EIT Higher Education Initiative - Scaling Europe’s Innovation Ecosystems

The EIT Higher Education Initiative is a flagship programme of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), implemented jointly by the EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, to strengthen innovation capacity in higher education across Europe. Entering its next phase (2026–2028), the initiative builds on a highly successful pilot (2021–2023) and consolidation phase (2024–2025), during which it engaged over 500 higher education institutions and established itself as the only EU programme dedicated exclusively to transforming universities into engines of innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional development. At its core, the EIT Higher Education Initiative provides targeted funding and capacity building to help universities embed innovation and entrepreneurship into their strategies, governance, and education systems. It does so by mobilising the knowledge triangle of education, research, and business through partnerships that connect HEIs with companies, startups, public bodies, and civil society. This approach ensures that higher education is not only a source of knowledge but also a driver of Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and societal transformation. Over the past years, the EIT Higher Education Initiative has established itself not only as a funding instrument but also as an important and necessary innovation ecosystem. By convening universities, startups, industry, policymakers, and civil society, it has built a Europe-wide community where collaboration thrives, good practices are shared, and long-term partnerships are formed. This ecosystem has become an indispensable part of Europe’s innovation landscape: it connects higher education with entrepreneurial ecosystems, fosters diversity and inclusivity, and ensures that transformation reaches beyond Europe’s traditional centres of excellence into widening regions and underrepresented higher education institutions.