The EIT Alumni Community is a community for all EIT graduates and alumni, regardless of what Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) you belong to, what area you specialise in, or what part of the world you live in. Be part of this exciting community, find opportunities from all over Europe (and beyond), and learn, create and be a change agent!
All graduates from the Innovation Communities’ entrepreneurial education and business acceleration programmes benefit from being part of a growing EIT Alumni Community. This Community brings together entrepreneurs and innovation enthusiasts who share a common vision for creating positive societal impact through innovation and entrepreneurship. The EIT Alumni Community is an interdisciplinary and multicultural network of networks bringing together professionals from different countries and sectors.
The EIT Alumni Board, made up by one representative of each individual Alumni Community of the EIT KIC's, is responsible for the strategic development of the EIT Alumni Community, to further develop it, and to encourage an active exchange between members. The EIT Digital Alumni are represented by their President or a delegate of the Alumni Board.
In its work, the EIT Alumni Board ensures complementarity and alignment with KIC Alumni Associations and the EIT's strategies and activities.
EIT Alumni Activities
The EIT Alumni organises and supports a number of pan-European activities, these range from bottom up, alumni-driven initiatives such as local Women@EIT events in support of women entrepreneurship, to the promoting of EIT Alumni Ambassadors who actively participate in European events on behalf of the EIT Alumni, developing their own skills while also increasing community visibility.
In addition, the EIT Alumni has two flagship activities. The EIT Alumni Startup Days and the EIT Alumni CONNECT.
The EIT Alumni Startup Days are held multiple times a year in major cities across Europe. These are a challenge-solving, hackathon-style event, where alumni from all disciplines and backgrounds co-create together to solve societal challenges in partnership with key names in European Industry.
The EIT Alumni CONNECT is the annual meetup of the wider community. Over 150 Alumni from each of the EIT’s Innovation Communities come together to connect, build partnerships, co-create on projects and work together to build and develop the EIT Alumni Community.
Want to know more about the EIT Alumni? Read the 2018 Impact Report or check out their dedicated website.
The EIT Alumni Board 2019 - 2021
- EIT Alumni President and Representative of EIT Health Alumni - Ayşe Tolunay
- EIT Alumni Vice-President and Representative of EIT Digital Alumni- Jeroen van Lent
- Representative of CommUnity by EIT InnoEnergy - Tiago Mendes
- Representative of EIT Climate-KIC Alumni Association - Emily Swaddle (not in the picture)
- Representative of EIT RawMaterials Alumni - Emmanuel Ricohermoso III
- EIT Alumni Community Manger - Robin Maxton
- EIT Representative - Laurent Roux
What's the EIT Alumni Community Board all about?
With a strong mandate to represent the entire EIT Alumni Community, five representatives have been nominated by the alumni associations and communities of the EIT's Innovation Communities to create a network of networks guided by an EIT Alumni Board. The EIT has given further support to the EIT Alumni Community by providing an EIT Alumni Community Manager and nominating a representative of the EIT to support and provide guidance to the Board.
The EIT recognises how important EIT Alumni are to the whole EIT Community, and having a Board offers a “powerful platform” to drive collaboration initiatives, to harness the massive potential of all EIT Alumni, and to provide effective representation for the entire community.
The role of the Board is to drive the community’s direction and to further develop it; to encourage an active exchange between members, to plan and implement added-value activities with and for its members; and to represent the EIT Alumni Community vis-à-vis the EIT, the KICs and relevant external stakeholders.
The current focus of the EIT Alumni Community addresses the consolidation of an operational structure for the future of the community, and the development of three priority areas:
- Community building and engagement
- Alumni Career Development
- External Outreach and Communications.
Previous EIT Alumni Boards
EIT Alumni Board April 2017 - December 2018
- President - Falko Döring (Manager of the CommUnity by EIT InnoEnergy)
- Vice President - Esmee Kooijman (Secretary of the EIT Climate-KIC Alumni Association)
- Treasurer - Antonio Martínez Millana (President of the EIT Health Alumni)
- Community Officer - Francesco Bonadiman (President of the EIT Digital Alumni Foundation)
- EIT Representative - Laurent Roux (EIT, Impact Officer - Entrepreneurship and Business Creation)
EIT Alumni Board April 2016 - April 2017
- President - Estefanía Tapias (President of the EIT Climate-KIC Alumni Association)
- Vice President & Communications Officer - Borce Stojkovski (President of the EIT Digital Alumni Foundation)
- Treasurer - Antonio Martínez Millana (EIT Health Alumni)
- Community Officer - Claudio Geyken (EIT InnoEnergy, Community Officer)
- EIT Observer - Nadja Dokter (EIT, Head of Strategy and Impact Section)
EIT Digital Alumni and EIT Digital are supported by the EIT, a body of the European Union