World class European network, consisting of dynamic companies, the best academic institutions and the public sector. Climate-KIC, the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC), is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) to drive innovation in the area of climate change through integrated and creative partnerships between business, academic and public institutions. Launched in December 2009, just one week after the 15th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties in Copenhagen, Climate-KIC is now well established with coordination centres in Paris (France), London (UK), Zurich (Switzerland), Berlin (Germany), and Randstad (the Netherlands), and a regional centre located in Brussels (Belgium). Climate-KIC is one of three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) created in 2010 by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The EIT is an EU body whose mission is to create sustainable growth. We support this mission by addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation.

We integrate education, entrepreneurship and innovation resulting in connected, creative transformation of knowledge and ideas into economically viable products or services that help to mitigate climate change. Themes Our activities are driven by four themes of climate change:

• Greenhouse gas monitoring
• Adapting to climate change
• Making transitions happen
• Creating sustainable cities
• Retrofitting buildings
• Coping with extreme weather
• Using waste as a resource

Developing a bio-economy UVSQ As one of Climate-KIC’s core partners and European leaders in higher learning and research for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, the UVSQ hosts the operational capacity for implementing eLearning support systems and services for the Climate-KIC’s Education Group.

The eLearning activities are lead by Martin O’Connor, the Director of REEDS. REEDS is dedicated to research on socio-economic and ecological systems. For the past ten years, REEDS has conducted research in the field of new multimedia interfaces for scientists, decision makers, industry and citizens, and on the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) as efficient tools for exchanges between stakeholders in sustainable development, learning and education. The post-graduate programme has the aim to create the next generation of climate-change innovators and entrepreneurs via one-year “Scholar” programmes to master students and three-year “Fellow” programmes to PhD students and post-doctoral researchers. The first step in this programme is a six-week Contextual Learning Journey (CLJ) where students learn about the many facets of mitigating and adapting to climate change and, in particular, how to make business cases from arising opportunities. One of the annual site visits is organized by Econoving, the International Chair in “Generating Eco-Innovation” located at the UVSQ. The CLJ culminates in a business case competition in which the winner receives seed money to start their venture.