The head of the EU’s innovation body has urged Maltese researchers and companies to take advantage of funds available for them to develop products and ideas to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges.

Martin Kern, director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), was in Malta for an awareness day to showcase the institute’s innovation cooperation opportunities, together with the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST).

The EIT, an independent EU body, runs several funding and support schemes to help entrepreneurs and researchers bringing products to the market and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship among students.

It supports projects and ideas in the fields of climate change, energy, digitalisation, health, food security and supply, and sustainable use of raw materials, with urban mobility projects set to join the list in December.

Projects showcased recently at the EIT’s annual awards have ranged from new methods of detecting aggressive prostate cancer, to sustainable commercial models for urban agriculture, to AI air quality sensors and systems to convert organic waste into next-generation aquaculture feed.

“A country like Malta has to specialise,” Mr Kern said when asked how Maltese entrepreneurs could benefit from the EIT’s offering. “Energy and climate are extremely relevant to the economy here, as are challenges related to mobility. Our recommendation is to find those areas where there is a real edge and real potential and use them to connect with us.”

While Maltese stakeholders have so far not benefitted much from what the body has to offer, Mr Kern said its programmes should be of interest to students looking for educational opportunities and universities seeking to offer programmes focused on innovation.

He also highlighted researchers, particularly those focusing on bringing their research close to the market and turn it into something that could improve people’s lives, as well as start-ups seeking funding, connections and expertise.

MCST chairman Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando said the awareness day was a stepping stone for further collaboration with the institute.

“As a small nation continually adapting our economy to modern challenges, we have the advantage of being able to change quickly, to collaborate effectively and to advance our economy in new directions as global markets shift,” he said.

MEP Miriam Dalli, who spearheaded recent climate change efforts in the European Parliament, also highlighted the potential of addressing societal challenges through research and innovation, bringing together the environment and industry.