EIT KICs invest in outermost regions to boost innovation

We are delighted to announce the launch of activities funding in Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) countries. This initiative represents a significant step forward in fostering innovation across Europe’s diverse regions! 

What is the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme? 

Launched in 2014, the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) actively engages in European countries with modest or moderate levels of innovation by: 

• Enabling them to benefit from the good practices and know-how of EIT and their Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) across all sectors: EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Culture & Creativity, EIT Digital, EIT Food, EIT Health, EIT InnoEnergy, EIT Manufacturing, EIT RawMaterials and EIT UrbanMobility. 

• Support the integration of business, higher education and research institutions in these regions. 

• Widen participation in the activities and programmes of EIT and the various KICs, such as health. 

• Apply for programmes open specifically to these regions, such as the EIT Health RIS Academy. 

Why the RIS matters 

The goal of the EIT RIS is to bridge the innovation divide in Europe by providing tailored activities to meet the diverse innovation needs of eligible regions. To help implement these activities on the ground, hubs will be set up in all EIT RIS-eligible areas by the end of 2025. These hubs will: 

• Drive local implementation of RIS activities.
• Foster closer interactions between local innovation actors. 
• Connect local ecosystems to the EIT’s pan-European innovation ecosystem. 
• Integrate potential new partners and participants from the local innovation ecosystem in EIT Community activities. 

Who benefits from the EIT RIS? 

The initiative is open to a wide range of stakeholders, including: 

• Students, researchers, and entrepreneurs. 
• SMEs, universities, and research labs. 
• National/regional governments, NGOs, and cities. 

Eligible regions include: 

• EU Member States: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia. 
• Horizon Europe Associated Countries: Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine. 
• Outermost Regions: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint-Martin (France), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain). 

A milestone for EIT Health France 

EIT Health France is proud to be part of this initiative, for which Jérôme Fabiano, Deputy Director at EIT Health France, has been appointed EIT Community Officer for France to coordinate and oversee operations for the EIT Community RIS Hub between 2024-2025! 

Highlights from the EIT Community Officer Annual Meeting 

At the ECO Annual Meeting hosted by EIT Community RIS Hub Hungary in Budapest on 27 and 28 November 2024, Martin Kern, EIT Director, was present to give the opening remarks of the event. European innovation players and representatives from the European Commission were there to take part in key talks and activities such as an introduction to KICs priorities, a role-playing session, and deep-dive sessions into ECO activities led by ECOs from all over Europe.