Newsletter March 2024
EIT: These 3 Letters Offer Many Programmes and Opportunities
The EIT is an independent body of the European Union established in 2008 to strengthen Europe's ability to innovate. It is structured into 3 pillars of activities:
1. Entrepreneurial education programmes and courses
2. Business creation and acceleration services
3. Innovation-driven research projects
The EIT method for driving innovation involves bringing together organisations across business, education, and research. The goal of these partnerships is to find and commercialise solutions to pressing global challenges. For each global challenge, there is an ecosystem of partnerships called Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).
All this behind the 3 simple letters “EIT”! And that is only the start. The EIT has designated National Contact Points (NCPs) who, together with the other Horizon Europe NCPs, support potential and successful applicants with information and advice specific to EIT calls. The Euresearch EIT NCP and thematic NCPs have established contacts with the EIT Advisors in the 9 KICs.
There are many innovators based in Switzerland involved in Europe’s largest KICs: Food, Manufacturing, Health and RawMaterials. The Digital, InnoEnergy, Culture&Creativity, Urban Mobility and Climate KICs also offer interesting networking, training and funding opportunities, and have participants from Switzerland. National funding is available for successful Swiss-based applicants. EIT also offers partnering events, coaching and training for companies and start-ups from Switzerland.
Are you interested? Euresearch helps you by simplifying the information on the numerous programmes and opportunities EIT offers to entities from Switzerland. You will find useful information on our new EIT webpages. Have a look at our EIT info event recordings, where you will find many testimonials from Swiss-based participants and presentations explaining how the different programmes in the KICs work. If you adapt your profile in the Euresearch account by selecting the keyword “EIT”, you will now also receive emails (e-alerts) with EIT news and calls.
Author: Sasha Hugentobler, National Contact Point for EIT
Illustration: Alexandra Rosakis
