Higher Education Institutions (HEI) initiative 2023-2025

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).

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.