Priority areas for the next waves of knowledge and innovation communities. Exploration of critical success factors, alternative options and characteristics for design

In support of the Strategic Innovation Agenda of the EIT this brief proposes potential priority areas for future waves of Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), using a two level approach. Two general potential priority areas (level 1) are proposed: sustainability through integrated design, production and consumption; and services through ICT. These general proposals are then more closely aligned with possible areas of application (level 2), leading to seven more specific proposals for priority areas. The proposals are based on a Web 2.0 consultation of the research communities in Europe and beyond, the results of which were refined in an expert workshop. This brief also sets out the critical success factors that were applied for the formulation of the priority areas proposed, as well as some characteristics for their design.