Four EIT Climate-KIC innovators nominated for annual EIT Awards

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has released the names of the 19 nominees competing in the EIT Awards 2019.

Four of the 19 have been nominated by EIT Climate-KIC. They are aiming to make their mark across Europe, delivering innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our society.

The EIT Awards ceremony will be held in Budapest on 15 October 2019 during the EIT’s annual Innovation Forum, INNOVEIT.

The nominees represent the most promising graduates, entrepreneurs and innovators in Europe. Each nominee has been selected for tackling global challenges with ground-breaking innovations in the fields of climate, energy, digitalisation, food, health and raw materials. Their products and services are driving Europe’s ability to innovate and create jobs and growth for Europe.

The 19 nominees are competing in four categories: EIT CHANGE, EIT Innovators, EIT Venture, and EIT Woman.

The four EIT Climate-KIC nominees are:
Michael Dittel (DE) in the award category: EIT Change. Michael’s company, Leaftech, improves wellbeing and anticipates the needs of people in indoor environments. Its digital building twin predicts upcoming energy and comfort demands to upgrade building automation and smart home systems.

Anastasia Hofmann (CH) in the award category: EIT Woman. Anastasia’s company, KITRO, aims to bring back the value of food, so it is appreciated and not wasted. KITRO provides commercial kitchens with a fully automated food waste management solution to quantify and analyse their food waste.

David Pistoni Perez (ES) in the award category: EIT Venture. His company, Zeleros, designs and develops new technologies for more sustainable and efficient transportation of people and cargo worldwide. Their hyperloop-inspired system combines the speed of a plane, the convenience of a train and the frequency of an underground system, making long-distance journeys faster, more energy-efficient and direct-emissions free.

Luca Giovannini (IT) in the award category: EIT Innovators. His company, Dedagroup, is developing a web-based platform with data analysis on sustainable mobility in more than 10 pilot cities. The platform, called SMASH, will contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions, by helping local authorities and private mobility providers to make decisions regarding sustainable mobility.

Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport responsible for the EIT, said: “I am pleased that the EIT Award nominees reflect the wide range of activities that the EIT is running across Europe. Given the challenges facing our society, it is more important than ever that we support the next generation of entrepreneurs. These nominees show that the EIT is offering talented, creative people a space where ideas can grow to become products and services benefiting all of Europe and its citizens.”

Dirk Jan van den Berg, Chair of the EIT Governing Board, said: “Through Europe’s largest innovation network, the EIT is breaking down barriers to power innovation across Europe. The EIT Awards show how we are accelerating the transition to a greener, healthier and more sustainable society helping to change the lives of citizens. I am proud that with the EIT we support talented innovators that create a better future for us, for Europe.”

The 19 nominees will now go through to a final selection for the four awards. The finalists in each category will pitch their innovation on 15 October 2019 after which the winners of the five categories will be announced. Citizens will also be able to have their say by voting for their top innovation to win the EIT Public Award, with online voting starting on 2 September 2019.

The full list of nominees can be found here.