DESIGN

The EIT KIC will be an integrated partnership bringing together leading companies, higher education institutions, research organisations and other stakeholders in the innovation process to tackle pressing societal challenges through the development of products, services and processes and also by nurturing innovative, entrepreneurial individuals. The KIC connects excellence-driven innovation hubs, the Co-location Centres to become leading centres of excellence, competing and collaborating with other innovation hubs across the world.

The KIC is expected to follow a long-term innovation and impact-driven strategy, operating with a business logic and a results-oriented approach to contribute to the achievement of the EIT’s overall mission, the priorities laid down in the EIT Strategic Agenda 2021-2027 and the attainment of the general objectives established in Horizon Europe.

Creativity is a key driver of innovation and a KIC on CCSI has the capacity to unleash the potential of artistic, culture-based creativity and to help strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, sustainability, prosperity and smart growth. A KIC on Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries (CCSI) shall address the major economic and societal challenges within the specific sector as referred to in the EIT Strategic Agenda 2021-2027. The EIT does not pre-define the strategic sub-areas eligible within the field of CCSI leaving it to applicants to propose focus areas in their strategies. For more information on the scope and theme for this new EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community, please download the factsheet.

The KIC will deliver a whole range of world-class activities bringing together actors from different sides of the Knowledge Triangle (business, education and research) encompassing the whole innovation value chain within cultural and creative sectors and industries. The KIC’s portfolio of activities will include, inter alia: entrepreneurial education and training programmes, research-driven innovation projects, and incubation of and support to start-ups and scale-ups.

The KIC should harvest intellectual, human, material and financial resources to create valuable outputs such as innovation communities, high quality curricula, start-ups, innovative products, services, technologies, through which it develops and sustains value-added business, enhances competencies necessary for innovation and entrepreneurship, and for developing solutions to major societal challenges.

The KIC is expected to create the following impact:

• technological/economic/innovation impact by influencing the creation and growth of companies, as well as the creation of new innovative solutions to address the global challenges, creating direct and indirect jobs and mobilising additional public and private investments;
• scientific and educational impact by, strengthening human capital in research and innovation, enhancing innovative and entrepreneurial skills both at individual and organisational levels and fostering the creation and diffusion of knowledge and innovation openly within society;
• societal impact, including the impact derived by the delivery of systematic solutions within and beyond the EIT Community, also through Cross-KIC activities, by addressing EU policy priorities in the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI) through innovative solutions, engagement with citizens and end-users and by strengthening the uptake of innovative solutions in these areas in society.

This KIC approach to building systemic impact should be aligned with and contribute to Horizon Europe impact pathway approach as well as the EIT Impact Framework KPIs.