INNOVEIT kick-off

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) kicked off their INNOVEIT series on 20 February in Brussels, with their EIT Summit, organised under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Some of the best examples of technology and innovation developed within EIT Community were presented at the Summit and a wide range of high-level speakers, ranging from policy making to business and innovation worlds to Members of the European Parliament and European Commissioners, inspired the audience.

This edition of EIT Summit, covering education, innovation and entrepreneurial topics through a series of panels, marked the tenth edition of the prestigious EIT Awards.

EIT Manufacturing participated in multiple streams, from highlighting its standout initiatives to engaging in insightful discussions on the main stage.

Startups as a tool for a greener, healthier and digital Europe

Caroline Viarouge, CEO of EIT Manufacturing, along with Mark Boris Andrijanič, Member of EIT Governing Board, Alessandro Tappi, EIF Chief Investment Officer and Marc Dechamps, CEO of Bioxodes shed light on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the session “ACCELERATE | Investing in start-ups for a greener, healthier and digital Europe”.

The panelists spoke about common mistakes made by entrepreneurs when creating their venture, as it is difficult to overcome the so-called “death-valley” without the key talent hiring and funding.

Caroline Viarouge commented on these risks: “Early-stage startups very often fall in love with their story. But they need to listen. All questions that you get along the journey should prompt an examination of the idea’s validity, ultimately guiding towards its optimisation.”

Showcasing technologies and innovations at EIT Summit 2024 booths

The event also served to showcase cutting-edge innovations from the EIT Community, including projects like Robotwin, Stilride, and DigiTwinGreen, each addressing critical aspects of sustainable technology and digital transformation.

Furthermore, colleagues behind the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative (DTTI), coordinated by EIT Manufacturing, and the EIT Higher Education Initiative (EIT HEI) were joined at the EIT Community booths by other representatives of the EIT innovation ecosystems.

The aim was to highlight the significant role of both initiatives in nurturing the deep tech talents and skills, but also displaying how the EIT HEI initiative is boosting innovation and entrepreneurship capacity in higher education. “It was great to meet actors from all corners of the knowledge triangle and identify further synergies to scale up existing efforts.” reflected Monika Blodgett, EIT Manufacturing Education Programme Manager.

The importance of EIT Deep Tech Talent initiative was also mentioned by Martin Kern, EIT’s CEO on stage, as well as by the speakers in the panel “EDUCATE| Imagining 2050 – skills to design our future”.