In June 2022, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) created a new Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) for Culture & Creativity. Its mission is to inspire and facilitate collaborative innovation in the Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries.
After months of preparation and proposal evaluations, the EIT selected the team that will build the newest KIC, dedicated to Culture & Creativity. The consortium is led by the Fraunhofer and made up of 50 organizations from all over Europe, among which Eurecat, Technology Centre of Catalonia, one of the technical partners of MediaFutures, with extensive experience in the sector. The proposal was designed to highlight the latent value of the cultural and creative sectors and industries as change agents for the green, digital and social transformation of Europe.
To run their activities, six co-location centres (CLCs) will be set up, ensuring pan-European coverage and accessibility for innovators and creatives. The CLCs will be located in: Amsterdam, The Netherlands (CLC North West), Helsinki, Finland (CLC North), Bologna, Italy (CLC South), Barcelona, Spain (CLC South West), Vienna, Austria (CLC South East Europe & ALPS) and Kosice, Slovakia (CLC East). Eurecat will deploy its activity for southwestern Europe from Barcelona.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
The EIT is an EU body created by the European Union in 2008 to strengthen Europe’s ability to innovate. The Institute supports dynamic pan-European partnerships, EIT KICs, composed of leading companies, research labs, and universities, each dedicated to solving a pressing global challenge, from climate change to health, to renewable energy. To date, the EIT has set up nine KICs, the newest one being EIT Culture & Creativity.
KICs foster innovation by working across the entire innovation chain: they design unique education courses that combine technical and entrepreneurial skills, support innovation-driven research projects, and offer business and acceleration services, enabling European innovators and entrepreneurs to connect and cooperate.
The new pan-European partnership can expect to split approximately EUR 300 million of EIT funding under Horizon Europe (dedicated funding for two new EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities to be launched during the 2021-2027 EU funding period), with the possibility to leverage more funds from the private and public sector, which is a great opportunity for the MediaFutures ecosystem.