EIT structure and funding arrangements hinder innovation, claim KIC officials

Problems with the structure of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) are hampering the innovation activities of its operating branches, known as Knowledge and Innovation Communities, several programme participants have said.

The KICs, the first of which was established in 2010, are a set of partnerships between businesses, universities and regional governments that aim to boost innovation in specific fields such as energy and health.

The critics claim that complex funding arrangements leading to late payments, and a lack of practical experience of innovation among the staff at the EIT’s headquarters in Budapest, are holding up their work.