The EU’s European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) said its Governing Board has approved an allocation of €978 million, its largest-ever funding round, “to boost innovation, entrepreneurship and skills development” across Europe for the period 2026–2028.
The funding round comes at a difficult time for the institute, which may not receive any new funds under the EU’s proposed budget.
“The EIT’s largest-ever funding round secures fresh resources for six Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), and joint activities such as the EIT Higher Education Initiative – reinforcing the EIT’s position as Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem,” said the EIT.
“The decision reflects both the performance of the KICs and their alignment with EU policy priorities such as the Union of Skills and the Clean Industrial Deal while also supporting the implementation of the Startup and Scaleup Strategy, through entrepreneurial education programmes, stronger corporate engagement in innovation ecosystems, and better knowledge transfer from universities and research centres to business …
“The funding will support EIT Health, EIT Raw Materials, EIT Food, EIT Urban Mobility, EIT Manufacturing, and EIT Culture & Creativity.
“These partnerships bring together leading businesses, universities, and research centres to address Europe’s most pressing challenges – from sustainable food systems and resilient healthcare to advanced manufacturing, critical raw materials, creative industries, and the future of urban mobility.
“With this investment, the EIT reaffirms its mission to power innovation, talent, and growth across Europe.”
The allocations for 2026–2028 are:
- EIT Health: €67.3 million
- EIT Raw Materials: €74.8 million
- EIT Food: €125.3 million
- EIT Urban Mobility: €206.9 million
- EIT Manufacturing: €163.2 million
- EIT Culture & Creativity: €131.6 million
“In addition, €79.3 million will be dedicated to cross-KIC activities, in which KICs that are financially autonomous also participate, including Climate-KIC, EIT Digital and InnoEnergy,” said the EIT.
“These activities enable joint action across sectors to maximise European impact from boosting entrepreneurial education and STEM skills, supporting business creation in areas like AI and women’s entrepreneurship, or fostering international cooperation.
“The decision also foresees €130 million for the EIT Higher Education Initiative, which helps universities across Europe build their innovation and entrepreneurial capacity.
“Closely aligned with European university alliances and complementary to Erasmus, it also contributes to the EU’s STEM Education plan. Since its launch, the initiative has already involved more than 600 higher education institutions and supported thousands of students, staff, and researchers in developing entrepreneurial skills and turning ideas into market-ready solutions.”
EIT Governing Board chair Stefan Dobrev said: “As a board, we are confident this decision steers resources to the best performing innovation ecosystems, that effectively integrate the triangle of research, industry and entrepreneurship.
“It is a substantial catalyst of the engagement of the public and private sector to deploy the skills, technology and businesses we urgently need for a competitive Europe, able to defend its prosperity and its values.”