On February 17th 2011 EIT ICT Labs hosted its first Action Line Leader Day at the premises of the Berlin Node Co-location. The Action Line Leaders were greeted by the CEO Willem Jonker and his Management Team and were introduced into the strategy and processes and the challenges that these present for the tasks of an Action Line Leader. Willem Jonker emphasized the importance of the role which the Action Lines play in the success of EIT ICT Labs. The event provided the participants with the opportunity to get to know each other and to exchange successful practices employed in their Action Line management. During two breakout sessions the Action Line Leaders presented the status of their activities and identified needs and potentials for collaboration between their Action Lines. The one-day workshop served to connect loose ends and to assure that the Action Line community interconnects and communicates as a group rather than acting individually.
EIT ICT Labs is taking on the challenging mission to turn Europe into the global leader in ICT innovation. During the first years the focus of its activities will be placed upon six thematic key areas which are referred to as Thematic Action Lines. In addition a set of Education, Research and Business Action Lines have been defined. These ERB Action Lines are responsible for the development of the Innovation Catalysts. It is a joint responsibility of the Thematic Action Lines and the ERB Action Lines to apply the Innovation Catalysts and evaluate their effectiveness.
The development and application of Innovation Catalysts is at the core of the EIT ICT Labs activities.
- The Education Catalysts aim at breeding a new generation of talented entrepreneurs via the establishment of entrepreneurial education programs and attracting excellent students to EIT ICT Labs.
- The Research Catalysts aim at producing world-class knowhow via entrepreneurial research that delivers exploitable results.
- The Business Catalysts aim at supporting entrepreneurial talent in bringing innovations to the market both via existing companies as well as new business creation.
With the Action Line Leaders nominated we have made a next step towards organizing EIT ICT Labs as a strong community with a joint responsibility for boosting ICT innovation in Europe.
