The EIT and entrepreneurship

Europe needs more entrepreneurs

To compete globally, Europe needs a stronger focus on entrepreneurship. Despite its great assets in terms of excellent universities, research organisations and strong industries, many creative ideas do not make it to the market. As a driver and key element in combining the different areas of the Knowledge Triangle and in developing new innovation models, entrepreneurship is at the very heart of the EIT vision and activities. The EIT aims to create more favourable environments and frameworks in Europe for talent and entrepreneurship-driven innovation to flourish. One of the challenges is to achieve a shift in the perception and recognition of entrepreneurs in Europe. Moreover, boosting and encouraging individuals and companies to embrace innovation and take it to the market is among the EIT’s top priorities.

How do the EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities help?

The Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) set up by the EIT are establishing new models for education, research and business to work together. Acting at both local and European level, they synergize the diversity of their communities and partners to foster innovation in terms of new products and services, through new business creation as well as within existing companies. In doing so, the KICs not only help to generate growth and new jobs, but also to address European and global societal challenges. In each of the KICs respective fields (Climate Change, Sustainable Energies and future ICT) innovation and entrepreneurship are strong vectors to address these grand challenges as new global market opportunities are arising for innovative products and services.

Together with the KICs the EIT is placing a strong emphasis on the next generation of young entrepreneurs, encouraging and supporting individuals and companies to develop innovative ideas and take them to the market, thus contributing to a more innovative and competitive Europe. The EIT Entrepreneurship Agenda is developed in close collaboration with the three KICs and will gradually evolve as the partners implement, learn and share their numerous activities in the field of entrepreneurship. Acting as a facilitator for community building across KICs and Co-Location Centres (CLCs), the EIT is supporting the exchange on common challenges and solutions. To this end, the EIT  faciliitates cross-learning meetings on entrepreneurship, provides platforms for cross-KIC interaction and acts as a gate-opener beyond the KICs’ individual projects. It has initiateds a number of activities in support of the KICs’ and CLCs’ entrepreneurship activities, notably the EIT Entrepreneurship Awards as well as the EIT Roundtable of Entrepreneurs.