Through the Mobility Lab Initiative, Austria's Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology — BMK (now BMIMI) — launched the establishment and operation of the mobility labs as part of the Mobility of the Future (MdZ) program. The exploratory phase for Urban Mobility Labs, which began in 2014, laid the foundation and created a comprehensive knowledge base. In a second phase, from 2017 to 2021, the establishment and operation of six mobility labs was funded.

The second-phase mobility labs reached the end of their funding period in 2021. Building on the external impact assessment of the mobility labs carried out in 2020, the third phase was put out to tender in spring 2021. Since then, four urban mobility labs and the Centre for Mobility Change have continued to operate and evolve. The Centre for Mobility Change has been funded by the BMIMI since 2018, and the Policy Lab since 2022. In 2023, the Regional Mobility Lab KAR-IN was launched alongside the exploratory phase for Regional Mobility Labs. Since 2024, four additional Regional Mobility Labs have been receiving funding.

Through the cross-lab "Cooperation and Exchange Platform for Mobility Labs Austria" (KAMÖ), a structured learning and exchange process is facilitated with the support of AustriaTech. This process harnesses synergies between the individual mobility labs and continuously expands expertise in experimental environments within the mobility context.