EIT Climate-KIC

Innovation for climate action

EIT Climate-KIC is a Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC), working to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon economy.

Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, EIT Climate-KIC identifies and supports innovation that helps society mitigate and adapt to climate change. EIT Climate-KIC believes that a decarbonised, sustainable economy is not only necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change, but presents a wealth of opportunities for business and society.

Mission, Vision and Values

Our vision is a prosperous, inclusive, climate resilient society with a circular, net-zero emissions economy by 2050.

Our mission is to catalyse systemic change through innovation in areas of human activity that have a critical impact on greenhouse gas emissions – cities, land use, materials and finance – and to create climate resilient communities.

Our promise: Transformation, in time, through innovations

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We are a community

EIT Climate-KIC has more than 370+ global partners spanning universities, businesses, cities and NGOs, giving it an unrivalled breadth of knowledge and expertise. EIT Climate-KIC catalyses and supports innovation for climate action, but it is our partners who make that innovation happen.

We invest in our growing community to accelerate transition and create the critical mass needed to scale up the supply of and demand for solutions tackling climate change.

Our network of partners includes the brightest minds, the most dynamic companies, the most strategic thinkers and the most forward thinking cities and public authorities committed to climate action and deep decarbonisation through innovation. It includes SMEs and larger corporations, start-ups, graduate students, researchers, scientists, cities, public authorities, NGOs and more.

 

Climate innovation

Based on our 9+-year track record in climate innovation, we have learnt that climate innovation efforts need to focus on the cultivation of an innovation ecosystem capable of convening and catalysing large communities to innovate for systemic change. Such systems innovation activities need to emphasize integrated interventions in economic, political and social systems along whole value chains through a portfolio of deliberate and connected innovation experiments.

Areas of Focus

Cities - creating the climate-resliient, zero-carbon towns and cities of the future

Sustainable Production Systems - fostering innovation to reduce industrial carbon emissions

Decision Metrics & Finance - unlocking finance for climate action

Sustainable Land Use - accelerating climate-smart agriculture, sustainable food and climate-resilient forests

Programmes

Deep Demonstrations - EIT Climate-KIC’s response to climate emergency has been to focus our efforts on systems innovation, to generate options and pathways for radical transformations in whole countries, cities, regions, industries and value chains

Transformation Capital - The Transformation Capital Initiative (TCI) is a new open innovation programme. Its intention is to develop, demonstrate and mainstream a new investment logic (Transformation Capital) that enables asset owners to invest in systemic change.

EIT Climate-KIC Education - With a focus on real-life challenges and learning by doing, EIT Climate-KIC’s online learning, and professional development and graduate school programmes are the most transformative of their kind

Entrepreneurship - Our programmes have supported more than 2,000 start-ups, making the EIT Climate-KIC start-up community one of the largest worldwide. Our start-ups are leaders in their fields. In the last three years, almost 20 Climate-KIC backed entrepreneurs have been honoured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list

Research and Innovation - We work on an innovation model of knowledge exchange and technology transfer called the knowledge helix. In this model, there are flows of knowledge and experimental learning between government, academia, industry, and civil society, feeding back on strategy and decision-making to create socially accountable policies and practices

Achievements

  •  370+ leading partners
  • EUR 550+ million investment attracted to start-ups
  • 2 000+ full time jobs created
  • 17 000 participants in our education activities
  • 1 000+ innovative start-ups 
  • EUR 3.4 billion climate funding leverage
  • 367 new products and services 
  • 25 climate impact assessments completed with climate impact. Potential assessment 911 000 tons CO2

Documents