Bicycle Association secures European grant to enhance market data services
The Bicycle Association (BA) has successfully secured a substantial grant from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme, through the EIT Urban Mobility’s Targeted Open Call 2025. The funding amounting to €400,000 aims to enhance the BA’s market data service in Germany and develop new software tools beneficial to all BA members and subscribers.
This funding initiative will be pivotal in promoting a competitive and sustainable cycling industry across Europe, including the UK. It marks a significant collaboration between the BA, Edinburgh Napier University Business School, and the German Cycle Industry Association (ZIV). The project, set to unfold over the next 12 months, will build on the BA's existing Market Data Service, which was first launched in the UK in 2020 and is recognized globally for its effectiveness.
The initiative focuses on expanding the BA's market data services into Germany, demonstrating a commitment to understanding regional differences in consumer behaviour. "This is primarily going to be a tool which will help businesses better understand the German market," a BA spokesperson elaborated in communication with BikeBiz. This insight will enable companies both based in Germany and those exporting to the country to analyse market performance rigorously, providing data on category sales, sales channels, pricing, brand effectiveness, and market segments.
The significance of this data is particularly pertinent for businesses involved in the e-bike sector, which has seen a substantial market share in Germany. E-bikes account for over 50% of all bicycle unit sales in Germany, a stark contrast to the UK, where this figure stands at just 9%. The expansion of the data service is expected to facilitate comparisons between the German market and the UK, aiding businesses in understanding trends that may influence UK consumer behaviour.
Additionally, the grant supports a project with Edinburgh Napier University aimed at rectifying existing stock data from UK bike shops that have previously been challenging to utilize. The project will cleanse and sort this data, leading to enhanced supply chain insights that could improve future demand forecasting, stock ordering efficiency, and overall working capital management.
Continuing with a not-for-profit ethos, the MDS will remain owned by the cycle industry, catering specifically to its needs. The BA is set to implement a wholly-owned non-profit subsidiary to oversee this initiative, signalling a robust governance structure with the appointment of digital product and technology specialist Daniel Gillborn to its Board.
Scott Cain, who spearheads BA's innovation programmes, led this successful funding bid, furthering the BA's strategic objective to diversify its funding sources. "We are increasingly exploring ways to attract more public innovation funding into the UK cycle industry as a whole," stated Steve Garidis, Executive Director of the BA. He emphasized the importance of strategic industries, such as cycling, taking advantage of public innovation funding similar to what the car industry has received, especially in light of the current economic climate.
Burkhard Stork, CEO of ZIV, expressed optimism about collaborative efforts amidst challenging times for the industry. "We know a lot about their production and the production of parts and components in Germany and Europe – but we don’t know enough about retail sales figures, benchmarks and customer experience there," he noted, underscoring the mutual benefits anticipated from the partnership.
Furthermore, the BA has previously received support from Innovate UK, focusing on e-bikes and battery technologies. The recent acquisition of European funding represents a significant advancement for the BA, particularly as the UK re-enters the Horizon Europe programme in January 2024.
The themes surrounding public innovation funding, including AI, data, advanced manufacturing, and e-bikes, will be discussed at the BA Member Conference scheduled to take place in Birmingham in March 2024. Members keen on exploring opportunities within the German market data service can reach out via the provided contacts for participation.