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About Our Knowledge and Innovation Communities

EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities: Addressing Global Challenges through Partnerships

EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) are Europe-wide networks focused on addressing specific societal challenges, ranging from sustainable energy and climate change to healthy food and green transport.

They bring together:

  • higher education institutions
  • research centres
  • businesses and investors
  • public and non-profit organisations

Each KIC focuses on a specific societal challenge. 

Discover our Knowledge and Innovation Communities 

Support at Every Stage of Your Innovation Journey

By joining a KIC, you are not only connecting to a network but also learning and growing within it. KICs can help you to:

Local Access Through Co-Location Centres and Innovation Hubs

Hubs are places where KIC partners come together for activities, workshops, networking and collaboration. We have Hubs in every European country and beyond.

Some Hubs specialise in specific fields or bring together particular types of partners that may be relevant to your interests.

You can find the EIT Hub you’re most interested in working with through the EIT Ecosystem Map.

A Flexible KIC Structure

Each KIC has its own structure. KICs can choose their legal status, internal organisation and working methods to best support their strategic objectives. This autonomy enables them to adapt to new challenges and changing environments across Europe. 

A Funding Model That Ensures Accountability and Integrity 

We support each of our KICs through grant agreements. Funding is allocated directly to activities that: 

  • develop innovative products and services with a view to market uptake;
  • support startups and other businesses to scale;
  • educate students and equip people with new skills;
  • contribute to building partnerships between higher education, research and business that foster innovation in Europe;
  • support the operation of KICs;
  • strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and capacity to address global challenges

KICs are encouraged to generate revenues and leverage funding from sources outside the EIT, with the long-term objective of becoming financially sustainable. Any additional funding must clearly contribute to the KIC’s strategy and objectives. 

Learn more about our innovation model

In accordance with Article 38 of the EU Financial Regulation 2018, the EIT is required to publish information on awarded grants and grant recipients. The lists of grants awarded are available for the following years:

2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011

A Model Geared Towards Real Impact

We regularly monitor and assess the performance of KICs to support our objectives of strengthening Europe’s global competitiveness in innovation and addressing societal challenges.
This ensures that their strategies and activities:

  • are aligned with EIT objectives and EU policy priorities;
  • integrate a diverse range of organisations and deliver tangible benefits for the European economy and society, such as new businesses, sustainable products and services, and job creation;
  • continuously improve in quality and strengthen risk-management practices.
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