The EIT HEI Initiative is pleased to announce that the third call, which closed on 28 February, has received 48 applications from an impressive total of 518 organisations.

This year's applicants include:

• 286 higher education institutions (248 full partners and 38 associated partners); and
• 232 non-academic organisations (96 full partners and 136 associated partners).

With a fairly even distribution of academic and non-academic organisations, the EIT’s HEI Initiative is determined to achieve its goal of creating synergies between industry and higher education institutions to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe.

The consortia cover all EU Member States with 22 eligible countries from the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme, dedicated to closing the innovation gap between countries across Europe. We are particularly happy to see many participating partners from Ukraine, including 26 higher education institutions and 11 non-academic organisations.

This year, the call will select up to 16 projects, which will receive a maximum of EUR 750 000 with up to EUR 350 000 for Phase 1 (May−December 2023) and up to EUR 400 000 for Phase 2 (January−July 2024). The selected consortia will help build innovation capacity across Europe through the integration of deep tech talent activities.

Stay tuned for the results of the winning projects and partners to be announced in May 2023.

The initiative is a joint activity of the entire EIT Innovation Community coordinated by EIT RawMaterials.