EIT KICs: Driving Innovation With Strong Focus on Leverage and Synergies
EITThe Biennial monitoring report 2024 on Partnerships in Horizon Europe ‘Performance of European partnerships’ has highlighted the strong performance of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) in advancing Europe’s research and innovation agenda.
Accounting for 4 per cent of Horizon Europe’s partnership budget, EIT KICs have demonstrated a direct leverage factor of 2.35, surpassing the other European partnerships. This significant leverage illustrates EIT KICs' ability to attract significant public and private co-investment, amplifying the impact of EU contributions. This showcases EIT KICs' ability to turn EU funding into substantial additional resources, reinforcing their added-value to the European innovation landscape.
EIT KICs also play an important role in addressing strategic European priorities such as the green and digital transitions. For instance, EIT Climate-KIC is helping drive decarbonisation, while EIT Digital is playing a leading role in promoting Europe’s technological leadership in the digital domain. EIT KICs have also proven their strength in cross-sectoral collaboration, notably through synergies with other EU programmes like InvestEU and Erasmus+, enhancing their influence across a wide range of sectors, from healthcare to urban mobility.
Moreover, EIT KICs successfully foster innovation ecosystems at national and regional levels. Through initiatives such as the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS), EIT KICs are helping to shape policy environments across Europe and these efforts underscore their capacity to align with national priorities, providing tailored support to local innovation ecosystems and accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge technologies.
The report highlights the strong track record of EIT KICs in openness, particularly with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The addition of 235 new organisations (in the reporting period of two years), many of them SMEs, demonstrates the EIT KICs' commitment to broadening participation. Their capacity to integrate diverse stakeholders further enhances their impact, driving innovation that is not only cutting-edge but also broadly accessible.
In terms of synergy, the KICs are recognised as active participants in collaborative efforts with other European partnerships, including the EU missions that many EIT KICs closely collaborate with. Their ability to create synergies across sectors, especially in emerging fields like transversal technologies, amplifies their contribution to Europe's competitiveness and resilience.
EIT KICs not only play an important role in advancing European policy objectives, but also strongly leverage funding, foster collaboration, and drive innovation across key sectors. Under the EIT’s steer, their ability to synergise with other EU programmes and partnerships positions them as important EU partnerships in Europe’s pursuit of a sustainable, competitive, and resilient future.
Share this page
