The 2024 edition of the EIT Summit took place in Brussels on 20 February 2024.
The programme of the event included keynote speeches from various senior EIT and Commission figures, supported by discussion panels and culminating in the EIT Awards Prize Ceremony.
In his address, Margaritis Schinas, European Commission Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, highlighted the importance of the EIT in supporting innovation and addressing skills gaps. In the context of global competition, the Vice-President emphasized the need for Europe to foster talent to ‘bear the fruit’ of innovation. He pointed to the various activities of the EIT in re-skilling and up-skilling, supporting one of the four pillars of the European Green Deal in this European Year of Skills.
The Vice-President highlighted that the 2500 partners and 20 large-scale skills partnerships supported by the EIT, help connect key actors and contribute tangibly to the estimated €4.1 billion needed annually to facilitate a ‘skills revolution’ in Europe.
Citing specific examples, the Vice-President flagged the EIT ‘deep tech’ talent initiative which aims to support one million jobs by 2025. The reform of the European Higher Education system was flagged as a crucial supporting step, with an extension of the current EIT HEI Initiative until the end of the current Framework Programme announced.
In a significant development, the Vice-President trailed a new ‘European Educational Degree’ that will be announced with Commissioner Ivanova in the coming weeks. There is no detail yet available, but the Vice-President indicated that this degree would build on the existing European University Alliances and create an opportunity open to Third Country nationals.
The Vice President concluded by suggesting that a skilled workforce is a more democratic workforce and that the KICs under EIT do much to prevent an ‘endogamic’ approach towards innovation.
Iliana Ivanova, the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth created a short video which was broadcast to the audience. In the video, the Commissioner praised the achievements of the EIT (the largest innovation network in the world) and highlighted the work of the EIT Campus. The campus is an online platform that aggregates and shares information regarding courses related to education, sustainability, entrepreneurship, technology, and circular economy in the context of innovation.
Further to the Commissioner’s video, Bertrand Piccard, Initiator, Pilot and Chairman of Solar Impulse Foundation gave a keynote speech providing an industry perspective. A wide-ranging contribution was concluded with the official signing of an agreement which will see Solar Impulse help the EIT in the delivery of activities under a new European Solar Academy.
During the day participants were reminded that the EIT has proposed a new KIC in the area of Water, Marine and Maritime. The EIT will share further details in a report which is due to be published in the third quarter of 2024.
The event concluded with the EIT Awards ceremony, during which prizes under the three separate categories of ‘Changemaker’, ‘Innovation Team’ and ‘Venture’ were awarded. Additionally, the candidates for the EU Women Innovators Prize were announced.
Details of the winners can be found on the EIT website and a recording of the event is available online.