Het EIB instituut gelanceerd op 11 juni 2012 (en)

PRESS RELEASE

11 June 2012

The EIB Institute was officially launched on 11 June 2012 at the occasion of the first meeting of its Supervisory Board held in the Centre de Rencontre Abbaye de Neumunster’ in Luxembourg. The Institute will aim to be a catalyst for social, cultural, educational and research activities pursuing economic and social development in the European Union.

EIB President Werner Hoyer introduced the new Institute. He explained: “while Europe is struggling to find ways out of the crisis and return to prosperity with growth and jobs, it is the duty of a public institution to organise its community engagement efficiently and transparently.”

In this context, while the European Investment Bank mobilises its financial resources for targeted investment projects, the EIB Institute will complement the overall activity of the Bank, implementing three action programmes favouring economic and social development. The first one will focus on Knowledge. “Because in the EIB Institute, we believe that lack of education and unemployment feed one another” said Mr Remy Jacob, EIB Director General who will be the Dean of the Institute.

Her Royal Highness the Grand-Duchess of Luxembourg, Nobel Prize Winner Professor Pissarides from the London School of Economics, Ms Hanna Gronkiewics-Waltz, Mayor of Warsaw, Mr L. Le Bon, Director of Centre Pompidou-Metz and Mr C. Frisoni, Director of the Centre Culturel de Rencontre ‘Abbaye de Neumunster’ accepted to join the Supervisory Board of the Institute.

At its inaugural meeting, the Board reviewed progress in its existing activities such as grants to university research centres, financing of young researchers, teaching and lecturing, cooperation with economic associations and local support to NGOs.

It further decided upon several new initiatives directly linked to the objectives of the institute amongst which: the EIB Prize(s) to stimulate excellence in European economic and social research and for the implementation of such research results; the Social Innovation programme rewarding innovative ideas and innovative social models or policies; the Financial Literacy Programme with EIB staff sharing knowledge and expertise; and the artist development programme linking its existing art collection with new initiatives that help bring about innovative artistic projects.

Press contacts:

Sabine Parisse - gsm 621 459159, s.parisse@eib.org

Website: www.eib.org/press - Press office: +352 4379 21000 - press@eib.org