On the blog we recently talked about EIT Health and the funding it offers to European health startups and SMEs. However, it had been left up to us to discuss in depth what the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is, to which it belongs, and to know how many communities are part of it.
This body created in 2008 is responsible for driving innovation in Europe, supporting entrepreneurs, innovators and students from all over the continent, making it easier for them to turn their best ideas into reality. It forms an integral part of the so-called 'Horizon 2020'. The institute is an EU initiative that operates independently that establishes an integration between the 3 vertices of the Business-Research-Education triangle to find solutions to urgent global challenges. Its FoundationThere are more than 2,000 partners in the EIT network, with 1,284 companies (including SMEs), 193 cities, regions and NGOs, 310 research centers and 269 higher education institutions.
All EIT units and what they do
If the institute is characterized by something, it is by the formation of dynamic cross-border associations, which are called Knowledge and Innovation Communities. Each one of them tries to find solutions to a specific global challenge. In addition, they can develop innovative products and services, originate new companies and train a new generation of entrepreneurs.In reality, Knowledge and Innovation Communities carry out activities that cover the entire innovation chain: from training and education programs, through the entire research journey when it reaches the market, to the launch of accelerators and incubators. Although the EIT guides and establishes the strategies, each group has the power to implement them however they want and provide results.Since 2010, the EIT has basically been divided into 8 communities or working groups. We go on to summarize them below:
EIT Climate KIC- It works to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon economy.EIT Digital- He leads European digital transformation efforts.EIT Food- Leading the global revolution in food innovation and production.EIT Raw Materials- Developing new materials.EIT InnoEnergy- Promoting a future for Europe based on sustainable energy.EIT Health- The leg that we have already explained, is that it wants to give European citizens great opportunities to enjoy a healthy life.EIT Manufacturing- Strengthen and increase the competitiveness of the European manufacturing industry.EIT Urban Mobility- Smarter, greener and more integrated transport.
A ninth more tangential community would be EIT Alumni. It is aimed at all EIT graduates and alumni, regardless of the group to which they belong, the area in which they specialize or where in the world they live.
The EIT figures
The EIT's contributions in numbers are impressive: to date it has helped to create more than 13,000 jobs, made it easier to obtain 3.3 billion euros in funding, supported more than 3,200 companies, originated more than 1,170 products and services, allowed more than 3,100 graduates to complete their programs and promoted the creation of more than 60 hubs in Europe. These data correspond to August of this year.
