EIT Legal framework

Legal status of the EIT

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is a European Union body with a legal personality and a wide legal capacity accorded to legal persons under national law.

EIT Regulation

The EIT was created by the European Union (EU) to develop innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe. It was established in 2008 under Regulation (EC) No 294/2008 of the European Parliament and Council to enhance Europe's global competitiveness by fostering collaboration between businesses, research institutions, and higher education organizations.

The EIT is now governed by Regulation (EU) 2021/695, which was adopted by the European Parliament and Council in 2021 (EIT Regulation). The EIT Regulation aligns the EIT’s mission with the EU priorities and the objectives of Horizon Europe on evolving research, innovation, economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness, sustainable growth, higher education and entrepreneurship. The Horizon Europe Regulation (EU) 2021/695 expands on the status of the KICs as Institutionalised European Partnerships through which the EIT can foster strong non-disciplinary collaboration between industry and academia and identify prospective skills for future innovators including and advanced digital and innovation skills.

The EIT Regulation defines the mission of the EIT in advancing innovation across Europe by promoting the integration of business, research, and education by means of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), which address specific societal challenges and are established and supported by the EIT.

The EIT Regulation defines the main tasks of the EIT and the KICs and their relations. It establishes a robust governance structure for the EIT including its Governing Board with clear strategic responsibilities, the EIT Director in charge of the operations and for the day-to-day management of the EIT, and the Member State Representatives Group (MSRG) advising the Governing Board and the EIT Director. The EIT Regulation also defines the role of the European Commission, appointing the members of the Governing Board, taking part and supervising its activities.

Regular monitoring, evaluation, and reporting is in place in order to assess the performance of the KICs ensuring they meet their objectives and deliver measurable results, as well as to evaluate the activities of the EIT.

EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda

The EIT follows its Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA) 2021-2027 which is aligned with Horizon Europe and lays down the priority fields and the strategy of the EIT for future initiatives, capacity to generate the best innovation added-value, objectives, key actions, mode of operation, expected results, impact, as well as an estimate of the resources needed for the period of Horizon Europe. Due to the importance of the SIA for the EU innovation policy and the expected socio-economic impact on the EU, the SIA is adopted by the European Parliament and by the Council on the basis of a Commission proposal. The Commission proposal is based on a contribution provided by the EIT.

Horizon Europe Regulation

The Horizon Europe Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2021/695) foresees that the EIT takes part of the implementation of the Horizon Europe Programme in accordance with its strategic objectives for the period 2021 to 2027, as laid down in the Strategic Innovation Agenda of the EIT, and taking into account the strategic planning of Horizon Europe. The Regulation refers to the EIT’s KICs as Institutionalised European Partnerships within Horizon Europe.

EIT and Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) relations

The EIT Regulation defines KIC as a large-scale Institutionalised European Partnerships of higher education institutions, research organisations, companies and other stakeholders in the innovation process in the form of a strategic network, regardless of its legal form, based on joint mid- to long-term innovation planning to meet the EIT challenges and contribute to attaining the objectives established.

Relations between the EIT and the KICs are based on partnership agreements, grant agreements and, when applicable, memoranda of cooperation which set out the terms of the cooperation between the EIT and the KICs, and the conditions for the EIT grants. According to the EIT Regulation, without prejudice to the partnership agreements and grant agreements between the EIT and the KICs, the KICs have substantial autonomy to establish their internal organisation and composition, as well as their agenda and working methods, provided that they result in progress towards achieving the objectives of the EIT and the KICs, taking into account the strategic planning of Horizon Europe and the strategic direction of the EIT set out in the SIA and by the Governing Board.

The EIT launches open and transparent calls for proposals to create new KICs in priority fields, as foreseen in the EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda. The fields of activities of the KICs are selected among thematic areas of strategic importance and based on criteria assessing, amongst other, their relevance to the Union policy priorities with regard to addressing global and societal challenges. The launch of new KICs takes into account the strategic planning of Horizon Europe and the budget allocated to the EIT for the period 2021-2027.

Subject to a successful start-up year for a new KIC, the EIT establishes a partnership agreement for an initial period of seven years. The lifecycle of a KIC under the partnership agreement is for a maximum period of 15 years. After the expiry of the partnership agreement, the EIT and the KIC may conclude a memorandum of cooperation with the aim of maintaining active cooperation. The EIT concludes annual or multiannual grant agreements of up to three years with the KICs.

Contractual framework between the EIT and the KICs

The agreements governing the relations between the EIT and the KICs are the following:

The long-term relations between the EIT and each EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community (EIT KIC) are based on a seven-year Partnership Agreement (PA) laying down the general terms and conditions under which the KIC operates as an Institutionalised European Partnership. Subject to positive performance, interim review and outcome of comprehensive assessment of the KIC, the PA can be extended for another period of a maximum of seven years.
The Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is the contractual instrument laying down the provisions concerning the implementation of the KIC activities (KIC Business Plan, Cross-KIC activities, etc.) through grants, on an annual or multi-annual basis of up to three years with the KICs. Business plans describe the main objectives and expected results and actions taken by the KICs.
The Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) is an agreement between the EIT and a KIC, which aims to keep the KIC as an active member of the EIT Community after the expiry of the partnership agreement, and includes conditions for access to EIT competitive calls for transnational activities with a high Union added value.

The agreements are signed by the EIT Director , as the EIT’s legal representative, and the EIT KIC’s Legal Entity CEO, as its legal representative.

In this section you can find:

Your rights governing public access to documents.
The rules and procedures the EIT has put in place to deal with potential conflicts of interest.
How to make a complaint about the EIT.
How the EIT processes personal data.

All other documents can be found in the library.

Legal information relating to the use of the EIT website can be found here.