The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is by now a well-established instrument to create, nurture and develop innovation ecosystems. As Europe’s largest innovation network with more than 1 000 partners in 40 hubs boosting innovation across Europe. EIT’s moto is to “make innovation happen” by bringing together the key ingredients – education, research and business across Europe – in order to address societal challenges. Thus far, the EIT has created more than 6 100 jobs, over 600 new products and services, and nurtured more than 1250 start-ups and scale-ups, which have attracted over EUR 890 million of external investment. More than 1200 talented EIT Alumni have graduated from the EIT’s entrepreneurial programmes at master and doctoral level. The achieved excellence is reflected in the fact that in the last 3 years almost 40 students and entrepreneurs trained by the EIT were featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 lists of Europe’s most promising young innovators.
EIT Manufacturing is one the Innovation Communities within the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) – that connects the leading manufacturing actors in Europe. Fueled by a strong interdisciplinary and trusted community, the ambition is to add unique value to European products, processes, services – and inspire the creation of globally competitive and sustainable manufacturing. EIT Manufacturing is an innovation community and a network of ecosystems where people acquire skills and find opportunities; and where innovators are able to attract investors and accede venture capital.
The manufacturing industry is a global base for prosperity and key to Europe’s economic, social and environmental sustainability. Manufacturing is a main driver of industrial innovation, job creation and growth for the European society. It stands for over 2.1 million manufacturing enterprises in Europe, providing over 32 million jobs, which corresponds to 16% of the total EU working population, including approximately 13 million jobs in the growing high-tech manufacturing industry and in 2016, the share of EU-28 GDP originated by manufacturing was 16.1% (Eurostat, GDP percentage of total, industry breakdowns, 10.01.2018), corresponding to a total turnover of EUR 7.11 trillion (European Commission, Factories of the Future Manufacturing in Horizon 2020 and beyond, 2017).
The vision of EIT Manufacturing is that the global manufacturing innovation is led by Europe. To tackle main challenges of European manufacturing, EIT Manufacturing has defined six strategic objectives:
- Excellent manufacturing skills and talents: adding value through an upskilled workforce and engaged students.
- Efficient manufacturing innovation ecosystems: adding value through creating ecosystems for innovation, entrepreneurship and business transformation focused on innovation hotspots.
- Full digitalisation of manufacturing: adding value through digital solutions and platforms that connect value networks globally.
- Customer-driven manufacturing: adding value through agile and flexible manufacturing that meets global personalised demand.
- Socially sustainable manufacturing: adding value through safe, healthy, ethical and socially sustainable production and products.
- Environmentally sustainable manufacturing: adding value by making industry greener and cleaner.
For that purpose, EIT Manufacturing brings together over 50 European leading partners from business, education and research, from 17 countries.
These different initiatives are deeply rooted and supported by major National and European policies. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is one of the strategic European instruments to boost research and innovation, jobs and economic growth.
The EIT welcomes the proposed establishment of the European Innovation Council (EIC) and looks forward to increased contributions to the European innovation environment, built on the basis of the established EIT and the synergies with the new European Innovation Council. Both instruments aim to accelerate the process of bringing innovations to the market and to turn research into products and services.