POLIS Network
POLIS Network is a Brussels-based non-profit membership organization that convenes over 100 European cities and regions to cooperate on sustainable urban mobility, delivering working groups, the EU Urban Mobility Observatory, an annual conference, publications, and capacity-building tools for local authorities and transport practitioners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What POLIS Network does
POLIS Network is a Brussels-based non-profit membership organization, founded approximately 25 years ago, that convenes European cities and regions to cooperate on innovative and sustainable urban mobility solutions. Its core constituency is European local and regional authorities along with the urban transport practitioners, policymakers, and planners who work in them; the network reports serving more than 100 European cities and regions. Operationally, POLIS runs a portfolio of complementing services rather than a single software product: thematic Working Groups spanning 30+ topics, capacity-building programs through the Capacity Lab (webinars, tutorials, training courses, lectures, and tools such as the SUMP Self-Assessment Tool), flagship events including the Annual POLIS Conference and Urban Mobility Days, and a publishing arm comprising POLIS Papers, POLIS Magazines (Cities in motion, Thinking Cities), and the POLIS Podcast. The organization also operates the EU Urban Mobility Observatory, financed by the European Commission's DG MOVE, which serves as Europe's main information source on urban mobility.
The underlying technology is a knowledge-sharing and networking platform facilitating exchange of information, good practices, and tools among members, rather than a unified SaaS product. Core technical assets include the member portal at members.polisnetwork.eu, the EU Urban Mobility Observatory portal, the SUMP Self-Assessment Tool, and a digital library of publications and resources. There are no proprietary AI or ML components disclosed in the source material.
POLIS Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- POLIS Network
- Legal name
- POLIS
- Website
- https://polisnetwork.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- POLIS Network is a Brussels-based non-profit membership organization that convenes over 100 European cities and regions to cooperate on sustainable urban mobility, delivering working groups, the EU Urban Mobility Observatory, an annual conference, publications, and capacity-building tools for local authorities and transport practitioners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
POLIS Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Urban Mobility Network
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100), Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration (BPAIACAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)
Keywords
Where POLIS Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brussels
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
POLIS Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Network Membership Fees: Cities and regions pay membership fees to join POLIS network, gaining access to working groups, EU project opportunities, knowledge resources, and networking events.
- EU Project Participation: POLIS participates in and coordinates EU-funded projects (Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe), which provide funding for the organization's operations and activities related to sustainable urban mobility.
- Event Organization: POLIS organizes conferences and events including the Annual POLIS Conference, Urban Mobility Days, and various webinars and workshops, which may generate revenue through sponsorships, exhibitor fees, and registration.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
POLIS Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
POLIS Network is a membership-based association of European cities and regions that develops and promotes sustainable urban mobility. It facilitates knowledge exchange, peer-to-peer learning, working group collaboration, capacity building (webinars, tutorials, training), EU-funded project participation, and policy advocacy, primarily through working groups, conferences, publications, and the EU Urban Mobility Observatory platform.
Product overview
POLIS Network is a membership-based network of European cities and regions cooperating on sustainable urban mobility. Rather than a unified software product, the organization offers a portfolio of platforms, publications, events, and capacity-building resources. Core offerings include the EU Urban Mobility Observatory (a knowledge-sharing platform), the Annual POLIS Conference, Capacity Lab (webinars, training, and tools), Working Groups for thematic collaboration, POLIS Magazines and Papers (publications), and the POLIS Podcast. These services work together to facilitate knowledge exchange, policy development, and practical implementation of sustainable urban mobility solutions across Europe.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- EU Urban Mobility Observatory Online knowledge-sharing platform serving as Europe's main information source on urban mobility, providing good practices, tools, and communication channels for European cities implementing sustainable urban mobility.
- Annual POLIS Conference Annual flagship conference bringing together policymakers, local authorities, academics, NGOs, urban transport practitioners, and urban planners to discuss sustainable urban mobility.
- Urban Mobility Days Biennial conference organized with the European Commission combining the CIVITAS Forum Conference and European SUMP Conference, addressing sustainable urban mobility across European cities.
- Capacity Lab Educational platform offering webinars, tutorials, training courses, lectures, and tools for capacity building in sustainable urban mobility, including webinar series such as Just Transition Webinars, Public Transport Lab, Mobilising Mobility, and Post-Lockdown Mobility.
- POLIS Working Groups
Companies that use POLIS Network
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
POLIS Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
POLIS Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- European Commission Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE)corePOLIS maintains a close partnership with DG MOVE for the EU Urban Mobility Observatory and Urban Mobility Days events. The observatory is financed by DG MOVE and serves as Europe's main source of information on urban mobility.
- CIVITAS InitiativecorePOLIS is a key organizing partner of CIVITAS Forum Conference and works on CIVITAS projects including CIVITAS SUMPs-Up, contributing to SUMP guidelines development and implementation.
- EltiscorePOLIS participates in Eltis as a member, contributing to sustainable urban mobility knowledge dissemination. POLIS contributed to SUMP Guidelines revision through involvement in Eltis.
- UITP (International Association of Public Transport)majorJoint webinars and events on Mobility as a Service (MaaS) governance and public transport topics. UITP Secretary General participates in Urban Mobility Days.
- Rupprecht ConsultmajorLead authors of SUMP Guidelines, working with POLIS on sustainable urban mobility planning guidance and training sessions.
- ICLEI EuropemajorCollaborates on events including CIVITAS SUMPs-Up and sustainable mobility initiatives across European cities.
- European Cyclists' Federation (ECF)majorPartners on cycling promotion, cycling tourism, and the European Declaration on Cycling. ECF participates in Urban Mobility Days sessions.
- European Investment BankmajorEIB Head of Housing, Cities & Regions Department participates in Urban Mobility Days plenary sessions on sustainable urban mobility financing.
- EurocitiesmajorEurocities Secretary General participates in Urban Mobility Days, representing major European cities in mobility discussions.
- European Metropolitan Transport Authorities (EMTA)majorEMTA Secretary General participates in sessions on public transport connectivity and urban mobility planning.
- Czech Presidency of the Council of the EUminorCo-organized Urban Mobility Days 2022 in Brno with the Czech Presidency.
- Clean Cities Campaign / Transport & EnvironmentmajorCollaborates on clean vehicles, air quality, and urban mobility campaigns. Deputy Director participates in Urban Mobility Days.
- ALICE (European Technology Platform)majorPOLIS and ALICE continue collaboration on sustainable urban freight logistics and urban freight planning.
- C40 CitiesmajorJointly updated the How-to-Guide Zero-Emission Zones in the City with POLIS and Transport Decarbonisation Alliance.
- Transport Decarbonisation Alliance (TDA)majorCollaborated on Zero-Emission Zones guidance documents for cities.
- Environmental Defense Fund EuropemajorPartnered on Sustainable URban Freight (SURF) project for Zero-Emission Zones for Freight.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
POLIS Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- UITP (International Association of Public Transport): The global public transport industry association representing operators, authorities, and suppliers. Overlaps with POLIS on public transport, MaaS, and urban mobility policy but is broader in scope and more operator-focused.
Direct peers
- CIVITAS Initiative: EU-supported initiative for clean urban transport, with which POLIS co-organizes conferences and SUMP projects. Operates as a peer and a partner, sharing the same city demographic and EU funding ecosystem.
- Eurocities: A network of major European cities that also convenes city officials on mobility, climate, and urban policy. The most direct overlap with POLIS in membership base and policy advocacy, though Eurocities covers a broader urban-policy agenda beyond mobility.
- ICLEI Europe: Global network of local and regional governments working on sustainability, with a strong European mobility and climate portfolio. Directly comparable as a sister city-network that POLIS actively partners with and partially competes with for city dues and attention.
- European Metropolitan Transport Authorities (EMTA): Association of European metropolitan transport authorities. Directly comparable as a peer convening public transport authorities on policy, with overlapping membership in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and London.
Regional players
- European Cyclists' Federation (ECF): European federation of cycling advocacy organizations. Directly overlaps with POLIS's cycling and active travel working groups and is a listed partner. Comparable as a peer advocacy network engaging European cities on sustainable mobility.
- Eltis: EU-supported knowledge platform for sustainable urban mobility, of which POLIS is a member. Comparable as a knowledge-sharing and observatory platform serving European cities, with overlapping SUMP guidance content.
Emerging players
- Energy Cities: European network of cities driving the energy transition. Comparable to POLIS as a European city-network advocating for sustainable urban policy, with overlapping membership and joint events around climate mobility.
- Transport & Environment: European clean transport advocacy organization. Comparable to POLIS in influencing EU clean-mobility policy and working with cities on zero-emission zones; overlaps on policy advocacy and campaign work.
- C40 Cities: Global network of cities committed to climate action, including transport decarbonization. POLIS has co-developed Zero-Emission Zone guides with C40, making it a partial peer in the climate-mobility space, though C40 is global and not Europe-focused.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
POLIS Network social profiles
Digital presencePOLIS Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
POLIS Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
POLIS Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
POLIS Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about POLIS Network
What does POLIS Network do?
POLIS Network is a membership-based association of European cities and regions that develops and promotes sustainable urban mobility. It facilitates knowledge exchange, peer-to-peer learning, working group collaboration, capacity building (webinars, tutorials, training), EU-funded project participation, and policy advocacy, primarily through working groups, conferences, publications, and the EU Urban Mobility Observatory platform.
Is POLIS Network a public or private company?
POLIS Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was POLIS Network founded?
POLIS Network was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is POLIS Network based?
POLIS Network is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does POLIS Network make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Network Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are EU Project Participation and event Organization.
Who are POLIS Network's main competitors?
UITP (International Association of Public Transport) is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are CIVITAS Initiative, Eurocities, ICLEI Europe and European Metropolitan Transport Authorities (EMTA). Regional players are European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) and Eltis. Emerging players are Energy Cities, Transport & Environment and C40 Cities.
Does POLIS Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for POLIS Network.
What industry is POLIS Network in?
POLIS Network's product category is Sustainable Urban Mobility Network. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAM, Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration, with a secondary code of BPAIANAJ, Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities). Its NAICS code is 81341 and its SIC code is 8600.