On 10 September, consortiums composed by partners from different European countries submitted their applications to create a Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) in healthy living and active ageing to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The University of Barcelona (UB) —which is one of the main partners together with the Hospital Clínic— submitted a project coordinated by Dr Josep Samitier, director of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and delegate to the rector for this project.

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Members (companies and institutions) of the Health University of Barcelona Campus of UB ( HUBc) participate in the project, which is part of a consortium composed by six other co-location centres (research centres, institutions and firms) in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Holland, the Netherlands, Germany and France, in which participate prestigious European institutions such as the Imperial College London, the Karolinska Institute and the University of Leuven. The KIC is designated by December 2014.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology —created in 2008— is the first European initiative that integrates the three aspects of the knowledge triangle —higher education, research and innovation—, by means of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC’s), public-private consortia comprising european research institutes, higher education centers, and companies that collaborate to develop innovative products. Each KIC is formed of a European transnational network of four to six nodes known as Colocation Centers, whose participants, from all three corners of the knowledge triangle (education, research and innovation), represent the entire value chain.

Knowledge and Innovation Communities, which are chosen by the EIT’s governing board, coordinate and stimulate efforts by all of the players involved, in order to maximize competitiveness and transform research results into innovative business endeavors. The primary objective of KICs is to create new business opportunities for existing industry as well as for new sectors, promoting production, divulgation and exploitation of results. They also aim to define best practices in innovation.

Each KIC has the legal, financial and managerial autonomy to define its composition, internal and external structures, and strategic agenda. The minimum requirement for forming a KIC is the participation of at least three members hailing from at least two EU member states. Given their dynamic nature, KICs can incorporate new members with time, as long the new members provided added value.

Currently, there are three on-going KICs: InnoEnergy (devoted to sustainable energies), Climate-KIC (focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation) and ICT Labs (centred on information and communications society). In 2014, EIT is designating the KIC in healthy living and active ageing and other KICs focused in the field of nutrition and raw materials.