Partners Deloitte and White selected to evaluate two European innovation networks

The two consultancies will investigate what EIT Health and EIT RawMaterials have achieved between 2015 and 2021

Brussels, 8 November 2021 – The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) announced today that it selected the Brussels based boutique consultancy White and its partner Deloitte to evaluate and monitor two of its Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC). More specifically, the partners will conduct a comprehensive analysis of what these collaborative projects have achieved over the last seven years compared to what they had initially promised. This new contract is part of a multiple framework contract.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology, an EU body that was created in 2008 to strengthen Europe’s ability to innovate, has in total launched eight Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). These partnerships that bring together businesses, research centres and universities, are Europe’s largest innovation networks. The hope is that they will develop innovative new products and services, create new companies and train a new generation of entrepreneurs in areas that find solutions to Europe’s major societal challenges.

Did innovation networks achieve what they promised?

EIT has asked White and Deloitte to evaluate and monitor the performance of two of its innovation networks, EIT Health and EIT RawMaterials, for a period of seven years (2015-2022). EIT Health focuses on important healthcare problems in Europe such as how to accelerate and modernize the healthcare system, while EIT RawMaterials aims to secure a sustainable raw materials supply by driving innovation, education, and entrepreneurship across European industrial ecosystems. EIT awarded White and Deloitte the contract as part of the multiple framework contract 21-3030-03.

During the next ten months, the partners will conduct desk research, interview KIC’s management and partners and conduct targeted surveys. The goal is to compare what these innovation networks promised in their initial proposals, strategic agendas and business plans with what they actually achieved in this period. The final report is due in April 2022.

“We are very eager to start work on this interesting project. These types of investigations are our specialty. Our team consists of many trained researchers in a variety of disciplines and techniques. Moreover, we have the necessary experience in executing these types of studies. We are confident that EIT will be very pleased with our work.” – Yannis Kostopoulos, Head of the Research Department at White.