NUS, the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges, and Love to Ride are piloting an initiative to get more university students and staff cycling.

The Uni Cycle project is funded by the Department for Transport's Innovation Challenge Fund, and will adapt Love to Ride's successful model, which uses smart phone and Fitbit data to incentivise participation.

To date, the model has engaged over 250,000 people in other sectors, achieving significant and lasting behaviour change. The project will work with six universities in England over the next year to co-develop and adapt the model for universities, building on progress made through established engagement programmes like Green Impact.

The pilot will look to quantify benefits, including:

• Happier and healthier individuals;
• Reduced transport carbon emissions;
• Financial savings through reduced sickness absence and Employer National Insurance Contributions when staff buy bikes through the Cycle to Work Scheme;
• Making a concrete contribution to the Government's target to double cycling by 2025.

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NUS are now looking for six universities to join this flagship scheme. To be eligible your institution must:

• Be a university in England;
• Have a clear commitment to promoting sustainable travel and, specifically, increasing levels of cycling amongst students and staff;
• Be willing to contribute £2,500+ VAT match funding to the pilot, which will last from May 2017 to May 2018.

If you are interested in being one of the six pilot institutions, please contact Jamie Agombar, Head of Sustainability at NUS. The deadline to express your interest is Friday 12 May 2017.