Cesaer seminar, Trondheim, 15/10/2010
Dr. J.M. van der Eijk
CEO Climate-KIC

• Crisis of Commons of product design and manufacturing
• Environmental & resources crisis
• The BRIC factor

Mission:
“To be the catalyst for a step change in the
European Community’s innovation capacity and impact”

Actors in the knowledge triangle are at the core of the innovation web business higher education research & technology

Prerequisites for scaling up Europe’s innovation performance:
 enhanced capacities
 high degree of integration e.g. co-location
 leadership
KICs integrate the knowledge triangle
 new innovations & new innovation models (inspiring others to emulate them)
 Entrepreneurship is the glue and the driver of the triangle

Innovative companies across industries critical to a low-carbon future
Leading academic and research institutes in critical area of climate change
Regional agencies driving sustainable growth and development
TNO, Deltares, Port of Rotterdam, Province of Utrecht
From a group of prominent and interested parties……..
……to a productive Knowledge and Innovation Community

ClimateKIC’s European Network
Netherlands
Utrecht University, Delft Technical
University, Wageningen University
Berlin
PIK, TU Berlin, TU München, GFZ
West Midlands
London
Imperial College
Valencia
Co-location centre
Regional implementation centre
Paris
Fondation Saclay: ParisTech, IPSL,
CEA
Emilia Romagna
Lower Silesia (Wroclaw)
Hessen
Central Hungary
Zurich
ETH Zürich

Scholar Program (200 students/year)
Education on Climate Change issues,
Entrepreneurship & Local Context
New Innovations &
Business Ideas
Coaching & Inspiration
New generation of Climate Change
Entrepreneurs & Innovators
• Student start-up company
• Corporate spin off or innovation
• University Research & Innovation

Fellow Program (50 students/year)
Coaching & Expertise
Education on Climate Change issues,
Entrepreneurship & Local Context
New Innovations &
Business Ideas
New generation of Climate Change
Entrepreneurs & Innovators
Inspiration
• University Research & Innovation
• Corporate spin off or innovation
• PhD Student start-up company

1 st Climate-KIC Summer School:
Climate Change Innovation, Paris,
London, Zurich, 5 July -13 August
2010
Jointly organized by:
Climate-KIC centres France
(Paris), UK (London) and
Switzerland (Zurich)
50 students accepted:
• PhD students: 9
• Master students: 36
• Employees corp. partners: 5
• Natural sciences: 19
• Engineering: 13
• Business and management: 12
• Social sciences: 3
• Architecture: 3
44 students successfully completed
Summer School – 4 dropouts due to private reasons
9 teams developed promising business ideas

Jury members :
Prof. Anders Flodström (EIT, Jury chair), Prof. Nicolas Gruber (ETH Zurich), Prof. Arie Buijs (Utrecht University), Stephan
Hess (former CTO Alstom, now ETH F&W), Torsten Kleiss (Siemens), Prof. Christian Marxt (ETH Zurich, Venture), Oliver
Christ (SAP)
General jury feedback :
High quality of presentations and very good ideas; high level of presence and commitment of students; real entrepreneurial attitudes sensed.
Teams :
Cloud Factory (No.1 by the Jury), DeCo! (No. 1 by the students), ElectricFeel, IMBY, Combine, C.Sense, Synergy,
GreenUp, GreenForceOne
Follow up so far (lead: CLC Switzerland):
• Cloud Factory: Master thesis started (project: Re-use waste heat / Aquasar)
• DeCo!: coaching / access to grant organizations to finance pilot
• ElectricFeel: coaching / 3 months stipend from ETH Zurich
Way forward :
Expressed interest of all teams to move to Climate-KIC Greenhouses, alumni network (LinkedIn)

“The programme of the Climate KIC Summer School has a high value.
Personally, it meant a big step for me.”
Student, 13.8.2010
“It is so much fun. The ideas are really good. I’ve seen very committed people, some of them are future entrepreneurs.”
Jury member, 12.8.2010
“Europe needs real pioneers: young innovative talents with entrepreneurial and global thinking.”
Prof. Anders
Flodström, EIT, 13.8.2010

Concept:
• Practitioners are the backbone of climate change innovation implementation
• A programme to facilitate knowledge exchange between professionals from industry, academia, research, public agencies
• Embracing the EU’s broad-based innovation strategy – crossing conventional boundaries
• Develop a new generation of highly-skilled specialists for the low carbon economy

• 90 participants starting in October 2010
Each participant will:
• undertake 3 one-month placements during 12 month period
• placements will be in demonstration projects in at least 2 different countries
• participate in two-day intensive workshops known as
‘crucibles’
• be mentored by leading experts in system innovation
• Best ideas showcased at Climate-KIC Innovation
Festival

Summary and Conclusions
Europe needs entrepreneurs and CC change agents
KIC partnership tests new education concepts
First experiments are promising
Too early to claim victory