This report synthesizes the research approaches of the 15 projects funded through the first funding call ofthe ERA-NET Cofund Urban Accessibility and Connectivity. It does so based on an analysis of the call text, project applications, progress reports, as well as interviews, a questionnaire, and a word frequency analysisreported in other ACUTE deliverables. Drawing on the analysis—structured around questions on visions and objectives, conceptualizations of accessibility and connectivity, problems covered, project consortia, experiments, impact logics, and the urban context—the report also identifies research and implementation gaps and recommends actions to enhance the portfolio’s transformative capacity.

The analysis highlights three gaps in the project portfolio: a power imbalance, where research organizations dominate decision-making while sidelining local stakeholders despite their importance for long-term impact; an innovation bias, meaning the portfolio emphasizes niche innovations over destabilizing existing regimes; and weak conceptualization, as projects often fail to define key concepts and address the complexities of transferring outcomes to other urban contexts.

To address these gaps, the report recommends that Driving Urban Transitions explore new approaches to ensuring that local stakeholders are actively involved in project formulation, execution, decision-making, and afterlife, and issue funding calls that accommodate a broader spectrum of project approaches in terms of experimentation and participation. The calls should also require applicants to better clarify their visions, theories of change, conceptual frameworks, and impact strategies.