The EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA) and the EIT’s amended Regulation, adopted by the European Parliament and Council in December 2013, define the framework for the EIT's operations from 2014 to 2020. The EIT strongly contributes to the objectives set out in Horizon 2020, in particular by addressing societal challenges in a complementary way to other initiatives in these areas. Horizon 2020 is a key pillar of the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at enhancing Europe's global competitiveness.
Some of the key elements are:
- A proposed budget of EUR 2.4 billion within a budget of almost EUR 80 billion for Horizon 2020, the EU's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
- Consolidation and further development of the first three EIT Innovation Communities (EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Digital and EIT InnoEnergy).
- Creation of five new EIT Innovation Communities to be launched in three waves. The themes (outlined in more details in the EIT’s Strategic Innovation Agenda) these will be address are:
- 2014:
- Innovation for healthy living and active ageing; and
- Raw materials - sustainable exploration, extraction, processing, recycling and substitution
- 2016:
- Food4Future - sustainable supply chain from resources to consumers;
- 2018:
- 2014:
- The EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS), is the EIT’s way of ensuring wider participation in its activities. The aim of the EIT RIS is to draw others, outside the EIT Innovation Communities' partnership, into the world of innovation – to engage with other companies, universities, labs and stakeholder organisations that could help or be helped by an EIT Innovation Community.