Irish Regions Office Website

September 17, 2008

‘Knowledge & Innovation Communities’

The newly-formed European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) – the EU’s flagship initiative to integrate the three sides of the "Knowledge Triangle"– has marked its official launch (15 September) by establishing the basis by which the first set of knowledge and innovation communities (KICs) will be launched by the end of 2009.

EIT’s objective is to strategically foster links among higher education and research organisations and, crucially, between these sectors and the business world to deliver a world-class innovation-orientated reference model, inspiring and driving change in existing education and knowledge institutions.

KICs will act as the EIT’s operational centres across the continent by being highly-integrated excellence-driven partnerships pooling a critical mass of the very best elements of European innovation resources to generate and promote novel approaches in key areas of interest for the economy and society – particularly in facing up to the challenges of globalisation. KICs will have substantial overall autonomy to define their internal organisation and composition, as well as their precise agenda and working methods.

Among their tasks will be to promote the production, dissemination and exploitation of new knowledge products and best practices in the innovation sector, transforming the results of higher education and research activities into commercially exploitable outcomes.

EIT: www.eit.europa.eu

Posted by iroronan at September 17, 2008 07:08 PM