Climate-KIC and ERRIN to collaborate
Climate-KIC and ERRIN to collaborate © Climate-KIC 19 March, 2014

Climate-KIC announces collaboration with ERRIN

Climate-KIC and ERRIN (European Regions Research and Innovation Network) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Committee of the Regions in Brussels, agreeing to develop joint activities and share information.

In the MoU, Climate-KIC and ERRIN highlighted that they will share information and develop joint activities to achieve a greater critical mass and encourage – through the individual members of each organisation – more activities such as project development.

Mary Ritter, Climate-KIC CEO, and Françoise Chotard, chair of ERRIN, signed the agreement at an event hosted by Thomas Wobben, director of horizontal polices and networks of the Committee of the Regions. Also present were representatives from the European Commission.

Ritter said: “I’m looking forward to what I’m confident will be a very successful collaboration between researchers and innovators connected to Climate-KIC and ERRIN across Europe.

“We need to leverage the collective innovation potential of countries and regions across our part of the world in order to make sure Europe can compete globally and create sustainable growth and jobs in the clean-tech sector – and beat climate change.”

Chotard added: “For many years ERRIN has followed and supported the progress of Climate-KIC, both in terms of the topic which is of great importance to all regions, but also due to the innovative manner in which regions have been incorporated into its community.”

“We also support the outreach programme where more EU regions will be able to directly benefit from and contribute to Climate-KIC activities.”

The MoU states that Climate-KIC and ERRIN will explore opportunities in developing common actions involving EU institutions responding to climate change and encourage the sharing of resources in co-operative research and innovation activities and their applications. The agreement also sets out collaboration in organising events, including knowledge transfer on scientific, innovation and demonstration projects.