The EIT Alumni is an interdisciplinary and multicultural network of change agents who share a vision of a more sustainable Europe. Graduates of all EIT Knowledge Innovation Communities (KICs) stemming from the Education, Innovation and Business Creation pillars and programmes work together to develop new innovations and businesses specifically geared towards solving global challenges.
We sat down with three members of the EIT Alumni; Arianna Bellini, Alumni manager and member of the EIT Community Strategic Education Cluster at Climate-KIC, Liana Shvachiy, Education Project Coordinator at EIT Health, and Kay Nag, Founder of BøthOfUs (an EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative Pledger), to talk about the community, deep tech education, and the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative.
What is your background and how did you become involved with the EIT Alumni community?
Arianna
“I have worked in education for most of my career, including roles at two universities in Italy. I joined EIT Climate-KIC 18 months ago to work for the cross-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Communities) initiative, so I have been involved with the EIT Alumni from the start. It’s a really interesting job because it connects me with a diverse community of young people from various sectors who always have an interesting perspective. It’s a really challenging and rewarding experience.”
Kay
“BøthOfUs is based in Sweden, and we use digital technology to build skills and capacity for the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative and our institutional partners, such as academies, local governments, and international organisations. Also, we build tools to empower people, focusing only on concepts related to sustainable development goals.
“We became part of the EIT Alumni as we have been funded by EIT Climate-KIC.”
Liana
“I have been the EIT Health Innovators Community representative since 2020, and served on the EIT Alumni Board, having been nominated by my community, from 2022 to 2024, leading engagement and value creation. I now work for EIT Health.
“Becoming part of the EIT Health Innovators Community Board is an interesting story; I started as a local representative in Lisbon, then moved to Germany, where a coordinator position opened up. I applied, even though I was new to the world of innovation and had just started my PhD. Surprisingly, I got the position because I genuinely believe in the power of community, networking, and innovation.”
What are the benefits of the EIT Alumni community?
Arianna
“I’ve always been passionate about Europe and working for public institutions, so by joining this community, I gained access to a diverse network of alumni from various European agencies, allowing me to continue working with talented individuals while expanding my connections across the EU.
“Plus, I knew this community was full of highly motivated and well-prepared people, which made me even more excited to be part of it.”
Kay
“Normally connecting with all these people on my own would have been difficult and taken a lot of effort, but that’s the power of the EIT Alumni. It brings people together easily, and makes it simple to discuss the feasibility of teaming up, creating better partnerships, and running projects that benefit society.”
Liana
“I have a position in EIT Health, and I don’t think it would have been possible without being part of the EIT Alumni community for several years and understanding the EIT world; as we know, it’s not a simple world. The community also exposed me to different opportunities, helped me to broaden my horizons, experience different things, and meet many people.
“I really believe in the power of community, but I also say that we are like a family.”
“And the events feel like a reunion with friends. But it’s not just about socialising; it’s also about careers, and the community played a big role in helping me find my current job, which I love. It also brings value to startups and students, especially in education. EIT Health offers high-quality training for Master’s and PhD students and connects them with jobs, giving them much better career options than they would get just through university programmes.”
What interests you in deep tech education and upskilling and, of course, the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative itself?
Arianna
“As I mentioned, I have spent most of my career in education, so I have witnessed, first-hand, the importance of life-long learning, and I think that deep tech is the future for people who are always willing to better themselves in terms of education and learning new skills.
“So, I think that EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative is really good in bringing people, talents, and the community of EIT Alumni closer to the skills that are actually needed in the future job market.”
Kay
“My personal perception is that it’s all about learning and networking. I get to learn from industry experts, and see what other KIC programmes are doing, because all the EIT KICs were there, which I’ve never had access to before. It’s a great way to gain new knowledge and meet people.
Liana
“I find the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative super interesting because deep tech is currently a hot topic. However, even though artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and blockchain are super important in our current digital era, these aren’t usually taught in the normal education institutions. We should focus more on teaching these skills, and initiatives, like the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative are at the forefront to help attract and train people in these subjects.”
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