EIT Climate-KIC is Europe’s leading climate innovation agency and community, supporting cities, regions, countries and industries to meet their climate ambitions through systems innovation and place-based transformations.
We were created by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) in 2010 to be a knowledge innovation community (KIC) focused on climate change. Over the last decade, we have collaborated with over 400 partners in 60 countries around the world, managing €80-100M annually in grant budgets to foster climate entrepreneurship, nurture education and learning, and drive innovation to mitigate climate change and enable adaptation.
Our structure and governance
Climate-KIC is an independent, Dutch non-profit entity – officially called Stichting Climate-KIC International Foundation – with branches in several European countries and operating across the world. Our investment and business activities are managed by a commercial entity – Climate KIC B.V. – of which we are the majority shareholder. We are proud to partner with Association Climate-KIC, a body representing the members of the Climate-KIC Community, as joint shareholders in the Climate KIC B.V.
Climate-KIC is governed by an independent Supervisory Board and Association Climate-KIC is governed by a Governing Board representing Association Climate-KIC members. The Chair of the Governing Board is a member of the Foundation Supervisory Board.
Stichting Climate-KIC International Foundation
Stichting Climate-KIC International Foundation is an independent, non-profit with public benefit status (ANBI). It is registered in the Netherlands, with branches in several European countries and operating across the world. The foundation is focused on implementing the Climate-KIC strategy by delivering our projects and programmes, and building our community and collaborative efforts. It’s objective is to contribute to the protection of nature and the environment via innovation of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Supervisory Board
The Foundation Supervisory Board is the key governance body for the Climate-KIC, supervising the organisation on our path to achieving our mission and vision. It monitors the policies pursued by our Executive Board and the general course of affairs at Climate-KIC. It further provides advice, ensuring that our underlying objectives are considered in the day-to-day management and policy setting of our organisation.
Board members receive no remuneration for their work; they are compensated for any expenses made in the course of exercising their duties, including travel expenses for board meetings.
Climate KIC B.V.
Our foundation owns 90 per cent of Climate KIC B.V., a private limited liability company registered in the Netherlands. The remaining 10 per cent of shares in Climate KIC B.V. are held by Association Climate-KIC, a membership organisation registered in the Netherlands.
Climate KIC B.V. is our commercial entity, focused on raising and effectively placing investment for climate-relevant businesses and companies, and managing Climate-KIC’s commercial activities.
Association Climate-KIC
Association Climate-KIC is a body representing the members of the Climate-KIC Community. Members include leading European universities, research institutes, businesses and cities. The Association comes together to exchange knowledge, learn through experimentation, build capability and work jointly to mobilise action and initiatives that facilitate and accelerate climate innovation.
Association Governing Board
The Association Governing Board provides intellectual leadership and investigates critical challenges in the areas of climate change mitigation and adaptation, informing Climate-KIC’s strategy and aspects of strategic relevance to the Association. The Governing Board comprises eight individuals appointed by the Association from its members.
Two members of the Association Governing Board act as representatives on the Foundation Supervisory Board, including the Chair.
Board members receive no remuneration for their work; they are compensated for any expenses made in the course of exercising their duties, including travel expenses for board meetings.
Climate-KIC Leadership
The Executive Team, made of the CEO, COO, CFO and CSO, manages the day-to-day activities of Climate-KIC. These statutory directors are overseen by the Supervisory Board. Together, they closely coordinate with the other members of the Climate-KIC Community, notably the Association and its Board.
The Executive Team shares its day-to-day management tasks with a wider group of senior leadership, representative of the organisation as a whole, called the Leadership Team.