Barcelona, ‘co-location center’ for new European Institute of Innovation and Technology KIC in Health
<p>The InnoLife consortium has been selected by the EIT as the Knowledge and Innovation Community in healthy living and active ageing</p>
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) announced yesterday that the InnoLife consortium has won the 2014 EIT Health call for partnerships to set up a knowledge and innovation community (KIC) in healthy living and active ageing. Biocat, which has been working to promote this bid since 2008, is an associate partner of InnoLife and has participated actively in drafting and coordinating the proposal.
InnoLife
InnoLife (@EIT_Health) is a consortium with locations in Barcelona, Paris (France), London (United Kingdom), Rotterdam (Benelux), Stockholm (Sweden/Denmark) and Heidelberg (Germany). It is made up of 50 main partners and 90 associate partners that are leading companies in the life sciences sector, research centers and universities from 14 countries in the European Union, including Ferrer (Spain), the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), and Imperial College (United Kingdom). Dr. Ursula Redeker of Roche Diagnostics GmbH, the key coordinating partner, said, “We are thrilled to win the EIT’s call. Our partnership’s goal is to promote entrepreneurship and develop innovations in healthy living and active ageing, providing Europe with new opportunities and resources.” The consortium aims to do so by delivering products, services and concepts to improve quality of life and help make the main healthcare systems in Europe more sustainable. “Our partners represent top excellence and our outreach activities will spread all over Europe. By 2018, we are aiming to create, among others, 70 start-ups per year and have one million students participating in our educational online programs per year,” said Redeker.
Various organizations and companies from the business sector (Ferrer Internacional), higher education (University of Barcelona, IESE and the Polytechnic University of Madrid) and research (Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia - IBEC of the CERCA network and the Biomechanics Institute of Valencia) are the key partners in the Spanish node, which will be based in Barcelona.
Biocat is an associate partner of the InnoLife consortium, along with Telefònica, Linkcare, Leitat, the “la Caixa” Foundation, Sant Joan de Déu Healthcare Park, Catalan Agency for Health Information, Assessment and Quality (AQuAS), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Biopolis, Pau Education, Madrid Hospital Consortium, GMV Soluciones Globales Internet, Inveniam Innovation, Other Side Mirror, Sedecal and PREMAP Seguridad y Salud.
Up to €4 millions from EIT in the first year
In order to facilitate a rapid and smooth start of the KICs, the EIT will give each consortium a start-up grant of up to €4 millions. The KICs are expected to be fully operational shortly after signing the Framework Partnership Agreement with the EIT in 2015. “Our task is now to rapidly launch EIT Health,” said EIT Interim Director Martin Kern.
The EIT also announced RawMatERS the winner of EIT Raw Materials on sustainable exploration, extraction, processing, recycling and substitution. In 2016, the EIT will also launch the call for proposals for the Food4future KIC, on which Biocat is also working to facilitate Catalan participation in one of the European consortia that will submit a bid.
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