The European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, together with Martin Kern, Director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), and Maria Tsavachidis, CEO of the EIT’s Urban Mobility Knowledge and Innovation Community, launched the ‘EIT Campus’ on Tuesday 10 January in Brussels.
This new platform integrates the various types of training and courses offered by its nine Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). The initiative is aimed at students wishing to undertake lifelong learning.
Commissioner Gabriel announced that the initiative will have a budget of €1.5 million until 2025.
Initially, students of different ages will find courses on climate, food, health and raw materials on the EIT Campus. But the EIT’s aim when the platform is fully operational - which it should be in mid-2023 - is to host more than 250 courses, broadening the subject matter with courses on energy, digital, agriculture, manufacturing, urban mobility, culture and creativity. The EIT also aims to offer Master’s and PhD courses.
Most school-based courses will be free of charge, while vocational courses and programmes will be paid for.
In addition, various services will be grouped together on the platform: the EIT’s ‘Girls Go Circular’ project, the EIT Label, workshops and non-degree courses for professional learners, and the EIT’s HEI initiative, which aims to support faculties in teaching innovation.
According to Commissioner Gabriel, the added value of the platform is its learner-based approach and the emphasis on coordination and cooperation. In addition, students will be able to combine different course types and subjects. Maria Tsavachidis also emphasises that the EIT Campus contributes to the European Year of Skills in 2023.
For Ms Gabriel, the EIT Campus contributes to the European Commission’s political priorities, and the green and digital transitions in particular. She added that the initiative would work closely with the New Innovation Agenda (see EUROPE 12986/15, 13076/5), the European Strategy for Universities and the Digital Education Action Plan (see EUROPE 12808/28) and would be linked to concrete initiatives such as the Deep Tech Talent Initiative (see EUROPE 13040/11) and the European Battery Academy (see EUROPE 12897/12).
For Mariya Gabriel, the challenge is now to bring visibility to the EIT Campus offer.
More information: https://aeur.eu/f/4u2 (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)