Higher Education Institutions (HEI) initiative 2023-2025

The aim of the pilot higher education initiative is that the impact of the EIT reach beyond the KICs and contribute to the EIT's core mission of boosting sustainable economic growth and competitiveness by reinforcing the innovation capacity of Member States, in line with the Horizon Europe goals of fostering entrepreneurial and innovation skills in a lifelong learning perspective, including increasing the capacities of HEIs across Europe at the institutional level.

As foreseen in the EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA) 2021-2027, the activities shall address primarily the capacity development of HEIs including:

• the exchange and implementation of best practices in knowledge triangle integration, including organisational learning, training for up-skilling and re-skilling, coaching and mentoring;

• the development of action plans on how to address identified needs in areas such as innovation management, start-up creation and development, technology transfer including intellectual property rights management, sustainability and climate neutrality by design, people and organisational management, the integration of gender approaches in innovation and engagement with local stakeholders and civil society; and

• the implementation of innovation capacity development action plans and follow-up actions.

To create systemic impact in higher education at the institutional level, by supporting higher education institutions (HEIs) to increase their innovation and entrepreneurial capacity and better integrate into and engage with innovation ecosystems.

To ensure the success of the pilot higher education initiative, the EIT shall provide funding as well as specific guidance, expertise and coaching to participating HEIs and target HEIs from across Europe, paying particular attention to HEIs from countries (and regions in those countries) that are moderate and modest innovators and other low performing regions that wish to develop their innovation capacities and strengthen their innovation footprint and smart specialisation strategies.

Particular attention shall be paid to ensuring: an open and inclusive approach to attract HEIs beyond the KICs’ partners aiming for wide geographical coverage; an inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral approach; a broader participation of women in sectors where they are underrepresented; and a link with the EIT RIS, relevant thematic platforms and smart specialisation strategies, and the Policy Support Facility when appropriate.

As the initiative has been launched in 2021 with several calls for activities, it is expected, that projects launched before 2023 can continue in 2023-2025 (depending on their positive checkpoint assessment). And in 2023-2025 also set of new projects shall be selected through open calls (shall the EIT Governing Board decide in 2023 to continue).