging the transfer of technologies between agents and creating specialized training lines that train staff to use new technologies. All this will ensure a competitive position within this global landscape.

In fact, "one of the objectives of MOVEM is energy innovation to promote the development of renewable energy that allows the decarbonization of mobility. In this sense, hydrogen is being postulated as one of the most attractive alternatives that offers greater autonomy and faster recharging times. For this reason, we want to be part of this change through projects around this energy vector that drive this transition", they explain from Vall del'Hidrogen Catalunya.

Opportunities based on digitization and new technologies

Among the short-term objectives of MOVEM, the analysis of future needs and trends stands out, as well as the implementation of an innovative platform, created by the CIAC, which allows the development of joint projects between members of the alliance. In the medium term, MOVEM fully engages in the development of opportunities based on digitization and new technologies, analyzing the challenges of new mobility and adapting to trends, guaranteeing the growth of its members. Precisely, "connectivity 4.0 and digitization are trends in the sector that will mark the coming years. Data analysis and the Internet of Things profoundly change the way we saw the sector a few years ago. For this reason, MOVEM will help the our partners to face this great challenge that will connect cars, people and cities and to speed up the creation of digital solutions that allow us to achieve sustainable, intelligent and safe mobility", comment from the Digital Cluster.

Finally, given the scope and positioning at European level of the founding members, the alliance is born as a center of reference at European level, which will grow the business fabric in Catalonia, in terms of the mobility sector, as well as evolve Catalan industry and adapt it to future trends. For this to be possible, communication between the agents involved in this new mobility is essential. "Our task is to work for the improvement of mobility and public transport infrastructure throughout the country. Being part of MOVEM will help us to represent the voice of all the municipalities of Catalonia and the needs of its citizens in the best possible way", they explain from of AMTU.

New urban mobility, a future trend

The new urban mobility and the practice of micromobility, i.e. the use of light and innovative vehicles to travel short distances, is one of the trends of the future. "To make the change possible we must attend to the needs of the public and work together to make it become a real opportunity for the sector, especially with regard to the light and two-wheeled vehicles that will act as true protagonists in the mobility of the new smart cities", they state from the Light Mobility Cluster.

Another of the sectors involved in the new paradigm of sustainable mobility is the railway sector. "The railway is a key ally of sustainable mobility, both at local and European level. The aim is to achieve a gradual transfer of passengers and cargo from the road to the train. For this to be possible we must work with a group of agents in projects where public funding must be essential and MOVEM a key player," they say from In-Move.

This new mobility paradigm directly challenges the use of new energy sources that help reduce the environmental footprint. In this sense, "for change to be possible we must involve all agents and users to, beyond the simple act of moving, turn mobility into an innovative, sustainable, accessible and conscious action. We firmly believe that MOVEM will help us to channel projects and ideas that help reduce CO2 emissions, the use of renewable energy, the improvement of energy efficiency, new forms of production of more sustainable consumer products, technological development to obtain a positive environmental impact or the use of more recycled and recyclable material", they argue from the CEEC. Precisely one of MOVEM's lines of work is the sustainability of materials as it has a great impact on the carbon footprint. "Hence the importance that our partners - representatives of the entire value chain of materials - can work on collaborative projects that involve different agents and sectors that allow the development and research of new components that ensure truly sustainable mobility" , they explain from the MAV Cluster.

By bringing together key players in a collaborative environment, MOVEM aims to accelerate technological advances, innovation and improve the competitiveness of the sector, as well as facilitate the exchange of knowledge, the identification of emerging trends and the creation of more efficient solutions. And it is that MOVEM, which was born with the support from the beginning of the Generalitat de Catalunya as a member of its patronage, will be key as the only interlocutor between the private company and the Public Administration and, therefore, will be able to be 'the most effective when establishing policies that help to successfully achieve this new mobility.

MOVEM is a non-profit organization that represents nearly 1,500 companies likely to participate in collaborative projects related to mobility.