EIT Climate-KIC USA
EIT Climate-KIC is Europe's biggest network for climate-friendly innovations
The United States is a leader in top-class science, technology and innovation with strong links to Europe.
Collaboration with the EU has been strong since the US established various scientific and technological cooperation agreements back in 1990s.
The US EIT Hub was established in 2019 in the Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area, world-renowned as a region with a highly innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, a high density of talented and skilled workers, and an abundance of private and institutional funding. The region is valuable for European entrepreneurs and the established presence of EIT Digital since 2014 provides an excellent basis to build a cross-KIC presence.
The EIT Innovation Communities involved in the cross-KIC work in this location are, EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Food, EIT Health and EIT Raw Materials, led by EIT Digital.
Contacts:
- Eric Thelen, Director, EIT Digital Silicon Valley Hub, EIT Digital
- Pui San Tam, Cross-KIC Events and operations organizer, EIT Hub Silicon Valley, EIT Digital
Convening networks, leveraging grants, supporting climate innovators
We bring together partners in the worlds of business, academia, and the public and non-profit sectors to create networks of expertise, through which innovative products, services and systems can be developed, brought to market and scaled-up for impact. Through our convening power, EIT Climate-KIC brings together the most effective groups to create the innovation that can lead to systemic change.
We identify, source and place public and private funds that stimulate innovation. We track progress and outcomes and draw out learning and insight so that our funding partners can effectively invest their resources for maximum impact. By bringing together those with vision, with ideas, with low-carbon products and services, and with finance, we generate the critical mass needed to tackle climate change.
Since 2010, EIT Climate-KIC has supported over 1,800 climate-friendly startups throughout Europe through the ClimAccelerator.
Supporting education and entrepreneurship
What we offer
We support innovation, whatever its source: from large corporations, research institutes and public bodies through to start-ups and individual entrepreneurs. Our incubator programme ClimAccelerator gives structure and assistance to start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through initiatives like our 24-hour hackathon, Climathon, or our cleantech ideas platform Climate Launchpad, we encourage fresh new thinking from beyond the mainstream to build a movement of climate action.
Innovation programmes to fuel inspiration help engage with the climate challenge
ClimateLaunchpad and Climathon
We help innovation teams identify and define ideas, offer support in putting together a network of partners, and provide seed funding to get things moving. ClimateLaunchpad is the world’s largest green business idea competition. Its mission is to unlock the world’s cleantech potential that addresses climate change. Each year the competition creates a stage for over 1,000 ideas to flourish, with partners in 35+ countries offering training, coaching, and financial support.
Climathon is a global 24-hour climate change hackathon that takes place simultaneously in major cities around the world every year. It attracts innovators, entrepreneurs, students and professionals to come together to create innovative solutions to climate challenges.
Tools to tackle climate change
We want to transform the way people learn, equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge to empower and enable them to tackle climate change in their communities. We also believe education should be prioritised in communities most vulnerable to climate impacts – offering experiential and transformational learning experiences.
Our programme portfolio offers practical ways to drive meaningful systems innovation – we provide learning services, four strategic programmes and free online courses. Knowledge sharing and learning continues after our programmes, with our Network of Climate Coaches and the EIT Climate-KIC Alumni Association.