New themes for KICs discussed at the EIT’s “Vision for the Future” Stakeholder Conference
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) brings together stakeholder representatives from Member States and the field of business, higher education and research to present and discuss its vision for the future. The EIT unveils for the first time its potential future Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) themes and discusses their potential added value, in particular with respect to entrepreneurial education and new business creation, both at the cornerstone of the EIT’s mission. Today’s conference is held in Budapest, home to the EIT headquarters, in close collaboration with the Hungarian Presidency of the European Council and Minister of State Zoltán Cséfelvay, Chairman of the Competitiveness Council.
The EIT’s vision for the future will be outlined in its Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA), which will be presented to the European Commission on 31 May 2011 and will cover a period of seven years from 2014 onwards. In order to present a SIA that responds to the needs of its wide stakeholder community, the EIT is actively seeking input from its stakeholders.
“The SIA in which the EIT will present its vision for becoming an entrepreneurially driven innovation impact investment institute, will have to be based upon the needs of the European innovation landscape” says Dr. Martin Schuurmans, Chairman of the EIT Governing Board. “This is of particular importance for the potential themes for future Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs)”.
The themes which the EIT is considering as societal challenges to be addressed by means of a future KIC are: added-value manufacturing; ageing population; biotechnology; food for the future; healthy childhood; human learning and learning enhancements; security and safety as well as territory and smart cities. These initial ideas are to be thoroughly discussed in the upcoming months.
In addition to the conference, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) under the leadership of Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, today launches its open public consultation on the future of the EIT and the potential future KIC themes. It is the European Commission which will present the SIA to the European Parliament and Council of Ministers at the end of 2011. Dr. Schuurmans urges “our stakeholder community to actively participate in this consultation so that the EIT can cement its future role within the future Common Strategic Framework for Research and Innovation”.
Share this page
