EIT RawMaterials opens new Innovation Hub for the Baltic region

The new RIS Hub Baltic connects research and science entrepreneurs with industry partners to increase innovation capacity and industrial competitiveness in the region. 

Riga Technical University (RTU), Kaunas University of Technology and Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) will foster the integration of the local Baltic ecosystem by establishing EIT RawMaterials Hub – Regional Center Baltic.

On 26 September, the 4th International Conference on Innovative Materials, Structures and Technologies marked the official opening of the EIT RawMaterials Hub – Regional Center Baltic in Riga, Latvia. The launch event informed partners and stakeholders of opportunities for collaboration, support tools and high value-added research projects.

Connecting business, research and education

The main objectives of the EIT RawMaterials Hub – Regional Center Baltic, are to connect the EIT RawMaterials Innovation Community with local ecosystems and integrate the Knowledge Triangle in the Baltic region. Baltic Hub acts as a local platform for industry, students, young scientists, and research teams to collaborate, exchange local and international experience, confirm interest and opportunities for further innovation exploration, and commercialisation of individual topics. The Hub will act as a channel of the knowledge sharing and good practices acquired by the EIT RawMaterials Innovation Community.

The creation of the EIT RawMaterials Hub – Regional Center Baltic opens up greater opportunities for Baltic scientists, alone or in partnership with local companies, to engage in large-scale research projects and access world-renowned industry partners. The creation of a focal point also contributes to the creation of innovative and new businesses.

Diana Bajare, Professor of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Riga Technical University

EIT RawMaterials Hub – Regional Center Baltic will run three programmes in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. There will be a science and technology transfer conference, a summer school where students will work on the challenges of the raw materials industry, and an acceleration programme to support the development of deep-tech ideas for start-ups.

The start-up ecosystems in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are extremely vibrant and there is a long tradition of co-operation between industry and academia in the region. I am especially excited to see an increase of activities within the raw materials sector and the new RIS Hub Baltic is doing a great job integrating the most relevant actors across the value chain.

Dr Olli Salmi, EIT RawMaterials Innovation Hub Director CLC Baltic Sea

EIT RawMaterials enhances the innovation capacity of the Baltic region

The establishment of the EIT RawMaterials Hub – Regional Center Baltic is a part of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS), the EIT Community’s outreach scheme. The EIT RIS is designed for U Member States and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries in Europe who are modest and moderate innovators (according to the European Innovation Scoreboard), and where Innovation Communities have few or no partners. Strategically, the scheme is an additional offer to these countries to facilitate their engagement with the EIT Innovation Communities.