New EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community will focus on water, marine, and maritime sectors and ecosystems

Current key challenges

The Staff Working Document analyses the key challenges faced by water, marine and maritime sectors and ecosystems. 

It is supported and accompanied by an independent study which overviews recent developments in scientific, technological and socio-economic trends.

The document confirms that despite efforts and progress, the key challenges identified in the EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda still persist. These challenges are:

• water scarcity, droughts, and floods
• marine and freshwater degradation
• transition to a sustainable blue economy

In this context, the European Commission confirms a new EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) as the right EU instrument to make this overarching collaborative approach a success. 

Mission of the Knowledge and Innovation Community

To address these key challenges, the community will take a holistic and collaborative approach.

It will build an innovation ecosystem at European level by bringing together education institutions, research organisations and businesses with water, marine and maritime expertise.

Next steps

In 2025, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) will publish a call for proposals for this new Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) on water, marine, and maritime sectors and ecosystems. The KIC will become active in 2026.