Newsletter – Issue 1/2026 – Kicking Off the Year: An Interview with EIT Water and Opening of Lithuanian Hub
EIT Newsletter 19 Jan 2026
Happy New Year and welcome to the first edition of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) newsletter of 2026.
We are kicking off the year with new momentum across the EIT Community, marked by global recognition for EIT-supported Romanian deep-tech start-up .lumen, winner of the CTA Foundation Pitch Competition for Accessibility at CES 2026.
This edition also features an interview with Michelle H. Williams, Coordinator of EIT Water, the EIT’s newly established Knowledge and Innovation Community. Discover how the EIT’s tenth KIC aims to build a pan-European ecosystem and accelerate solutions to Europe’s most pressing water challenges. It also highlights the opening of a new EIT Community Hub in Vilnius, Lithuania, supporting innovation, skills development and entrepreneurship across the country.
Explore the full newsletter for these stories and more as the EIT Community begins the year ahead. Also, if you find this newsletter interesting, we encourage you to forward it to colleagues and contacts who may be interested.
Water is Europe’s most critical resource – and one of its most vulnerable. From droughts and floods to pollution and ageing infrastructure, pressures on Europe’s water systems are intensifying, with consequences for citizens, industry and ecosystems alike.Meet Michelle H. Williams, Coordinator of EI ...
A European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)-supported Romanian deep-tech company, .lumen, has won the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Foundation Pitch Competition for Accessibility at CES 2026, receiving a $10 000 award.The award recognises .lumen’s glasses for the blind, an AI-pow ...
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has officially opened a new EIT Community Hub in Vilnius, Lithuania, reinforcing its commitment to supporting innovation, skills development and entrepreneurship across the country.The launch event, held at the Artis Centrum Hotel in Vilnius, ...
EIT Culture & Creativity Launches 100-to-Watch, Showcasing Europe’s Most Innovative Creative Ventures EIT Culture & Creativity – one of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT’s) Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) – has unveiled the first edition of 100-to-Wa ...
The EIT Health Annual Report 2024 highlights a year defined by tangible impact at a time of growing strain on Europe’s health systems. Ageing populations, the rising burden of chronic disease, workforce and skills shortages, and the need to safely deploy digital and data-driven solutions continued t ...
Discover Europe’s largest innovation community for urban mobility!Meet decision makers, solution providers, and thought leaders in an event designed to spark new connections and ideas.Technoport’s Automobility Incubator, together with Luxinnovation, are proud to invite participants to join ...
EIT Urban Mobility is soon launching the RAPTOR 2026 Call for startups and SMEs!Join the RAPTOR 2026 Call information webinars and learn more about the call, niche city challenges, timeline, eligibility, funding!RAPTOR 2026 Information Session: Wednesday 21 January 2026, 10.00-11.30 CETRAPTOR 2026 C ...
This call aims to attract startups that are ready to demonstrate the value of their technologies and scale their impact!Through Test Farms, selected startups will gain access to farmers, agronomists, testing sites, and visibility opportunities. EIT Food is looking for startups that want to: Par ...
Join EIT Urban Mobility Master school to drive innovation in the transport industry!The world’s cities are changing. New technologies, business models, and global sustainability goals are transforming our cities and how we move. The transport industry needs a new generation of graduates who can spur ...
Join EIT Urban Mobility Master school to drive innovation in the transport industry!In a world where urbanisation is on the rise and sustainability is paramount, the demand for innovative solutions in urban mobility is greater than ever before and the transport industry needs a new generation of gra ...
The Rocket Up programme empowers tech startups led by women founders and leaders to scale across Europe through market entry opportunities, business validation, and access to expert know-how.Who is it for?Startups: innovative, scalable, and high-impact companies based in the European UnionWomen-led: ...
EIT Food is selecting Venture Builders across Europe to support science-based startups in Food & Agriculture!EIT Food will appoint up to seven Venture Builders (VBs), which will continue to operate their own programmes independently. Startups participating in the Venture Builders’ programme coho ...
Let's take a step to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable and inclusive urban mobility!EIT Urban Mobility continues to support early-stage ventures (pre-seed) through a dedicated accelerator programme running from 2026 to 2028, while reinforcing its position as a leading impact in ...
Join EIT Urban Mobility Master school to drive innovation in the transport industry!Cities are undergoing massive transformation, and the transport industry needs a new generation of graduates who can spur and manage innovation. The EIT Urban Mobility Master School, in cooperation with leading Europ ...
Climate KIC invites Entrepreneurship Support Organisations (ESOs) to apply for ClimAccelerator 2026, focused on AI and Deep-tech for Climate Innovation!Join Climate KIC global network to run accelerators that empower startups developing breakthrough technologies for a net-zero and climate-resilient ...
The EIT Higher Education Initiative Call is now open!The call is offering up to €2 million per project to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship capacity in higher education across Europe. This call will support projects that enable universities and their partners to develop critical entrepreneu ...
The UMX Open Call aims to accelerate the development and delivery of high-quality, sustainable professional training and support services to close the urban mobility knowledge gap.This Call focuses on a series of specific activity areas aimed at enhancing the skills and capabilities of mobility prof ...
Are you curious to expand your network within the urban mobility ecosystem? Then apply for the Doctoral training Network!The ideal candidate should be a driven student interested in studying urban mobility and innovation in an international context. Interested candidates should be fluent in English, ...
The EIT is now organising a call for expressions of interest with a view to establishing a reserve list for Temporary Staff (TA) for the profile of Head of Communication Section. The place of employment will be Budapest, where the EIT seat is located.The Head of Communication Section will contribute ...
The EIT is now organising a call for expressions of interest with a view to establishing a reserve list for Temporary Staff (TA) for the profile of Grant Assurance Officer. The place of employment will be Budapest, where the EIT seat is located.Reporting to the Head of Unit Grant Implementation, the ...
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