Digital Innovation Hubs: helping companies with digital opportunities

Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) are a key pillar in the European Commission’s digitising European industry initiative This new brochure created by the EC provides a quick overview on >DIH, one of the key pillars of the European Commission’s Initiative for Digitising European Industry.

Digital Innovation Hubs are not-for-profit, one-stop-shops that support companies – small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) – and public organisations in their digital transformation.They offer services such as:

• Test before investing: Experimentation with new digital technologies – software and hardware – to understand new opportunities and return on investments, also including demonstration facilities and piloting
• Skills and training to make the most of digital innovations: train-the-trainer programmes, boot-camps, traineeships, exchange of curricula and training material
• Support to find investments: feasibility studies, develop business plans, incubation & acceleration programmes

An innovation ecosystem and networking opportunities through marketplaces and brokerage activities

Digitising European Industry

DIH will play a key role in the next European Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027.

• Horizon Europe programme: Supporting experiments where highly innovative companies work together with Digital Innovation Hubs to develop novel digital solutions to improve their businesses.
• Digital Europe programme: Furthering capacities of Digital Innovation Hubs to bring the benefits of strategic digital technologies – such as High-Performance Computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity – and advanced digital skills to all businesses, SMEs, and the public sector. Among others, the program aims at building up and strengthening the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs as following:
  • EU support for one Digital Innovation Hub per region
  • Co-investment with Member States, regions and private sector
  • Focus on SMEs and public services
  • Focus on applications that build on HPC, AI & Cybersecurity; and on Digital Skills
  • A strong European network of Digital Innovation Hubs

Learn more about Digital Innovation Hubs and they role in the future European Programmes here.