17.12.2009 Helmholtz Head Office

Two KICs for Helmholtz

Two of the three new Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) have been awarded to Helmholtz Research Centres. The European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT) announced the decision yesterday evening. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) was singled out for its InnoEnergy concept, which promotes innovation in the field of sustainable energy. The Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (part of the Leibniz Association) will collaborate in a Climate KIC to accelerate European efforts to address the Earth’s changing climate.

“Not only are the Helmholtz Research Centres excellent scientific institutions, they also have the management skills needed to build up complex collaborations like the Knowledge and Innovation Communities. The decision from the European Institute for Innovation and Technology is further proof that this is recognised throughout Europe,” said Prof. Jürgen Mlynek, President of the Helmholtz Association. “The two KICs that have been selected address the major challenges we are now facing – climate change and modifying the way we supply energy. We can only make progress in these areas if we act more quickly and more systematically to turn research findings into innovation and to develop innovation into marketable solutions. That is the goal of the KICs, which bring academic, research and industrial partners from all over Europe together in structured collaboration.”

The European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT) plans to fund the first phase of the InnoEnergy KIC with about €30 million annually until 2014. InnoEnergy is coordinated by KIT. The goal is to create a sustainable energy system for Europe by 2050. The concept for developing the InnoEnergy KIC is based on existing collaborations between KIT and partners in France, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland and Sweden. The partnerships include well-known businesses, universities and non-university research institutions.

The European Union aims to use the Climate KIC to make Europe more competitive in terms of climate-protection solutions and adapting to changing climate conditions. The consortium will develop tools and products to achieve these goals. Specific tasks include improving earth-system monitoring for climate research, and developing solutions, such as geothermal power and geological storage, for reducing CO₂ emissions in the developed world. KIC partners will also set up new further education and training programmes to provide tomorrow’s business leaders with climate expertise. The EIT climate initiative is being implemented by 16 European universities, research institutes, businesses and regions. The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research leads the German side of the initiative, which includes the Technische Universität Berlin, the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and the Technische Universität München. Shortly before the initiative began, KlimaCampus Hamburg and Forschungszentrum Jülich also joined the group. Forschungszentrum Jülich is part of the Helmholtz Association.

The EIT will provide the three KICs with a total of €308 million in funding by 2014. How the funds will be distributed will be decided in the coming months.

For more information about the InnoEnergy KIC, please contact:

KIT Press Office, Monika Landgraf, Tel.: +49 721 608 8126, monika.landgraf(at)kit.edu, www.kit.edu

For more information about the Climate KIC, please contact:

GFZ Press Office, Franz Ossing, Tel.: +49 331 288 1040, ossing(at)gfz-potsdam.de, www.gfz-potsdam.de