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BY BIOCAT

After months of debate, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has submitted its Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA) to European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou.

In this first SIA, the EIT Governing Board outlines its vision for the future and proposed strategy for strengthening Europe’s innovation capacity and competitiveness between 2014 and 2020, in the knowledge triangle: education, research and innovation.

EIT’s strategy for the future focuses on strengthening and developing the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC) model, which has so far proven successful (there are currently three functioning KICs). KICs are a tool for transforming ideas and knowledge into value, by generating new products and services with an economic and social impact.

The experience so far has shown that by uniting the knowledge triangle with entrepreneurship as a key driving force, the EIT capitalizes on Europe’s underused potential to exploit skills, technology and business innovation, as well as increasing the impact of innovation on a global level. Thus, it can be said that the EIT and their KICs are paving the way towards a more entrepreneurial workforce and continued growth for Europe.

The EIT has also proposed six new topics for future KICs, focusing on offering viable, sustainable solutions to address some of the most urgent challenges facing society. These topics are:

  • Human life and health
  • Human learning and learning environments 
  • Food for the future
  • Manufacturing by and for creative human beings
  • Safety and protection 
  • Mobility and smart cities

After the EIT submits the SIA, the European Commission includes comments from the stakeholders collected in a public consultation and the EIT's report, and then submits a final proposal to the European Council and Parliament for approval, before the end of 2011. Once it has been approved, the EIT Governing Board will be able to select and design the new KICs, and will publish a call for bids. Biocat works with support from the Governments of Catalonia and Spain to drive and coordinate the bid for the future KIC in health/life sciences.

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