EIT RawMaterials: Leading Science Founder Urges Innovation Transformation at Universities in Fight Against Climate Change
14.9.2022 15:56:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
A leading innovator in science has urged European universities and higher education institutions to revolutionise their innovation activities to effectively tackle climate change. Dr. Riam Kanso, founder and CEO of Conception X, will be the keynote speaker at the INNOVEIT Stockholm: Innovation in Higher Education on 15 September. The event is coordinated and led by EIT RawMaterials, the world’s largest consortium on raw materials, funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
The registration for in-person or virtual attendance at INNOVEIT Stockholm is now open.
Reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 means new innovations in technology and energy are urgently needed. These innovations will largely stem from universities and higher education institutions. The EIT Higher Education Institutions Initiative (EIT HEI) funds and supports higher education institutions in growing their research and development faculties and boosting entrepreneurship activities and synergies with industry players, many with the aim of accelerating deep tech and energy innovations coming to market (start-ups and spin-offs).
The EIT HEI Initiative is titled ‘Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education’ and is a unique model that brings together industry/businesses with researchers and higher education. The initiative is a key objective for the EIT as part of the EIT’s new seven-year strategy for 2021-2027. The programme supports higher education institutions with expertise and coaching, access to the EIT innovation ecosystem, and funding to boost the capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship activities at European higher education institutions.
Dr. Kanso: Urgent Progress Needed for Innovation in Higher Education
Dr. Kanso’s company, Conception X, has a complementary mission to the EIT HEI Initiative. Conception X is an independent, non-profit that works closely with more than 30 universities across the UK to discover and train aspiring PhD founders from leading research labs, helping them become eligible for innovation grants, awards, and venture capital funding. Through a nine-month deep-tech venture programme, PhD students explore ways to commercialise their research while still at university – much like the EIT-Labelled Masters and PhD programmes.
Dr. Kanso says new models like this are needed to unleash Europe’s potential as a hotspot for meaningful innovation, especially with the continent’s 2050 deadline to reach net-zero emissions fast approaching.
Dr. Kanso said: “Universities and higher education institutions are built to spread knowledge that improves the world. Yet, the current system of spreading this knowledge by publishing papers can sometimes hinder progress – by the time a paper is published, the research could be three years old. We need to create models where research and innovation come together to reinforce and advance each other.”
EIT RawMaterials CEO Bernd Schäfer stressed: “Europe is at an epochal turning point, where the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal are placing more extraordinary demands on higher education than ever before. Our EIT HEI Initiative was established for this reason, to empower higher education institutions to become engines of innovation and foster sustainable growth and jobs. The initiative brings Europe’s education, research, and industry leaders together to work on strengthened innovation in higher education with the aim of solving some of the world’s biggest problems - like climate change.”
Speaking about the EIT HEI Initiative, Dr. Kanso said: “We’re working to promote knowledge and innovation and help great people excel. The more allies we have and the more connected we are, the easier it will be to achieve that. Network initiatives like the EIT HEI are crucial.’’
INNOVEIT: Stockholm - Focus on Innovation in Higher Education
This hybrid event will highlight the ongoing work of the EIT’s HEI Initiative. Discussions will focus on how the EIT HEI Initiative will connect with deep tech innovations and talents and EIT-Labelled education programmes for enhanced innovation capacity building.
All active projects selected for both the EIT HEI’s Cohort 1 (launched in July 2021) and Cohort 2 (launched in July 2022) will be present at the event. There are 23 active Cohort 1 and 26 active Cohort 2 projects in the HEI Initiative network. Cohort 1 projects will share the good practices and methodologies they have learned so far for increasing innovation capacity in European higher education institutions.
Dr. Tamer Abu-Alam is the Project Coordinator of one of EIT HEI Initiative’s funded Cohort 1 projects, CloudEARTHi, and an academic at UiT, the Artic University of Norway.
Dr. Abu-Alam says initiatives like the EIT HEI Initiative, and this event, are crucial because Europe can only be decarbonised if industry, research, and higher education work closely together.
‘’Without this coming together of stakeholders we cannot achieve a solution to the climate crisis. We are all working on the same problem - but from different perspectives. This is why the EIT HEI and the Stockholm event are so important - because everyone is brought together, everyone presents their point of view, and based on this we can innovate and work together to address this challenge.”
The CloudEARTHi project guides students on how to develop their business plan in line with the European Green Deal, and how to use big data to address gaps in their business model. Within just two months, one student has already started his own business to recycle computer components – an activity that will help to provide the EU with specific raw materials necessary for the green transition.
Dr. Tamer Abu-Alam will also take part in the panel discussion ‘EIT HEI Initiative: Innovation capacity building good practices.’
The event is an integral part of the INNOVEIT WEEKS, a series of events showcasing how EIT, Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem, offers unique opportunities to innovators and entrepreneurs, powering solutions to global challenges.
The registration for in-person or virtual attendance at INNOVEIT Stockholm is now open.
ENDS
Notes for the Editor
European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
The EIT is an EU body and an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The Institute supports dynamic pan-European partnerships, EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, among leading companies, research labs, and universities. The EIT is Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem bringing together close to 3 000 partners from top business, research and education organisations across Europe in 200+ hubs. More than 3 800 students have graduated from EIT labelled master and doctoral programmes and over 100 000 have participated in EIT Community entrepreneurial trainings.
EIT HEI Initiative: Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education
The EIT HEI Initiative: Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education is a joint EIT Community programme led by EIT RawMaterials − one of the EIT’s Knowledge and Innovation Communities. The initiative aims to support higher education institutions with expertise and coaching, access to the EIT innovation ecosystem, and funding, enabling them to develop innovation action plans contextualised to the needs of individual higher education institutions. In July 2021, 23 projects started their activities after the EIT HEI Initiative Pilot Call. By 2027, the EIT HEI Initiative aims to support 550 higher education institutions boosting European innovation in higher education and driving the twin transition towards a more sustainable, digital and competitive Europe.
EIT RawMaterials
The objective of EIT RawMaterials is to secure a sustainable raw materials supply by driving innovation, education, and entrepreneurship across European industrial ecosystems. EIT RawMaterials provides a collaborative environment for disruptive and breakthrough innovations by connecting business with academia, research, and investment. It also invests in future generations of innovators for the raw materials sector, through initiatives ranging from the education of school students to higher qualifications for industry professionals.
The company is committed to supporting Europe’s transition towards a circular, green, and digital economy whilst strengthening its global competitiveness and securing employment. On this foundation, EIT RawMaterials has been mandated by the European Commission to lead and manage the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA).
EIT RawMaterials – developing raw materials into a major strength for Europe. Connecting Matters!
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220906005543/en/
Contact information
EIT RawMaterials
Vanessa Lorenz, Head of Communications
E: vanessa.lorenz@eitrawmaterials.eu
M: + 49 174 2714312
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
IQM and Real Asset Acquisition Corp. to Host Conference Call/Webcast to Discuss Proposed Transaction27.2.2026 14:00:00 EET | Press release
IQM Finland Oy, a global leader in full-stack superconducting quantum computers (“IQM”, “IQM Quantum Computers” or the “Company”), and Real Asset Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: RAAQ), a special purpose acquisition company (“RAAQ”), announced that they will host a conference call to discuss their recently announced business combination, including certain transaction highlights. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260227472716/en/ IQM Radiance quantum computer As previously disclosed, on February 23, 2026, IQM and RAAQ announced they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement, which will result in IQM becoming a public company and listing American Depositary Shares on one of the two leading U.S. stock exchanges. The transaction provides funding with the aim to accelerate IQM’s technology and commercial development towards fault-tolerance quantum computing, further advancing its position as a leading p
HighRadius Launches $0 Implementation Fee, $0 Subscription Fee via Outcome Based Pricing for oCFO Software27.2.2026 13:00:00 EET | Press release
HighRadius launches Office of the CFO first Outcome Based Pricing with $0 Implementation fee and $0 Subscription until Go-Live. Customers only pay a fraction of realized gains based on P&L impact. Chapter 1: Outcome Based Pricing (OBP) Introduction of OBP: HighRadius, a provider of 190+ AI agents for Order-to-Cash, Accounts Payable, Record-to-Report, and Treasury introduces Outcome Based Pricing (OBP). Three Components of OBP: Customers pay a) $0 in Implementation fees, b) $0 in Subscription fees until Go Live, c) HighRadius earns a fraction of the actual savings realized by the client. Chapter 2: US GAAP & ASC 606 Constraints Not Designed for Innovation: The traditional ASC 606 model requires companies to standardize and recognize revenue based on contractual obligations. For a traditional SaaS subscription, the obligation is access to software over time. AI agents are designed to deliver quantifiable, real-time Business Outcomes that do not fit the traditional accounting framework. C
Kioxia Appoints Yoshihiko Kawamura as Chief Financial Officer27.2.2026 10:15:00 EET | Press release
Kioxia Holdings Corporation (TOKYO:285A), a world leader in memory solutions, today announced the appointment of Yoshihiko Kawamura as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective April 1, 2026. Mr. Kawamura brings extensive international experience to Kioxia, having held assignments at Mitsubishi Corporation’s U.S. headquarters, served as General Manager of its Chicago office, and completed a tenure at the World Bank. At Hitachi, Ltd., he held senior leadership positions, including Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Chief Risk Management Officer (CRMO), where he was instrumental in leading the company’s management reforms. Since joining Kioxia as Executive Vice President in June 2025, Mr. Kawamura has worked closely with the executive team to advance the business through strategic capital and financial planning. Following its initial public offering on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December 2024, Kioxia is entering a new phase of growth char
DNP Invests in Rapidus to Support the Establishment of Mass Production for Next-Generation Semiconductors27.2.2026 09:18:00 EET | Press release
Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP, TOKYO:7912) today announced that it has participated in Rapidus Corporation’s funding round as one of the round investors. This strategic funding initiative supports Rapidus’ plan to steadily progress from its current R&D phase to mass production of 2nm (10⁻⁹ meters) logic semiconductors by 2027. Through this initiative, DNP will advance the development and mass production of EUV lithography photomasks and support Rapidus as it establishes a mass production system for 2nm & next-generation semiconductors. Background In recent years, the rise in energy consumption, in line with increased data generation, has become a challenge, driving demand for next-generation semiconductors capable of improving device performance and reducing power consumption. Next-generation semiconductors manufactured using EUV lithography enable the formation of finer patterns on silicon wafers compared to currently available technologies. This in turn is boosting expectations
EdgeConneX Looks to Enter Swedish Market as Part of European Data Center Expansion Strategy27.2.2026 09:05:00 EET | Press release
EdgeConneX®, an EQT portfolio company with an extensive Pan-European data center footprint, looks to expand its presence with a new site located in Skellefteå, Sweden. The data center site will be acquired from Lyten, a global company that specializes in lithium-sulfur batteries and energy storage. The site would support EdgeConneX broader strategy to expand digital infrastructure capacity across the Nordics. Subject to the completion of applicable administrative and regulatory processes, EdgeConneX will look to develop a data center campus with potential capacity of up to one gigawatt in support of future AI and cloud computing workloads. Upon completion, the data center campus would be one of the largest facilities in Europe that would be primarily powered by renewable energy. “Sweden represents an attractive long‑term market for digital infrastructure investment. The country’s access to renewable energy, stable power grid, technical workforce and strong sustainability framework alig
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom