EIT Health brings new investment to Newcastle University

The northeast of England is expected to harness significant benefits from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT’s) new Health KIC, according to a local university.

Newcastle University is a key partner in InnoLife, a consortium of 144 European companies, research institutes and universities, selected by the EIT to invest €80m annually into projects tackling demographic change across Europe. The university has been chosen to lead new collaborations, education programmes and projects tackling the challenges facing society posed by an ageing population. It is now working with local firms to put together bids for EIT funding, which have to be jointly submitted with a European partner under the new KIC known as EIT Health.

Professor Louise Robinson, director of Newcastle University’s Institute for Ageing, said: “The power of the consortium and businesses within it are great news for the northeast and our agenda for ageing and vitality. It gives us the initial investment for further expansion of our ageing activity to really address the innovation aspects which is what our research is about in Newcastle.”

The university recently announced it is to be the location of a new £40m (~€50m) National Centre for Ageing Science and Innovation.

Adding his thoughts, Professor Elio Riboli, director of the Imperial College London’s school of public health and chair of the InnoLife executive committee, said: “This is a great opportunity for our strong consortium to make a major contribution to the health and wellbeing of Europe.”

EIT Health will promote entrepreneurship and develop innovations in healthy living and active ageing by delivering products, concepts and services, including educational programmes to train the workforce of tomorrow. The KIC also aims to reduce the time-to-market for added value health products and services.