Become a partner

Here is a step-by-step description of how to apply to join EIT Manufacturing as a Core Partner:

1. Prospective partners must approach the CLC Director of their local Co-location Centre and inform them of their intention to become a partner. The geographical coverage of EIT Manufacturing CLCs is as follows:

Central Region: Germany, Netherlands, Belgian, Poland, Ireland, and Luxemburg.

East Region: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

North Region: Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, UK, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

South Region: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Israel, Kosovo, Malta, Montenegro, and Switzerland.

South East Region: Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania and Türkiye

West Region: Spain, France, and Portugal.

2. The Co-location Centre Director and CLC Advisory Forum will make a first assessment of whether a prospective Partner fits into the local eco-system.

3. The Co-location Centre Director informs the candidate about the requirements to become a Partner, outlining the different phases of the whole process.

4. For prospective Partners who are deemed eligible to join the partnership, the Co-Location Centre Director will discuss in detail all the conditions and provide the relevant documents (Statutes, Bylaws, Membership Criteria, etc.)

5. The prospective Partner delivers an “Application Letter” addressed to the CEO of EIT Manufacturing, and the internal evaluation process follows.

6. Final approval is granted by the EIT Manufacturing Supervisory Board.

By submitting the application, the applicant Core Partner acknowledges and accepts the Articles of Association, the By-Laws and commits to adhere to the decisions of the Association’s bodies and enter into the relevant internal agreements with EIT Manufacturing.

Here is a step-by-step description of how to apply to join EIT Manufacturing as an Associate Partner:

There are two ways to become an Associate Partner:

a) If the organization is part of a consortia that gets selected through the main Call for Proposals and is not a Core Member, automatically becomes an Associate Partner of the EIT Manufacturing

b) If the organization is not part of a selected project of EIT Manufacturing’s main Call for Proposals, but wished to be an Associate Partner, it has to address their corresponding application in written form (‘Application letter’) to the CEO. The Management Team shall decide on all applications for admission as an Associate Partner taking into account the criteria set out in these Statutes and the By-Laws.

In case of rejection by the Management Team, the applicant Associate Partner shall have the right to appeal against the decision of the Management Team with the Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board shall decide about this appeal at the first useful Supervisory Board meeting following the respective appeal.

By submitting the application, the applicant Associate Partner acknowledges and accepts the Articles of Association, the By-Laws and commit to adhere to the decisions of the Association’s bodies and enter into the relevant internal agreements with EIT Manufacturing.

Core Partners:

Membership as Core Partner in the Association is open and limited to entities with legal personality, meeting the following criteria:

• be industrial and/or service companies or higher education institutions, vocational education and training providers, research organisations, public institutions or private companies, financial institutions, regional and local authorities, foundations and non-profit organisations;
• be directly or indirectly active in or for the Manufacturing sector, supporting the objectives of KIC EIT Manufacturing.
• act in the CLC region, to which they are connected, as institutions of innovation and excellence in fields impacting the manufacturing.
• having demonstrated the ability to adhere to the overall objectives of the KIC EIT Manufacturing.
• being committed to contribute to the strategy and further development of KIC EIT Manufacturing
• pay an annual fee to the Association.

The obligation starts with the financial year in which the Core Partner has been accepted. The amount of the annual payment will be decided by the Partner Assembly

Associate Partners:

Membership as Associate Partner in the Association is open and limited to entities with legal personality, meeting the following criteria:

• Entities with legal personality,
• have the capabilities to contribute to the KIC activities and are eligible for participation in KIC Activities under Horizon Europe regulations and the EIT legal framework

• pay an annual fee to the Association.

The obligation starts with the financial year in which the Associate Partner has been accepted. The amount of the annual payment will be decided by the Partner Assembly

In case a Core partner or Associate partner wants to cancel the membership at EIT Manufacturing, it must, in accordance with the Articles of Association, the By-laws and the internal agreements signed with EIT Manufacturing, send a formal notification of termination of its membership and of said agreements.. The letter should be addressed to the Chief Operation Officer of EIT Manufacturing. The termination will be considered effective from  December 31st of the year in which a formal termination request was sent, provided the Partner has paid the membership fee for the said year.  Any obligations (reporting or other) that survives the termination of the signed internal arrangemnts with EIT Manufacturing will still have to be fulfilled by the Partner.

EIT Manufacturing can unilaterally terminate the membership of any Partner with immediate effect on grounds of one severe or repeated small breaches of the EIT Manufacturing Statutes and/or By-Laws or for acting in a manner injurious to the EIT Manufacturing reputation or against its interests or the interest of its Partners.

More specifically, a Partner ceases to be part of the Association:

– in case it is dissolved or liquidated;

– in case it is no longer bound by the PA Internal Agreement;

– in case its exclusion for reason of default* from the Association is pronounced ;

* The reasons for default include but not limited:

– repeated breaches of the Articles of Association, the By-Laws, or a resolution of the bodies of the Association;

– acting in a manner injurious to the reputation of the Association or against its interests or the interest of its Partners;

– non-payment of the fee after an official reminder has remained unremedied for more than sixty (60) calendar days.

– in case it loses one of the conditions of its admission.

The exclusion procedure is as follows:

The CEO, based on a decision taken by competent body, will provide a written notice to the presumed defaulting Partner with a one (1) month deadline to remedy the said default. Within the one (1) month deadline, the presumed defaulting Partners may file written explanations and observations on the said default to the CEO.

In the event that the default is irremediable or is not remedied within the above one (1) month, the competent body may decide to terminate the membership of the presumed defaulting Partner, including the effective date of such termination.

The competent bodies for deciding upon termination of Partners are:

– Fore Core Partners: The Partner Assembly, upon proposal of the Supervisory Board

– For Associate Partners: The Supervisory Board upon proposal of the Management Team

– For Network Partners: the Management Team

– The decision of the competent body shall state the principal underlying reasons and shall be communicated by the Chairperson to the defaulting Member.