Communication from the Commission to the European Council - The European Institute of Technology: further steps towards its creation
Date: 2006-06-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European Employment Strategy, economic and social cohesion, economic growth, education, research and development, research body, technology, technology park

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 8.6.2006 
COM(2006) 276 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL 

The European Institute of Technology: further steps towards its creation 

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Executive Summary 

Further to a first Communication on the European Institute of Technology (EIT) adopted on 
February 22, 2006, the March 2006 European Council recognised that the European Institute 
of  Technology  will  be  an  important  step  to  fill  the  existing  gap  between  higher  education, 
research and innovation, and invited the Commission to submit by mid June 2006 a proposal 
on further steps to undertake. 

Following  the  European  Council,  the  Commission  has  reflected  further  on  the  concept 
launching an extensive consultation with member states and European stake holders. During 
this consultation process, various stakeholders highlighted the possible confusion of the name 
of  the  future  institute  with  current  organisations  and  the  need  to  definitively  emphasize  its 
innovative character. The Commission has retained EIT as the name for the moment but will 
return  to  this  issue  in  its  final  proposal.  Further,  general  agreement  has  emerged  on  the 
Commission’s  background  analysis  of  gaps  and  needs  as  well  as  the  need  for  a  concerted 
effort  to  harness  Europe’s  capacity  in  the  knowledge  triangle  of  education,  research  and 
innovation  to  improve  its  competitiveness.  The  EIT  should  be  seen  as  one  part  of  an 
integrated strategy to mobilise education, research and innovation towards the Lisbon goals. 
In  this  context  the  EIT  should  not  be  merely  a  new  operator  in  education,  research  and 
innovation, but a reference model, embodying the knowledge triangle at the European level. 

The  consultation  brought  into  focus  a  number  of  specific  issues  that  are  addressed  in  this 
Communication. These relate to the proposed structure and functioning of the EIT; the nature 
and  the  role  of  the  Governing  Board;  the  functioning  of  the  Knowledge  Communities;  the 
status  of  EIT  staff  and  their  relationship  to  home  institutions;  the  incentives  for  partners  to 
participate in the EIT; the role of the business world; the degrees it might issue; its relation to 
current and future EU initiatives.  

This  Communication  does  not  provide  final  solutions.  It  provides  further  information  about 
aspects of the proposal and sets out, where appropriate, suggestions for addressing them. By 
clarifying in this way what can be made clear now while at the same time indicating where the 
approach must remain open, the Communication aims to support a more focused consultation 
with Member States and stakeholders in the months ahead. The Commission has begun a full 
Impact Assessment which will be completed in the autumn. 

As  a  European  organization  able  to  promote  excellence,  to  attract  talent  globally,  and  to 
provide a European working environment to students, researchers and innovation managers, 
the  EIT  will  constitute  a  European  symbol  of  a  renewed  effort  towards  the  creation  of  a 
competitive, knowledge based society. 

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1. 

Introduction 

The Commission first drew attention to the need for a European Institute of Technology in its 
Spring  Report  20051.  The  European  Council  took  note,  and  the  Commission  launched  a 
process of reflection and consultation, which resulted in its presenting on 22 February 2006 a 
first Communication on the European Institute of Technology (EIT)2. 

The conclusions of the March 2006 European Council state that:  

“The  European  Council  notes  the  significance  of  the  Commission's  communication  on  the 
European Institute for Technology and will further examine the ideas in order to enhance 
together  with  other  actions  networking  and  synergies  between  excellent  research  and 
innovation  communities  in  Europe.  The  European  Council  recognises  that  a  European 
Institute for Technology – based on top-class networks open to all Member States – will be an 
important  step  to  fill  the  existing  gap  between  higher  education,  research  and  innovation, 
together with other actions that enhance networking and synergies between excellent research 
and  innovation  communities  in  Europe.  The  European  Research  Council  should  have  a 
guiding  role  in  this  context.  The  European  Council  invites  the  Commission  to  submit  a 
proposal on further steps by mid June 2006.”3 

Following the European Council, the Commission has reflected further on the concept, and in 
particular on the issues raised by Member States and stakeholders. It has organised a series of 
consultation  meetings4  to  give  all  parties  a  chance  to  discuss  the  proposal  and  its  rationale, 
and to hear their feedback. President Barroso met a delegation5 from the Scientific Council of 
the ERC which also submitted a position paper.  

During  this  consultation  process,  general  agreement  has  emerged  on  the  Commission’s 
background analysis of gaps and needs as well as the need for a concerted effort to harness 
Europe’s capacity in the knowledge triangle of education, research and innovation to improve 
its  competitiveness.  Various  stakeholders  raised  the  question  of  the  name  of  the  future 
institute,  referring  to  possible  confusion  with  current  organisations  and  the  need  to 
definitively  emphasise  its  innovative  character.  The  Commission  will  reflect  upon  this  and 
address the issue in its final proposal. 

The EIT should be seen as one part of an integrated strategy to mobilise education, research 
and  innovation  towards  the  Lisbon  goals.  Funding  mechanisms  such  as  the  7th  Framework 
Research  Programme  and  the  Competitiveness  and  Innovation  Framework  Programme  will 
provide  support  for  research  and  innovation  at  the  highest  levels  of  excellence.  EU 
regional policy provides substantial support for expanding research, innovation and education 
capacities  throughout  the  Union,  and  will  focus  even  more  on  this  area  in  the  next 

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COM(2005) 24,  “Working  Together for Growth  and  Jobs:  a  New Start for  the Lisbon  Strategy”, par. 
3.3.2. 
COM(2006) 77, “Implementing the renewed partnership for growth and jobs: Developing a knowledge 
flagship: the European Institute of Technology”. 
Presidency conclusions, par. 25. 
Two consultation meetings with representatives of the Member States on 24 April and 17 May 2006; 
Two  consultation  meetings  with  approx.  40  European  associations  and  organisations  representing 
various stakeholders (universities, students, research, business, regions) on 25 April and 18 May. 
On 3 May 2006. 

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programming period (2007-2013). The Commission has adopted a Communication calling for 
the  modernisation  of  universities  and  university-based  research6,  outlining  ideas  to  address 
deficits  in  governance  and  funding  as  well  as  fragmentation  of  higher  education. 
Furthermore,  the  Communication  on  “Fostering  entrepreneurial  mindsets  through  education 
and  learning”7  stresses  that  combining  entrepreneurial  mindsets  and  competence  with 
excellence  in  technological  studies  is  crucial  if  students  and  researchers  are  to  better 
commercialise  their  new  discoveries.  These  initiatives  help  to  put  the  proposal  for  the  EIT 
into  context.  The  EIT  should  not  be  merely  a  new  operator  in  education,  research  and 
innovation, but a reference model, embodying the knowledge triangle at the European level. 

The consultation brought into focus a number of specific issues. A first group of issues relates 
to  the  proposed  structure  of  the  EIT:  the  nature  and  the  role  of  the  Governing  Board;  the 
functioning of the Knowledge Communities; the status of EIT staff and their relationship to 
home institutions; the incentives for partners to participate in the EIT; the role of the business 
world,  etc.  A  second  group  of  issues  is  more  related  to  the  establishment  of  the  EIT  in  the 
current  EU  context,  its  legal  base  and  status,  the  degrees  it  might  issue,  its  funding  sources 
and its relation to current and future EU initiatives.  

It is vital to address these important issues now in order to pave the way for the further work 
on  the  definition  and  establishment  of  the  EIT  which  should  take  place  on  the  basis  of  a 
legislative proposal from the Commission before the end of 2006. The Commission will thus 
continue the consultation process during this period. 

The present  communication  responds  to the issues raised  during the consultation process. It 
provides  further  information  about  aspects  of  the  proposal  and  sets  out,  where  appropriate, 
suggestions for addressing them. By clarifying what can be made clear now while at the same 
time indicating where the approach must remain open, the Communication aims to support a 
more focused consultation with Member States and stakeholders in the months ahead in 
order  to  firmly  anchor  the  vision  and  rationale  for  the  EIT.  This  Communication  does  not 
provide  final  solutions.  One  of  the  key  elements  of  the  proposal  is  to  ensure  that  the  EIT 
should  be  an  autonomous  institution  which  will  be  free  to  determine,  in  line  with  its  broad 
objective  to  be  a  force  for  excellent  education,  research  and  innovation,  its  own  way  of 
working.  Thus  the  legal  instrument  establishing  it  should  provide  the  broad  framework  of 
objectives  and  operational  rules,  within  which  the  EIT  Governing  Board  should  be  free  to 
define the detailed organisation and operation. 

2. 

Structure and Governance 

The EIT is an institution which identifies strategic scientific challenges of potential economic 
interests in interdisciplinary areas and selects and funds Knowledge Communities to address 
them.  Its  knowledge  Communities  are  integrated  partnerships,  consisting  of  teams  put 
together by universities, research organisations and industry to carry out research, education 
and innovation in these areas in order to meet the objectives laid down by the EIT. 

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COM(2006)208,  “Delivering  on  the  modernisation  agenda  for  universities:  education,  research  and 
innovation”. 
COM(2006) 33, “Implementing the Community Lisbon Programme: Fostering entrepreneurial mindsets 
through education and learning”. 

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Its central core, conceived as a light, effective and operational entity, should be provided with 
a legal personality. It should have a Governing Board with a limited support staff. The tasks - 
that  is  to  say  the  research,  the  innovation,  the  teaching  of  postgraduate  students  -  would  be 
carried  out  by  the  Knowledge  Communities.  A  Knowledge  Community  would  therefore  be 
much  more  than  a  network:  a  Knowledge  Community  would  be  an  integrated  partnership 
which has agreed to achieve strategic goals identified by the Governing Board of the EIT. 

The  EIT  would  therefore  be  an  autonomous  body  with  an  innovative  structural  and 
operational model and a strong European identity. It would be an operator: that is, it would be 
active in the fields of education, research and innovation on the basis of human and physical 
resources  mainly  provided  by  partner  organisations.  These  should  be  organised  within  the 
framework of Knowledge Communities under the strategic direction of the Governing Board. 
Possible  approaches  to  the  establishment  of  the  knowledge  communities  and  the  governing 
body are set out in the following sections. 

2.1. 

The Knowledge Communities 

Knowledge Communities represent the operational heart of the EIT. These are envisaged as 
partnerships  of  excellent  teams  and  departments  from  universities  and  the  business  and 
research sectors which will have a medium/long term (10-15 years) education, research and 
innovation agenda in a wide strategic interdisciplinary field. They should provide the critical 
mass  necessary  to  have  an  impact  on  the  global  scale  and  bring  together  the  dispersed 
excellence to be found in Europe. As outlined in the Communication of 22 February, the first 
Knowledge Communities should be identified by 2009. 

Knowledge  Communities  should  be  selected  through  a  process  that  is  both  top-down  and 
bottom-up.  It  should  be  bottom-up  in  the  sense  that  teams  and  departments  from  the 
academic,  research  and  business  sectors  will  come  together  themselves  and  create  potential 
partnerships  in  selected  fields.  The  Governing  Board  would  decide  the  criteria  for  selection 
including  such  elements  as  an  excellent  research,  education  and  innovation  agenda  in  the 
selected  field,  a  combination  of  first  class  physical  and  human  resources,  mechanisms  to 
ensure the high quality of the education element, as well as effective benefits for the regions 
and  business  partners  involved  (particularly  SMEs)  including  knowledge  transfer  to  the 
market. 

The process should also be top-down, in that the Governing Board would define the strategic 
interdisciplinary  areas  of  operation  in  which  the  Knowledge  Communities  need  to  be 
established.  These  areas  should  represent  key  technological  challenges  in  a  long  term 
perspective,  where  there  is  the  potential  to  generate  innovative  solutions  and  commercial 
advantages  with  a  major  impact  on  Europe’s  competitiveness.  They  should  be  areas  with 
“business  relevance”  and  an  agenda  between  fundamental  research  and  downstream  applied 
research, particularly in new areas of enquiry which require a multi-disciplinary approach8.  

The Governing Board should also set the criteria and procedures for selection, and organise it 
as  a  competitive  process.  Some  guidance  as  to the  specific  criteria  to  select  the  Knowledge 

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For illustrative purposes, areas such as Nanotechnologies or Green Energy. 

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Communities  may  be  given  in  the  legal  instrument.  This  could  include  requirements  as  to 
coherence  with  overall  EIT  objectives  and  strategy,  and  the  excellence  (or  potential  for 
excellence)  demonstrated  within  the  proposal,  as  well  as  measures  of  the  likely  quality  and 
efficiency of the proposal. 

After  selection  each  Knowledge  Community  would  establish  its  own  operational  structure 
within  an  overall  framework  provided  by  the Governing  Board.  The  level  of  autonomy  and 
responsibility of the Knowledge Communities should be defined by the Governing Board, but 
they  should  have  considerable  autonomy  and  maximum  flexibility  in  their  internal 
organisation and management of their resources (financial, human and physical). Their short 
and  mid-term  objectives  would  be  set  in  a  general  framework  defined  by  the  Governing 
Board, so that the EIT as a whole retains an appropriate degree of internal consistency. 

The intention is to put innovation at the heart  of the knowledge triangle, rather than the 
conventional “end of pipe” technology transfer. To achieve this, business expertise should be 
integrated  in  all  aspects  of  research  and  education.  Business  can  directly  contribute  to 
research  and  education  with  excellent  researchers  and  management  methods.  Teaching 
programmes could contain innovation management modules and courses on entrepreneurship. 
This  would  help  graduates  and  researchers  acquire  an  entrepreneurial  mindset  and  the 
skills  necessary  for  knowledge  transfer  and  start-up  activities,  so  that  they  can  fully 
exploit the innovation potential of their research. Furthermore, companies can also contribute 
to teaching and offer internships. 

2.2. 

The Governing Board 

The  EIT  should  be  managed  by  a  Governing  Board  supported  by  its  own  administrative 
services,  limited  to  strictly  necessary  elements  (such  as  secretariat,  legal  and  financial 
services,  etc.)  The  Governing  Board  should  define  the  EIT’s  overall  policy  and  strategic 
agenda,  identifying  the  main  thematic  areas  within  which  it  should  work,  and  selecting, 
establishing, monitoring and evaluating the Knowledge Communities. It should set the EIT’s 
general  rules  and  ensure  coordination  between  the  different  Knowledge  Communities.  It 
should decide upon the overall EIT budget and allocate it to the Knowledge Communities on 
the basis of the progress demonstrated by monitoring and evaluation. 

The composition of the Governing Board must provide: 

•  excellence and independence for the EIT 

•  accountability to its funding providers and to Society as a whole 

•  appropriate scientific and business steering competence  

•  proper dialogue and feedback mechanisms with the various stakeholders involved  

The Governing Board should be limited in number and its members should provide an even 
balance  between  scientific  and  business  experience.  Members  would  be  nominated  ‘ad 
personam’,  with  no  representative  function  whatsoever.  The  Board  might  be  assisted  by 
external advisory committees supporting its decision-making process.  

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It will also be important that the Governing Board has a structured dialogue with the partner 
organisations  of  the  Knowledge  Communities;  these  are  in  one  sense  “shareholders”  in  the 
operation,  and  will  need  to  be  assured  that  their  voices  will  be  heard  in  major  strategic 
decisions.  

The  process  of  selecting  the  members  of  the  Governing  Board  should  be  transparent  and 
based  solely  on  criteria  of  excellence  in  science  and  innovation.  The  procedure  followed  in 
the nomination of the ERC Scientific Council (i.e. an Identification Committee headed by a 
person of wide acceptability) could provide an appropriate model.  

3. 

Staffing arrangements between the EIT and the Knowledge Communities 

Human resources are one of the main challenges for the EIT. It must be able to attract the best 
people into its Knowledge Communities and be able to draw them into an effective team if it 
is to fulfil its objectives of excellence. 

In  the  February  Communication  the  Commission  suggested  that  those  working  within 
Knowledge Communities – researchers, lecturers, those working on innovation or technology 
transfer – should be seconded to the EIT and employed by it. This has led to concerns that the 
EIT  would  increase  the  fragmentation  of  European  higher  education  and  even  “poach” 
excellence  from  where  it  currently  is.  This  should  not  be  the  case  and  clarification  is  thus 
required. 

In  practice,  universities  and  international  scientific  organisations  (and  indeed  companies) 
today  use  a  variety  of  ways  of  retaining  and  rewarding  those  who  work  for  them.  These 
should be available to the EIT as well, within an appropriate general framework. They range 
from  direct  employment,  through  secondment  (a  medium  term  arrangement  under  which  an 
individual  works  for  a  given  period  at  another  institution,  with  a  variety  of  possible 
employment  arrangements  and  “rights  to  return”),  to  loose  links  such  as  dual  affiliation 
(where  an  individual  keeps  his  “home”  employment  but  is  technically  attached  to  the 
affiliating organization as well), or temporary attachments (e.g. sabbaticals). The Commission 
suggests  that  all  these  options  should  be  open  to  the  EIT  and  the  Knowledge 
Communities. However, a sufficient commitment from the staff working within Knowledge 
Communities to the EIT itself, to its identity and to its ongoing success must be guaranteed at 
the  selection  stage,  and  it  will  be  important  to  have  a  common  employment  framework 
(covering issues such as remuneration, working conditions, IPR, etc.). Within that framework, 
Knowledge  Communities  should  have  the  freedom  to  organise  their  human  resources  as  is 
most appropriate. 

4. 

Degrees  

The  EIT  should  be  able  to  award  degrees  and  diplomas.  They  would  constitute  a  visible 
manifestation  of  the  EIT  brand  and  an  incentive  to  attract  students  and  researchers  to 
participate in its programmes. The EIT must act as a pole of attraction for the best minds from 
around the world. Awarding high quality degrees would strengthen its identity and help it to 
become  widely  recognized,  and  thus  to  act  as  a  model  for  promoting  change  across  the 
European Higher Education Area.  

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The  legal  instrument  should  provide  for  the  award  of  degrees  and  require  the  Governing 
Board to set in place procedures guaranteeing the quality of its degree courses. This could be 
based on models used within Member States in the context of the Bologna process. Member 
States should, on this basis, recognize these degrees. Recognition of EIT degrees by Member 
States  will  signal  that  degree  barriers,  currently  still  a  major  obstacle  to  mobility  and  the 
creation of a knowledge Europe, are obsolete. It will also strengthen the status, visibility and 
attractiveness of the EIT, both inside the EU and outside it, and will facilitate the mobility of 
students.  

5. 

The benefits of participation 

Another  major  issue  within  the  consultation  has  been  the  question  of  the  benefits  and 
advantages of participating in a Knowledge Community – why should a university, research 
centre  or  business  want  to  share  their  intellectual  (and  indeed  human)  resources  in  a 
Knowledge Community? What would motivate (say) a region to contribute to the work of the 
EIT, for example by offering campus or research facilities?  

Benefits  will  vary  with  circumstances.  The  following  examples  illustrate  the  sorts  of 
advantage which might arise: 

•  for  a  general,  research-intensive  university,  the  chief  benefit  would  be  the  additional 
possibilities  to  move  ahead  faster  with  work  which  it  has  already  decided  is 
strategically  important  to  it.  The  EIT  would  make  financial  resources  available  to 
Knowledge  Communities;  participating  universities  and  research  centres  could  thus  do 
more,  more  rapidly,  than  would  have  been  possible  without  these  additional  resources. 
Furthermore, the close partnership within a Knowledge Community and the integration of 
business  would  enable  a  more  effective  sharing  of  knowledge  and  its  use  through 
innovation.  The  combination  of  these  two  elements  would  give  additional  scale  to  the 
efforts  of  even  the  most  advanced  universities  and  companies,  ensuring  that  the  process 
provides benefits for all partners.  

•  for  universities  whose  excellence  is  more  specifically  focussed,  such  as  regionally  or 
innovation directed universities, the above benefits would also apply. The EIT might make 
available  complementary  financial  resources  to  help  build  up  infrastructural  capacity.  In 
addition, the educational activities of the EIT would help increase the attractiveness of the 
host university.  

•  for companies and specialised research centres, the attraction might be strongest in areas 
of higher risk and uncertainty. This is where the public interest represented by the EIT 
and the commercial interest of companies meet. It should encourage companies to invest 
and be directly involved at an earlier stage of research than they might otherwise do, or to 
invest in more speculative, long-term fields. At the same time, the education activities of 
the  Knowledge  Community  would  enable  companies  to  contribute  to  the  education  of 
students and make their knowledge more relevant for starting their professional career 
or  their  own  enterprise.  The  close  involvement  of  business  in  defining  the  Knowledge 
Community  agenda  would  ensure  the  relevance  for  them  of  research  outcomes,  and 
support the development of new commercial opportunities.  

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•  Small and medium-sized enterprises in the regions where Knowledge Communities operate 
will  gain  from  the  availability  of  a  larger  human  capital  pool,  the  ability  to  use 
technical  services  provided  by  the  EIT,  start-up  and  spin-off  opportunities,  cluster 
activities and easier access to venture capital. 

•  More  generally,  EIT  affiliation  and  the  availability  (in  due  course)  of  a  critical  mass  of 
EIT-managed  IPR,  would  prove  attractive  to  potential  participants  in  the  fields 
concerned. 

6. 

Other issues 

The following issues will be addressed in detail in the coming months during the preparation 
of the legal proposal.  

6.1. 

Intellectual property rights 

A framework of appropriate intellectual property rights arrangements will be necessary if the 
EIT  is  to  create,  over  time,  a  critical  mass  of  EIT-owned  and  shared  knowledge  and  to 
promote  its  exploitation.  The  Governing  Board  should  define  a  global  framework  within 
which  individual  Knowledge  Communities  could  address  the  issue.  This  framework  might 
include (for example) issues such as a requirement to reserve certain rights to the EIT itself, or 
to share them between partner organisations and knowledge workers; or it might set out who 
should  negotiate  such  rights  on  behalf  of  the  Knowledge  Community  and  the  EIT,  etc. 
Appropriate outline provisions will need to be included in the legal instrument.  

6.2. 

Legal basis 

The EU Treaty provides a variety of possibilities with regard to the legal basis on which to 
establish  the  EIT,  through  its  provisions  on  education,  research  and  competitiveness.  The 
Commission is currently reflecting on the most appropriate choice of legal basis.  

6.3. 

Finance 

An  in  depth  financial  analysis  will  be  provided  in  the  framework  of  the  impact  assessment 
next  autumn.  This  analysis  will  include  clarifications  on  the  lines  of  reporting,  financial 
management  and  control  issues  relating  to  the  responsibility  of  the  EIT  governing  board. 
Some additional elements should be underlined here: 

•  An EIT which is to be a flagship for excellent education, research and innovation would 
need substantial public funding to get it up and running, though as it develops, it should be 
expected  that  more  private  funding  will  come  in.  The  close  long-term  relationship  with 
business  in  all  its  activities  should  encourage  private  sector  contributions,  but  public 
funding  is  likely  to  remain  essential  to  the  long-term  development  of  concentrations  of 
intellectual capital.  

•  The Commission assumes that the EIT would grow progressively. That means that funding 
requirements would be concentrated at the end of the 2007-2013 period and beyond, and 
will also grow progressively. 

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•  Private funding is central to the EIT concept. The EIT should therefore be encouraged to 

set up a channel to attract endowments, such as a Foundation. 

•  An  increasing  share  of  the  income  of  the  EIT  should  come  over  time  from  its  earnings 

through contracts for research and education activities. 

7. 

Global Attractiveness 

One objective of the EIT is to be attractive to students and researchers worldwide. Only by 
establishing a global reputation will it attract students and researchers from across Europe and 
act as a flagship for change. Experience also shows that institutions with a global reputation 
can  attract  a  significant  proportion  of  students  and  researchers  from  outside  the  EU.  This 
would be both a measure of success and a chance for the EU to benefit from the skills which 
non-EU citizens bring with them - in much the way that the US has done. However, the EIT 
should  be  conscious  of  the  need  to  avoid  triggering  a  brain  drain  from  less  developed 
countries  and  aim  instead  to  promote  research  and  innovation  in  third  countries  through 
appropriate links.  

Two  main  issues  would  drive  the  global  attractiveness  of  the  EIT  to  non-EU  students  and 
researchers at all stages of their careers. The first is the academic credibility of the courses, 
degrees  and  research  programmes.  The  way  its  degrees  are  recognised  internationally,  the 
quality of the research, outcomes and the innovation developed would be major elements to 
attract students and researchers from abroad. The second is the ease with which it would be 
possible for foreign Masters or Doctoral candidates and researchers to join the EIT and for the 
EIT  to  employ  third  country  citizens  in  the  Knowledge  Communities.  Accelerated  and 
simplified  national  admission  and  visa  procedure  for  non-EU  students  and  researchers  have 
been agreed9 and should be rapidly transposed. Special visa agreements might also be needed. 
Providing  financial  support  for  non-EU  students  and  researchers  would  reinforce  the  global 
attractiveness of the EIT. The EIT Governing Board should consider the issue of bursaries and 
research grants to outstanding students and researchers from abroad. The criterion, as always 
for the EIT, should be the excellence of outcome. 

8. 

An institution to support other institutions and actions: relationship with other 
EU education, research and innovation activities 

As already addressed in the previous communication, the EIT is designed as part of a set of 
concerted efforts to strengthen the capacities of the research, education and innovation sectors 
towards the Lisbon goals. It is therefore complementary to other actions aimed at creating a 
favourable  environment  for  research,  education  and  innovation.  The  EIT  should  become  a 
major instrument within this innovation-friendly environment.  

9 

The directive on specific procedures for admitting third country nationals for the purpose of scientific 
research  (Directive  2005/71/CE,  12 October  2005)  and  the  two  recommendations  on  short-stay  visas 
and on admission of researchers from third countries travelling within the community for the purpose of 
carrying out scientific research (Recommendations 2005/761/CE and 2005/762/CE) were published in 
OJ L 289 of 3 November 2005. 

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Unlike  other  Community  initiatives,  the  EIT  is  envisaged  as  a  permanent  body,  a 
knowledge operator, not a funding mechanism. It will integrate the three elements of the 
knowledge  triangle,  and  will  take  a  hands-on  approach,  achieving  synergies  between  these 
elements. In particular, it will support strategic research oriented towards problem-solving, as 
well as the training of graduates, in areas pertinent to business and industry. 

At policy level, the Governing Board should establish a structured dialogue with the European 
Research Council. The same could be done with other EU initiatives, such as, the European 
Technology  Platforms,  the  Joint  Technology  Initiatives  or  the  Networks  of  Excellence,  in 
order to articulate its own policy and make it compatible and synergetic.  

At  the  operational  level,  the  partnerships  should  be  encouraged  at  all  stages  (from  the 
preparation  of  their  application  to  become  a  Knowledge  Community  and  the  definition  of 
their  objectives,  to  its  implementation  after  being  selected)  to  develop  cooperation  with 
existing projects and exploit their outcomes and best practices. 

9. 

Next steps 

This  paper  responds  to  the  request  of  the  Spring  European  Council.  In  preparing  it,  the 
Commission has taken further advice from stakeholders and Member States. 

The next steps involve the completion of an impact assessment, which is under way; and the 
preparation of a draft legal instrument establishing the EIT, which should be adopted in the 
autumn of this year. In the meantime, the Commission will seek to clarify the issues which 
have  been  discussed  here,  and  the  extent  to  which  details  should  be  defined  in  the  legal 
instrument or left to the future determination of the Governing Board. The Commission will 
thus continue to consult widely with Member States and stakeholders over the coming 
months. 

10. 

Conclusion 

The Commission’s background analysis highlights three major gaps. First, the fragmentation 
of the EU knowledge sectors when compared to the situation in the US and other emerging 
global competitors; second, the need to provide new reference models based on excellence to 
inspire and drive long lasting change in existing organizations; and third, the need to integrate 
the  business  and  innovation  dimension  into  research  and  education,  and  to  address  the 
innovation gap. 

The aim is that the EIT should contribute to addressing these three issues. The EIT joins other 
EU  initiatives  which  focus  on  filling  the  innovation  gap,  such  as:  the  7th  Framework 
programme  and  particularly  the  ERC,  the  European  Technology  Platforms  and  Joint 
Technology  Initiatives;  the  Life  Long  Learning  Programme;  the  Competitiveness  and 
Innovation  Programme;  the  modernization  agenda  for  universities;  and  the  fostering  of 
entrepreneurial mindsets. The EIT will not only be directly active as an excellent operator in 
education,  research  and  innovation,  it  will  also  act  as  a  reference  model  and  a  competition-
driven  organizational  form  that  will  stimulate  change  by  showing  a  living  example  of  a 
different way of working. 

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As  a  European  organization  able  to  promote  excellence,  to  attract  talent  globally,  and  to 
provide a European working environment to students, researchers and innovation managers, it 
will  constitute  a  European  symbol  of  a  renewed  effort  towards  the  creation  of  a 
competitive, knowledge based society. 

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