EIT Governing Board Approves €978 Million To Boost Innovation And Skills Across Europe

As part of Horizon Europe, the EIT connects business, education, and research through its Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), tackling challenges from climate change and sustainable energy to health, digitalisation and food systems. Through these partnerships, it offers entrepreneurial education, business creation and acceleration, and innovation-driven projects that generate jobs, drive growth, and strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness.

This historic funding round will support six KICs, cross-KIC initiatives, and the EIT Higher Education Initiative. Allocations are based on performance and alignment with EU priorities, including the Union of Skills, the Clean Industrial Deal, and the Startup and Scaleup Strategy.

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An additional €79.3 million will support cross-KIC activities, uniting financially autonomous KICs like EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Digital, and EIT InnoEnergy. These collaborations aim to boost Europe’s impact in AI, women’s entrepreneurship, STEM skills, business creation, and international cooperation.

The package also allocates €130 million to the EIT Higher Education Initiative, which has engaged over 600 universities and helped thousands of students, researchers, and staff develop entrepreneurial skills. Complementing Erasmus and the EU’s STEM education plan, the initiative strengthens European universities as engines of innovation.

Stefan Dobrev, Chair of the EIT Governing Board, said: “As a board, we are confident this decision steers resources to the best-performing innovation ecosystems that effectively integrate the triangle of research, industry and entrepreneurship. It is a substantial catalyst for the engagement of the public and private sector to deploy the skills, technology and businesses we urgently need for a competitive Europe, able to defend its prosperity and its values.”

By connecting education, research, and business, the EIT drives impact across Europe through innovation projects, entrepreneurial education, and business creation support. The new funding reinforces its position as the EU’s largest innovation ecosystem and a key contributor to priorities like the Union of Skills and the Clean Industrial Deal.

About EIT

Founded in 2008, the EIT is a unique EU initiative that integrates business, education, and research. Through its Innovation Communities, it unites universities, research labs, and companies to tackle global challenges, offering entrepreneurial education, business creation and acceleration and innovation-driven research projects across Europe.