There are big ambitions for the development of clean technologies in the European Union’s latest research gambit – the formation of the Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community, which will invest Euro 750 million over the next four years.

This body will pull together industry and academe, to do the science and translate it through to clean tech products. It is one of three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) set up this week under the auspices of the recently established European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), based in Budapest.

This body was originally conceived as Europe’s answer to that leading light of technology innovation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. Many months and much eurofudge later, the EIT emerges more as a research budget administrator and programme manager than as an academic and entrepreneurial powerhouse.

But the Climate KIC, along with fellow KICs that will deal with sustainable energy and advanced internet services, does represent an unprecedented level of cooperation between industry and academe. Amongst the partners in the Climate KIC are Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, the University of Utrecht, ParisTech, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impacts and the Technical University of Berlin. Corporate partners include Bayer, Cisco, EdF, SAP, Shell, SolarValley and Thales.

In addition, six regional governments and agencies are involved, which will pioneer new approaches to low-carbon living. Companies, institutions and municipalities in each of these areas will give a geographical focus to the Climate KIC’s innovation activities and provide areas where it can test-run new developments and innovations.

The Climate KIC’s brief is to generate new technologies and businesses that will reduce Europe’s carbon emissions, and enable individuals to reduce their carbon footprints and live with the effects of climate change.