Twelve new members of the governing board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) were appointed today by the European Commission. The new members (see curriculum vitae in annex) will officially take up their positions on July 31.
Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said: “I would like to thank the outgoing members of the EIT governing board for their hard work and dedication and to welcome the new team. I am delighted with the composition of the new board and I am sure that the new members will make a lasting contribution to attaining the EIT’s objectives. Now, more than ever, we need talented people like them to steer the direction of innovation in Europe.”
All the EIT board members have a strong reputation in their respective fields and have shown a genuine interest in innovation.
The governing board is responsible for the overall strategy and for the selection, coordination and evaluation of the ‘Knowledge and Innovation Communities’ (KICs), the public-private partnership innovation hubs at the heart of the EIT. The KICs bring together excellent higher education institutions, research centres and businesses to address major societal challenges such as climate change and sustainable energy in an innovative way.
The governing board will oversee the implementation of the EIT’s Strategic Innovation Agenda, proposed by the Commission. This will provide the impetus for creating up to 600 start-up companies and for training 10 000 Masters’ students and 10 000 PhDs in new curricula combining excellent science and a strong entrepreneurship component. Here to read more.
