Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Revolutionising the way in which parcels are delivered

Project description

Smart mailboxes enable cost-effective parcel delivery

Not much has changed where parcel deliveries are concerned. Much like it was 50 years ago, couriers run from one home to another, scrambling to deliver packages on time. This translates into wasted time as well as lost opportunities and money. The EU-funded Citibox project aims to introduce smart mailboxes that can be produced by any manufacturer. These can be delivered by any courier and are cost-effective. In addition, it allows the automatic return and reception of parcels while also decreasing the time needed by couriers by 60 %. What is more, deliveries are guaranteed on the first attempt and night-time deliveries are also an option.

Objective

Parcel delivery at home still works the same way as 50 years ago. Couriers waste time running from apartment to apartment and incur huge costs in second and third attempts when users are not at home. Online shoppers are frustrated due to missed deliveries and time wasted waiting for the courier. Solutions in the market are solely company centric, installing electronic lockers in public spaces and pick-up shops, normally from a specific retailer or carrier. However, 84% of shoppers want to receive their parcels at home.
Citibox solves this problem allowing all parcels to be delivered in smart mailboxes inside residential buildings. Citibox follows a fundamentally different approach:
1. Universal: any carrier can deliver into our smart mailboxes.
2. Open hardware: any mailbox manufacturer can produce their smart mailboxes compatible with our proprietary cloud operating system.
3. Scalable: extremely cost-effective hardware. No internet or electricity connection is required.
Our smart mailboxes allow:
- Online shoppers: Automatic reception and returns of parcels at their home, no more delays or missed parcels.
- Couriers: 60% time reduction in delivery and 100% first attempt delivery.
It allows night delivery, a huge business disruption: Citibox deployment includes automatic building door access system, providing increased security for tenants as all courier entries are logged. Verified couriers can enter buildings to deliver at Citibox smart mailboxes at any time of the day… and at night! No traffic + no parking problems + reduced delivery times + additional delivery windows + more parcels delivered per day = Up to 5x higher efficiency
The largest courier worldwide (UPS) and the second largest in the EU (DPD Group) have already committed their support to Citibox
If we successfully implement our strategy, by 2023 our network will cover +10 largest EU cities with +3M smart mailboxes
installed in users’ buildings. We expect +180M€ revenue and +70M€ EBITDA in 2023.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

CITIBOX SMART SERVICES SL
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 723 093,75
Address
ALMIRANTE ROGER DE LAURIA 28 28 2
46002 VALENCIA
Spain

See on map

SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Este Comunitat Valenciana Valencia/València
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 2 461 562,50
My booklet 0 0