IAM-CC addresses the critical challenge of integrating Innovative Air Mobility (IAM), such as drones and eVTOLs, into our cities and rural areas in a way that truly benefits society. The project is driven by the core question: “How can IAM improve social welfare?”.
Moving beyond the traditional goal of passive “public acceptance,” IAM-CC adopts a participatory approach based on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). It empowers citizens, city authorities, and logistics operators to actively co-create the airspace, shaping decisions ranging from vertiport locations to noise thresholds and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs).
The project aims to:
Assess and advance the societal readiness for IAM adoption through real-world pilots.
Quantify the impact of IAM on social welfare, equity, and the environment.
Establish the IAM Competence Centre, a permanent hub providing open-access tools, training, and a community of practice to ensure long-term impact.
Future Needs led the proposal development of IAM-CC and plays a central role in its implementation. We are establishing the IAM Competence Centre as a hub for tools, training, and knowledge exchange, while also leading the development of the societal readiness assessment and advancement methodology and tools that support the fair integration of Innovative Air Mobility into urban systems. In parallel, we lead dissemination and exploitation activities to ensure that project results are effectively communicated, adopted, and sustained beyond the project’s lifetime.
IAM-CC seeks to future-proof urban mobility by providing the evidence and tools needed to deploy IAM fairly. The project focuses on:
The work will be validated in three Living Labs, engaging over 800 participants in real-world demonstrations:
