Today, the Council and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the future of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The changes will cut bureaucracy around grant applications, and give the EIT’s eight Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) more leeway in how they spend their funds.

There will be a switch from annual to multi-annual grant agreements between the EIT and the KICs, reducing the bureaucratic burden. This was the ECR’s main priority.

Speaking after the negotiations, ECR Shadow Rapporteur Rob Roos stated:

“After visiting a number of KICs in my home country, the Netherlands, I discovered the current yearly model has been burdensome and impractical for the KICs. We have taken steps to lower the administrative burden and, as the new rules come into practice, I intend to continue to fight for less bureaucracy.”

Secondly, the agreement provides the KICs with the flexibility needed to react faster to the demands arising from the COVID-19 crisis.

Mr. Roos: ”We have made sure that the EIT now has the flexibility to address the inescapable shift of priorities caused by the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. We had the responsibility to re-assess the functioning of the EIT in light of the pandemic, and our efforts are reflected in the final result; building a more adaptive and future-proof platform for innovation and economic growth.”