Three Years of Research
Project Results
MOBI-TWIN has produced 24 exploitable results – from large-scale datasets and composite indices to simulation models, policy tools, and open-source code – all designed to help Europe understand and respond to the twin green and digital transitions.
Over three years, MOBI-TWIN has built a comprehensive evidence base on how the twin green and digital transitions are reshaping where and why people move across Europe. Our results span five interconnected areas – from raw data to actionable policy guidance.
Datasets
The empirical foundation of MOBI-TWIN
MOBI-TWIN assembled some of the most comprehensive spatial mobility datasets in Europe, combining original survey data with register data, mobile phone records, transport statistics, and Erasmus+ mobility flows – all harmonised at regional level.
EU-Level Large-Scale Survey Dataset
An EU-wide dataset of 10,000+ survey responses capturing individuals’ intentions, drivers, and barriers to mobility during the twin transition – covering demographic, economic, environmental, and digitalisation-related factors across all EU member states.
Lead: White Research | For: Researchers, policymakers | Access: Open access
Complete MOBI-TWIN Dataset
A comprehensive, multi-layered dataset combining survey, register, and big data sources on spatial mobility and regional characteristics across Europe (2005-2023), harmonised at NUTS 2 level for modelling and policy analysis.
Lead: University of Helsinki | For: Researchers, policymakers, data platforms | Access: Open access (CC licence)
Erasmus+ Student Mobility Dataset
A harmonised open-access dataset mapping intra-European student mobility flows at fine geographical scales (LAU and NUTS 3), revealing educational mobility patterns and their links to regional attractiveness and transition readiness.
Lead: University of Helsinki | For: Researchers, education authorities | Access: Open access (CC licence)
Regional Analysis
Understanding what makes regions attractive
At the heart of MOBI-TWIN is the question: what makes a place somewhere people choose to stay? We developed new indicators, a composite index, and a regional typology to answer this – capturing not just economic factors but also green amenities, digital connectivity, housing, and trust.
Drivers and Patterns of Spatial Mobility and Immobility
Empirical analyses identifying the individual, regional, and historical factors – including linguistic barriers, transition readiness, and place attachment – that influence who moves, who stays, and why across EU regions.
Lead: UB, UH, AUTH | For: Researchers, public authorities
RAI Indicators Database
A harmonised database of quantitative indicators covering six dimensions – connectivity, services, green amenities, jobs and skills, housing, and trust – that capture what makes a region attractive under the twin transition.
Lead: University of Barcelona | For: Researchers, data platforms, policy consultancies
Regional Attractiveness Index (RAI)
A composite index quantifying the capacity of European regions to attract and retain people by combining traditional socio-economic, digital, and green transition indicators – enabling side-by-side comparison of regions and identification of vulnerable territories.
Lead: University of Barcelona | For: Policymakers, researchers, consultancies | Explore: Interactive Dashboard
Regional Typologies of EU Regions
An evidence-based classification of EU regions into six clusters – Metropolitan Leaders, Balanced Innovators, Industrial Heartlands in Transformation, Economies in Structural Transition, Catch-Up Cohesion Regions, and Structurally Lagging and Peripheral Regions – enabling targeted, place-sensitive policy design.
Lead: UB | For: Policymakers, researchers, data platforms
Modelling & Scenarios
Simulating Europe’s possible futures
What will European regions look like in 2040? MOBI-TWIN built simulation models and co-created future scenarios to explore how different transition pathways could reshape demographics, labour markets, and territorial inequalities.
Agent-Based and Microsimulation Models
A suite of spatial microsimulation and agent-based models that simulate the effects of changing mobility patterns on population structures, labour markets, and regional inequalities – enabling “what-if” scenario testing for policy reflection.
Lead: RUG, AUTH, UB, UH, POLIMI | For: Researchers, policymakers | Code: Open-source on GitHub/Zenodo
Four Future Scenarios for Europe’s Regions
Co-created with experts through a Delphi process, four scenario narratives explore how European regions might evolve under different transition pathways:
Lead: ESF, with all partners | For: Policymakers, researchers, stakeholders
Effects on Left-Behind Areas
Comparative research on how spatial mobility influences demographic change, social cohesion, and economic resilience in left-behind and declining EU regions – with particular attention to communities at risk of falling further behind during the twin transition.
Lead: POLIMI | For: Regional authorities, researchers, civil society
Regional Inequality and Sustainability Analysis
EU-level modelling analysing how spatial mobility and digitalisation influence regional inequality and sustainability, comparing impacts across different regional typologies and urban-rural contexts.
Lead: RUG | For: EU institutions, national ministries, researchers
Policy & Stakeholder Engagement
From evidence to action
Research is only as powerful as its policy uptake. MOBI-TWIN translated three years of evidence into concrete policy recommendations and tested them through dialogue with regional stakeholders, European institutions, and the OECD.
Stakeholder Dialogue Outcomes
Consolidated insights and co-created policy ideas from six stakeholder dialogue forums – five regional and one cross-regional – bringing together government, academia, industry, and civil society (Quadruple Helix) to validate and enrich MOBI-TWIN’s findings.
Lead: ESF | For: Regional authorities, civil society, think tanks
Policy Recommendations
A White Paper and integrated policy guide providing evidence-based recommendations and roadmaps for EU, national, and regional policymakers – covering place-sensitive strategies for managing spatial mobility during the twin transition.
Lead: AUTH, RDI | For: Policymakers, NGOs, think tanks | Read: Policy Briefs
Interactive RAI Dashboards
Two public Tableau dashboards that bring the Regional Attractiveness Index to life: map and compare RAI scores over time, explore regional cluster typologies, and view SWOT analyses for any European region.
Lead: AUTH | For: Policymakers, planners, researchers | Explore: Open the Dashboards
Open-Source Tools & Code
Reusable, reproducible, open science
In the spirit of open science, MOBI-TWIN has released its core analytical tools as open-source code on GitHub and archived them on Zenodo – ready for reuse, adaptation, and further development by the research community.
Erasmus+ Mobility Analysis Scripts
Modular Python scripts for processing, harmonising, and analysing Erasmus+ student mobility data.
Python | GitHub & Zenodo
Edge-Bundling Visualisation Tool
Python-based tool for clear visualisation of complex origin-destination mobility flows using edge-bundling techniques.
Python | GitHub & Zenodo
Edge-Bundled Spatial Layer (NUTS 2)
Pre-computed edge-bundled geometries representing mobility flows between all NUTS 2 regions in Europe.
Spatial data | Zenodo
Urban-Rural Typology (NUTS 2)
An adjusted urban-rural typology at NUTS 2 level, with reproducible Python scripts for classification.
Python + dataset | GitHub & Zenodo
Spatial Microsimulation Framework
Open-source microsimulation code to simulate impacts of spatial mobility on population, labour markets, and inequalities.
Open-source | GitHub & Zenodo
Agent-Based Modelling Framework
Open-source ABM framework to simulate individual mobility decisions and their impacts on regional dynamics under different scenarios.
Open-source | GitHub & Zenodo
Knowledge & Dissemination
Sharing what we’ve learned
MOBI-TWIN Website
The project’s main communication and dissemination hub, hosting public deliverables, data access, policy briefs, and media resources.
Scientific Publications
Nine peer-reviewed articles in leading journals including Nature Communications, The Annals of Regional Science, and Societal Impacts – all open access.
Cluster of Related EU Projects
A network of sister Horizon Europe projects – PREMIUM, Re-Place, ESSPIN, R-Map, ST4TE – with joint events and coordinated dissemination.
State-of-the-Art Report
A comprehensive literature review covering theoretical frameworks and empirical studies on spatial mobility drivers and their regional impacts.
Explore Our Results
Dive into the data, explore the dashboards, read our policy briefs, or download our open-source tools.
Funded by the
European Union
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement no. 101094402
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