EU Launches €5 Million IAM Competence Centre to Integrate eVTOL Services into European Communities

The EU-funded Innovative Air Mobility Competence Centre (IAM-CC) has officially commenced operations. With a total budget of €5 million, the initiative is designed to address social readiness challenges arising from the introduction of drones and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies across Europe.

Project Overview

The IAM-CC will run from June 2026 to December 2029, bringing together a consortium of 20 institutions from across Europe to plan and facilitate the real-world deployment of Innovative Air Mobility.

According to the official project press release, IAM-CC's core philosophy moves beyond the traditional framework of passive public acceptance, shifting instead toward an active co-creation model in which citizens, city authorities, and industry jointly explore potential IAM applications.

"The project is guided by the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation, embedding co-creation at the heart of social readiness assessment and advancement. The focus is on developing a social readiness methodology that integrates technical, organisational, and citizen readiness, while incorporating legal and ethical considerations."

Tools, Training, and Community Building

IAM-CC will provide support through the following mechanisms:

• Tools, training, and practical guidance made available via the IAM Competence Centre platform
• Establishment of a European community of practice
• Launch of multilingual public awareness and education campaigns to raise understanding of IAM and broaden public engagement

Three Living Lab Test Sites

The methodology will be validated through Living Labs located in Madrid, Milan, and Coimbra. Local stakeholders will participate in demonstrations, immersive experiences, and workshops to explore real-world use cases and social impacts.

Official Kick-Off Event

The IAM-CC consortium held its formal kick-off meeting on 18 June 2026 in Athens, Greece. Attendees represented the following institutions:

• ICCS (Institute of Communication and Computer Systems)
• Future Needs Management Consulting Ltd
• Associacao Iscte Conhecimento e Inovacao (Technology Valorisation and Transfer Centre)
• The University of Salford
• Technische Universiteit Delft (TU Delft)
• AgentFly Technologies s.r.o.
• MaasLab
• RHE DK ApS
• Ethnicon Metsovion Polytechnion (National Technical University of Athens)
• Universitat Politecnica de Valencia
• CITET (Centre for Technological Innovation in Transport and Logistics)
• Openvia Air S.L. (Bluenest)
• Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Madrid City Council)
• Comunidad de Madrid (Community of Madrid)
• Ospedale San Raffaele SRL
• ABzero SRL
• EuroUSC Italia SRL
• Citta Metropolitana di Milano (Metropolitan City of Milan)
• Comunidade Intermunicipal da Regiao de Coimbra (Coimbra Regional Intermunicipal Community)
• CRSA – Connect Robotics Sistemas Autonomos LDA

For more information, visit the official website: www.iamcc.eu

Image caption: IAM-CC consortium partners gathered in Athens for the project's official kick-off meeting. Composite image created by Future Needs.

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