EIT Climate-KIC is a Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC), working to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon, climate-resilient society.
Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, we identify and support innovation that helps society mitigate and adapt to climate change. We believe that a decarbonised, sustainable economy is not only necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change, but presents a wealth of opportunities for business and society.
Convening networks of expertise
We bring together partners in the worlds of business, academia, and the public and non-profit sectors to create networks of expertise, through which innovative products, services and systems can be developed, brought to market and scaled-up for impact.
Through our convening power, EIT Climate-KIC brings together the most effective groups to create the innovation that can lead to systemic change.
Leveraging grants smartly and effectively
We identify, source and place public and private funds that stimulate innovation. We track progress and outcomes and draw out learning and insight so that our funding partners can effectively invest their resources for maximum impact.
By bringing together those with vision, with ideas, with low-carbon products and services, and with finance, we generate the critical mass needed to tackle climate change.
Developing people and capacity
EIT Climate-KIC runs a range of inspirational education programmes across Europe and online, for students, postgraduates and professionals. These programmes develop their participants’ skills and capacities, empowering them with up-to-date knowledge and best practice.
In this way, we are fostering a new generation of entrepreneurs and climate leaders to realise a zero-carbon, climate-resilient society.
Catalysing innovation
We catalyse and nurture innovation, whatever its source: from large corporations, research institutes and public bodies, through to start-ups and individual entrepreneurs. We encourage fresh new thinking from beyond the mainstream through initiatives like our 24-hour hackathon Climathon, or our cleantech ideas platform Climate Launchpad.
Our incubator programme, Accelerator, gives seed funding, structure and assistance to start-ups and SMEs. We drive innovation in established organisations through our range of innovation programmes, specifically for our partners.
The window for action to avert climate crisis is narrow
Climate change is a wicked problem. It runs counter to almost everything that human beings are wired to respond to effectively.
Keeping global temperature rise below 2 ˚C necessitates unprecedented change – new social dynamics, new ways of doing business and operating markets, capital flows, policymaking, new economic models, and new ways of living.
We are redefining innovation for climate action
Innovation can unleash the swift and effective change needed to address climate change. Taking a systemic approach across technology, infrastructure, economic models, capital flows and policy, can locate the necessary levers to turn innovation into climate action.
EIT Climate-KIC and its world-class partners are working to make this change happen. We are united in our aims to deploy innovation where it is most needed for deep decarbonisation – the elimination of fossil fuels, negative carbon – and effective adaptation.
Together we are working to create a prosperous, inclusive, climate-resilient society founded on a circular, zero-carbon economy.
A systemic approach
We help partners to influence key drivers of change — behaviour, governance, policy, finance, technology, market structures and information — by offering seed funds and grants off which they can leverage, building capacity and skills among leaders, providing the platforms needed for knowledge exchange and a neutral point around which stakeholders can coalesce and convene.
A movement of change agents
Experimentation and learning are crucial to fighting climate change. EIT Climate-KIC strives to inspire its community of alumni, partners and professionals to convert ideas, activities, experiments and reflections into action.
We invite you to work with us to convert those actions into a movement.