Europe seeks pioneers in the fight against climate change through Climate-KIC Valencia
In The News
25 Feb 2015
The programme of professional mobility “Pioneers into Practice” initiative presents its 2015 call to create a generation of innovation experts to help create sustainable solutions.
Valencia, 25th February 2015.- Climate-KIC, the EU’s main climate innovation initiative, presented in Valencia one of its programmes to attract experts and entrepreneurs to innovate in order to contribute to a world more sustainable.
The programme is called Pioneers into Practice (PiP). The call is opened to professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, civil servants or businessmen with knowledge on climate change, proactive and good English skills.
The PiP provides funding, training, counseling and placements in enterprises or institutions, national and international. The goal, according to José-Luis Muñoz, responsible for Europe’s PiP program is to promote “innovation to meet the challenges associated with climate change, through the creation not only of products and services, but of experts who understand the technological change that is occurring “.
Valencia is one of the European RICs (Regional Innovation Community) of Climate-KIC. The main partner is the Generalitat Valenciana, through IVACE, who along Foundation Valenciana-Región Europea (FCVRE), the University of Valencia, the Polytechnic University of Valencia and some more partners have made this region the Spanish reference on this initiative to combat climate change.
Climate-KIC, the EU´s main climate innovation initiative, is one of the first Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) created by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) in 2010. The EIT is the European Union body tasked with creating sustainable European growth and jobs while dealing with the global challenges of our time.
Valencia leads the programme in Europe
Valencia also leads in Europe the search for “change agents” to mitigate the effects of climate change through the PiP program. March 23 is the deadline for nominations to qualify as “pioneer”. The PiP is seeking for experts and professionals with at least 2 years of proven experience and dynamism. Until now, women accounted for 42% of the program and 58% of participants were between 35 and 49 years. The, albeit varied, profiles most common are experts in waste, energy, mobility or intelligent buildings.
Celsa Monrós, regional coordinator of PiP in Valencia, defines the characteristics required for aspiring pioneers: They can be “entrepreneurs, freelancers, officers or researchers from participating regions with education or experience in climate change and good level of English.”
Participating regions are, besides Valencia, West Midlands in the UK, Hessen in Germany, Emilia-Romagna in Italy, Lower Silesia in Poland, Utrecht in the Netherlands and Budapest in Hungary. In addition, Climate-KIC, headquartered in London, has offices in Berlin, Paris, Zurich and Copenhagen among others.
A PiP session
On the day of presentation of PiP, several pioneers explained their experience. Blanca Pedrola, an architect focused on searching sustainable solutions, praised the experience. “I learnt to networking, to seek synergies, gained business vision and international experience of great value.”
All participants in the programme visit during one month enterprises or institutions outside their country. Guillermo Palau is one of those hosts through the Polytechnic University of Valencia. He welcomes to be involved ” with the pioneers”, in his case focused on the management of natural resources, among others, in the natural park of L ‘Albufera of Valencia. “The ideas focused on innovation and business generation provided by one of the pioneers were very interesting and enriching for experts in academia like us.”
For more information visit the website of Climate-KIC in Valencia or contact Celsa Monrós on 96 162 25880 or celsa.monros@climate-kic.org
About Climate-KIC
Climate-KIC is the EU’s main climate innovation initiative. It is Europe’s largest public-private innovation partnership focused on mitigating and adapting to climate change. Climate-KIC consists of companies, academic institutions and the public sector.
The organisation has its headquarters in London, UK, and leverages its centres across Europe to support start-up companies, to bring together partners on innovation projects and to educate students to bring about a connected, creative transformation of knowledge and ideas into products and services that help mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Climate-KIC currently has centres in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark and the UK and is represented in the regions of Valencia, Central Hungary, Emilia Romagna, Lower Silesia, Hessen and the West Midlands.
Climate-KIC is one of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) created in 2010 by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), the EU body tasked with creating sustainable European growth while dealing with the global challenges of our time.
