EIT HEI Initiative Launches EUR 56 Million Call To Boost Innovation, Entrepreneurship And Deep Tech In Higher Education

19 September – Budapest, Hungary – The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is launching a new call under the EIT Higher Education Institutions (HEI) Initiative. The EIT HEI Initiative Call for Proposals 2024 offers an opportunity for higher education institutions and business partners across Europe to collaborate on innovative projects, with the ultimate goal of turning universities into hubs for innovation and entrepreneurship.  

Universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are invaluable to Europe’s innovation ecosystem. However, difficulties lie in properly connecting universities to regional non-academic partners to foster innovation; commercialising research; and transferring business and entrepreneurship teaching beyond traditional business faculties. As Europe’s largest and most experienced innovation ecosystem, the EIT, as part of Horizon Europe (the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation) created the EIT HEI Initiative to unlock the full innovation and entrepreneurship potential of higher education institutions (HEIs). Since being launched by the EIT, the initiative has brought together over 500 academic and non academic partners, supporting over 40 000 students and staff in entrepreneurship training and provided support to over 1 100 start-ups and scale-ups  

Stefan Dobrev, Chairman of the EIT Governing Board said ‘The EIT HEI Initiative is essential to enhance the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe. By equipping higher education institutions with the tools and support they need to develop the most relevant skills, we are laying the foundations for future generations of innovators and entrepreneurs. This new call will continue to enhance collaboration between academia and industry, driving Europe's competitiveness and ensuring we remain at the forefront of global innovation.’  

The current call aims to fund up to 42 projects, with for a total duration of 25 months and an overall budget of EUR 1.34 million per project. The call will incorporate a two-strand approach, where applicants will need to select one the following strands to apply to: 

• Strand A: Innovation and entrepreneurship capacity building at higher education institutions (HEIs). 

• Strand B: Innovation and entrepreneurship capacity building at HEIs for the enhancement of Deep Tech. 

Consortium composition criteria 

Eligible applying consortia to the EIT HEI Initiative Call for Proposals 2024 must consist of a minimum of five full (funded) partner organisations, and comply with the following criteria: 

• minimum three full partner higher education institutions (HEIs), from three different countries; 

• one of the full partner HEIs must be the Project Coordinator; 

• minimum two HEIs must be a ‘new’ partner (i.e., didn’t participate in an HEI Initiative Cohort 1, 2 or 3 project); 

• minimum one business partner 

Organisations are encouraged to start preparing their application by reading the full call text available now to connect with partners on the dedicated networking platform.  Consortia will have until 12 December 2024, 17:00 CET, to submit their applications. The selected projects will be announced in April 2025.  

To guide applicants through the process, a series of info sessions will be held, providing valuable insights into the application process and clarify expectations regarding project domains, key performance indicators, and collaboration opportunities. You can learn more about the info sessions on the call page. 

EIT - MAKING INNOVATION HAPPEN!