As part of the EU’s collective efforts to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, the EIT has today launched the ‘EIT Crisis Response Initiative’ which is composed of several calls launched by the thematic KICs.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an EU body created by the European Union in 2008 to strengthen Europe’s ability to innovate. The EIT is an integral part of Horizon 2020, the EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. It supports the development of dynamic, long-term European partnerships among leading companies, research labs and higher education to foster the triple helix. These partnerships are called Innovation Communities and each is dedicated to finding solutions to a specific global challenge, from climate change and sustainable energy to healthy living and food. For more information check out the EIT website.
The EIT has mobilised 60 millions € of additional funding to support two kind of activities
– Venture Support Investment for Start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs
– Support for Pandemic Response Projects both in terms of the immediate health concerns and the wider response needed.
The funding is available through calls for proposals launched by the different EIT thematic Innovation Communities (KICs). The table below gives and short overview ordered by deadline, but it is not exhaustive and may be updated. Interested applicants are encouraged to read in depth all the calls documents and check in particular all requirements concerning
– Registration into the platform restricted for members
– Payback or other forms of backflows
– Membership of the KICs : some of calls are opened beyond the current EIT KIC members but there is often a requirement to join later or provide a kind of backflow
– Partners to be found in other countries notably with current members of the KICs.
For more information you can contact the regional innovation hub of the thematic KICs covering your country, the information is available on the EIT KIC thematic website. You can also contact your sectoral NCP and EEN advisers c/o hub.brussels.
Venture Support Investment
Call For who Themes Points of attention
EIT Digital Venture Support
Deadline 25/6/2020 high impact and growth startups, scale-ups and SME – Digital Tech,
– Digital Cities
– Digital Industry
– Digital Wellbeing
– Digital Finance – Equity
EIT Manufacturing
Deadline 25/2/2020 highly innovative scale-ups (>200k€ revenue) and SMEs Check guidelines – Open to non members and dedicated application track
EIT Food Covid 19 Bridge Fund
Deadline 28/5/2020 Agro-food SMEs raising funding external investors (i.e. not EIT Food) of €200,000 at minimum
– Alternative proteins
– Sustainable agriculture
– Targeted nutrition
– Sustainable aquaculture
– Digital transformation of traceability
– Circular food systems – You need to show that both your activities and your fundraising is impacted by the crisis.
– Equity with return on investment
Health Start-up Rescue instrument
1/6/2020 Health start-up seeking investment or bridge rounds of min. 1 million €. – Medtech
– Biotech
– Digital Health – Matching fund
– innovation at TRL ≥ 4 for Biotech innovations; TRL ≥ 6 for Medtech/Digital Health.
– Online info session on 26/05/2020
EIT Raw Materials Booster –
Deadline 12/6/2020 Start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs with a link with ores, minerals and metals and innovation at least at TRL 4
Food & construction are excluded – Exploration and raw materials resource assessment
– Mining in challenging environments
– Increased resource efficiency in mineral and metallurgical processes
– Recycling and material chain optimisation for End-of-Life products
– Substitution of critical and toxic materials in products and for optimised performance
– Design of products and services for the circular economy – Grant up to 200 000 € but a backflow is expected
– Now to explain how the SME is negatively impacted by the crisis and/or solution in relation with crisis
– More information about the booster in this article
EIT Climate – Announced on website, more information to come
Support for Pandemic Response Projects
Beware that these calls request to find partner(s) often at least in another country.
Call For who Themes Points of attention
EIT Climate Regeneration Call
Deadline 1st step 22/5/2020 Rather for large impact programmes than small projects – Circular economy
– Transformation of the build environment
– System to deploy capital – Need to become member and at least to get access to the platform before the deadline
– Need to discuss your project with the Climate KIC
– Need to find another partner in another country
EIT Digital – Data against Covid 19 Innovation Actions
Deadline 25/5/2020 Activities that are developing solutions leveraging modern digital technology to model, communicate and influence behavior to manage pandemic lifecycles. – Digital Wellbeing concrete data-driven solutions against COVID-19 notably contract tracing using physical tokens – Provide evidence of capacity to develop and deploy the full solution within 6 months.
– Need 2-5 partners from at least 2 different countries and at least one business partner.
EIT Manufacturing
Deadline 25/2/2020 Proposals for innovation activities to be funded and executed in the second half of 2020, for up to EUR 300000 – See guidelines – Open to non members with dedicated application track
EIT Food Covid 19 Rapid Response
Deadline 1st step 28/5/2020 Agro-food projects adressing the crisis – Supply chain disruption
– consumer behaviour change
– food safety risks,
– improved nutrition – You need to find one partner among the EIT Food and to become yourself a member once project selected.
– The project should lead to commercialisation in first half of 2021.
EIT Urban Mobility
Deadline 31/05/2020 Projects addressing urban mobility challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic – Innovation
– Business Creation
– Academy
– Factory
– Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS)
– Citizen Engagement – Proposed activities must be implemented and completed within the 2020 calendar year
– need to address 2 or more themes
– virtual ‘Pitch & Meet’ events
