The European Commission opened a public consultation on whether and how to create a European Institute of Technology (EIT). The process will gather the views of stakeholders on how an ‘EIT’ could strengthen research, education and market innovation in Europe. The public consultation will run until mid-November, and will feed into a wider analysis by the European Commission services.

The Commission reports that it is still very much in listening mode on the issue. The public consultation will focus on ‘first order’ issues: the EIT’s key missions, objectives, added-value and possible structure. An online questionnaire, available on the ‘Europa’ website, asks for views on how the EIT could best organise its activities in order to support innovation and the transfer of knowledge throughout the EU.

Once the public consultation is concluded, the Commission will consider whether it wishes to take the matter further, and may then prepare a paper for the Spring European Council in March 2006. If the idea of the establishment of an EIT were to be approved by the European Council, the Commission would make a formal legislative proposal to the Council and the European Parliament.