EIT Community Initiatives
EIT Food is proud to be part of the EIT Community, a collaborative network formed by the EIT’s Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).
Through the EIT Community initiatives, we harness the combined expertise of academia, research, and business to fuel innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity across all key sectors.
The Power of Collaboration to Foster Innovation - in the Food System and Beyond!
News and opportunities
Discover our programmes
Our programmes are designed to support innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide by offering training, project development, and funding opportunities:
1. Skills Development for Future Innovators
We believe that everyone deserves the chance to pursue their dream career, regardless of gender, age, or background. Whether you are passionate about deep tech, green tech, or creating breakthroughs in agriculture, we provide educational programmes, internships, online courses, and research opportunities to help you thrive.
2. Problem-Solving Innovation
Our world is confronted with significant challenges, from climate change and water scarcity to social disparities. We are here to empower our most innovative minds to address these issues head-on. Whether it's through our specialised programmes like New European Bauhaus, Jumpstarter, or Red Kalyna, we offer support to develop, launch, or scale your impactful ideas.
3. Building Connections for Innovators
Collaboration is essential for success. We facilitate connections between innovators and experts, universities, industries, SMEs, and local authorities. Whether it's advancing ethical AI, fostering gender equality in entrepreneurship with our Supernovas programmes, or expanding innovations globally through our Global Outreach initiatives, we're committed to forging meaningful connections that drive progress and meet societal needs.
Our programmes include:
New European Bauhaus: Promoting Sustainable Innovation
The New European Bauhaus
initiative focuses on translating the European Green Deal into tangible change
that improves citizens' daily lives. By working with startups, change-makers,
civil society, and local authorities, the initiative sparks innovation and
entrepreneurship, supports startups, and strengthens citizen engagement
projects. It aims to create a more sustainable and inclusive Europe.
Driving the Uptake of Artificial Intelligence
The EIT Community is actively involved in promoting the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in Europe. Through initiatives such as AI Challenges, Sync Skills, and Joint Focus Groups, the EIT Community AI connects startups, businesses, and AI stakeholders. It aims to bridge the gap in AI skills and facilitate the adoption of AI technologies across various sectors.
EIT HEI Initiative: Boosting Higher Education
The EIT HEI Initiative is a collaboration between the EIT Community and higher education institutions (HEIs). It supports HEIs in enhancing the innovation and business skills of their students. Through the initiative, HEIs gain access to the EIT innovation ecosystem, expert coaching, and funding to develop innovation action plans aligned with their specific needs.
Deep Tech Talent Initiative (DDTI): Skilling one million European in Deep Tech
The Deep Tech Talent Initiative is a pioneering program aimed at skilling one million individuals in deep tech fields over the next three years. Deep tech innovations, which combine cutting-edge technology from various scientific and engineering disciplines, play a crucial role in addressing pressing global challenges. The DDTI equips individuals with the skills needed to drive innovation in these fields.
Girls Go Circular: Empowering Schoolgirls
The Girls Go Circular project is an initiative focused on empowering schoolgirls aged 14-19 with digital and entrepreneurial skills while raising awareness about the circular economy. By providing an online learning program, Girls Go Circular aims to equip 40,000 schoolgirls across Europe with the skills and knowledge necessary for a sustainable future.
EIT Alumni: Fostering Collaboration and Peer Learning
The EIT Alumni network provides a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration and peer-to-peer learning. It connects alumni from various EIT Community programs and offers mentoring, coaching, and training opportunities. Through this network, alumni can enhance their managerial and leadership skills, fostering a community of lifelong learners and innovators.
EIT Campus online platform
The EIT Campus is a single platform bringing together diverse programmes in the world of innovation, sustainability, entrepreneurship and technology.
Supernovas: Supporting Women in Tech and Business
Supernovas is a program within the EIT Community that aims to promote an entrepreneurial ecosystem with a stronger presence of women. It offers support to female-led startups, provides training for women in venture investment, and offers mentoring and networking opportunities for women leaders. Supernovas strives to address gender inequalities in tech and business, fostering sustainable growth and social justice.
Strategic Regional Innovations: Supporting the Innovation Communities that needs us
The EIT Community extends its support to innovation communities in countries categorized as "modest" or "emerging" in terms of innovation, based on the European Innovation Scoreboard. Through initiatives like EIT Jumpstarter, Infrabooster and Red Kalyna, the EIT Community provides training and opportunities for innovators and researchers in these countries, fostering innovation and research excellence.
Global Outreach: Building Connections Beyond Europe
The EIT Community plays a crucial role in connecting Europe's innovation ecosystem with global innovation hotspots. Initiatives such as Greenscale, Connect & Experience, Disrupt Me, and Bridging the Horizon facilitate collaboration, knowledge exchange, and market penetration for European startups and companies. These initiatives enhance European leadership and contribute to addressing global societal challenges.
Facilitating Access to Finance
Collaborating with the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Investment Bank (EIF), the EIT Community works to facilitate investments for ventures supported by the KICs. This support contributes to the financial sustainability and diversification of revenues for startups, scaleups, and innovation projects within the EIT Community.
Shaping Tomorrow: telling EIT Community success stories
Every two weeks, this series of articles spotlights a start-up or initiative that received a helping hand from one of the collaborative initiatives EIT Food undertakes with other EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).