EIT events: 10 years of the Regional Innovation Scheme, EIT Jumpstarter Grand Final and annual ECO meeting
On 28 November, one of Budapest’s most significant event venues, Millenáris, a former industrial site, was the spotlight of European’s innovation ecosystem.
EIT's Regional Innovation Scheme celebrated 10 years of working to close the European innovation divide with an event titled 'The next decade of innovations for the future of Europe.’
Through inspiring keynotes and dynamic panel discussions, the attendees could explore the best achievements of the scheme. Recently, the EIT RIS 2023 Report was published, highlighting the programme’s remarkable impact on achieving the EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda’s objectives.
At EIT Urban Mobility, we have 11 regional innovation hubs. Since 2020, they have helped us to foster interactions among the local innovation ecosystems, attracting partners and supporting start-ups, among many other outcomes.
On the same day, the EIT Jumpstarter Grand Final took place, showcasing brilliant ideas from 49 teams from 21 countries, addressing global challenges across various sectors, as well as the EIT Red Kalyna Initiative, recognising outstanding Ukrainian female entrepreneurs.
This year’s winner of the urban mobility category was Urbix Hub from Bulgaria, who provide on-demand professional driving simulation training for businesses. Sessions can include weather challenges like rain and snow, traffic incidents, vehicle issues, hazards in the roadway, and emergency manoeuvers.
The second prize went to a Hungarian startup, ARport Hungary,specialised in augmented reality for indoor navigation. Finally, the third prize was for Wyvernn from Italy, who presented a software solution to enhance autonomous driving.
The programme has trained 1,180 participants so far, leading to the establishment of 124 new start-ups in emerging countries and contributing to the creation of 2,100 new jobs. Plans for 2025 include additional support for talent from Ukraine, the Western Balkan, the Mediterranean, and the EU outermost regions innovators. You can check the rest of the winners and more information about EIT Jumpstarter here.
To complete a full week of events, the EIT Community Officer annual meeting took place at the EIT on 27 and 28 November. The appointed EIT Community Officers, a current chain of 18 representatives from 16 countries, that act as a one-stop-shop for all the EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) in Europe, were welcomed in person by Martin Kern, the director of the EIT. The meeting was a great opportunity to share best practices and to build stronger foundations to reduce regional disparities in innovation across Europe. The attendees also had the chance to connect with other European Innovation networks such as the Enterprise Europe Network, represented by Marija Popovic, and COST, represented by Katalin Alföldi.
