EIT Call to boost innovation and reskilling in European Higher Education

• December 22, 2022
• neelam

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and coordinator EIT RawMaterials are launching a new call under the ‘EIT HEI Initiative’ aimed at boosting innovation in higher education. The newly announced call will mobilise up to EUR 12 million of EIT funding for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and their partners. A new feature of this year’s call will be a special focus on training tech talents in higher education, aligned with the EIT’s new flagship programme: Deep Tech Talent Initiative, set to skill one million European talents by 2025.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate how the consortia will build innovation capacity through the integration of deep tech talent-fostering activities, given its importance for the future of innovation in Europe. Deep technology or deep tech is a classification of an institution, an organisation or a start-up company,  with the expressed objective of providing advanced and emerging technology solutions to deep societal challenges. They present scientific or engineering challenges requiring lengthy research and development, and large capital investment before successful commercialization.

The underlying scientific or engineering problems being solved by deep tech companies generate valuable intellectual property and are hard to reproduce. Moreover, the solutions provided by deep technology and applications are critical for solving the complex global challenges that humanity faces, including climate change, sustainable energy or health.

The indicative list of fields, in which EIT aims at mobilising talents, includes but not limited to:

• advanced materials and manufacturing
• aerospace, including drones
• artificial intelligence and machine learning
• biotechnology
• blockchain
• Web 3.0
• electronics
• photonics
• quantum computing
• robotics
• semiconductors (microchips)
• sustainable green energy and clean technologies

Up to 16 projects based on consortia will be selected for the newly opened call, consisting of academic and non-academic organisations.

HEIs must submit their applications in the HEI Initiative Application Portal by 28 February 2023, 17.00 CET