The EU4Digital Facility will hold its ICT Innovation networking event on 22 April on the topic of ‘Networking with EU Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) to enable the development of competence centres, platforms, tools and services supporting digital transformation of SMEs in the EaP region’. 

The networking event will focus on presenting the experience of leading EU DIHs and their networks to assist emerging DIHs and similar communities in the Eastern partner countries in developing their specialised services, self-sustaining business model and capacity building programmes. It targets the interests of competence centres with digital technology infrastructure, business support organisations, networks and associations related to digital transformation in area of Industry 4.0, as well as ministerial level representatives and agencies coordinating the development of innovation ecosystems.

The event aims to provide better knowledge on the tools and possibilities offered by leading EU organisations working on the digital transformation of businesses, and to discuss the opportunities of capacity building and specialised service development to establish digital innovation hubs in the EaP countries. 

The networking session will start with a keynote speech on European policy on DIHs from a representative of the European Commission (DG CONNECT). Next, the Digital Innovation Hubs Network (DIHNET.EU) representative will present its tools and services including potential benefits for participants from the Eastern partner countries. The representative of FundingBox will follow with an introduction to Cascade funding, and experience with key mechanisms for supporting SMEs in the digital transformation. The last part of the event will touch upon the topic of digitalisation of manufacturing industry, where the EU initiative I4MS will present its value proposition, and am-LAB share their experience of managing a leading DIH in Hungary.

The meeting will be moderated by EU4Digital ICT Innovation Lead Anna Pobol, and will be built around the presentations and Q&A sessions of EU and EaP speakers:

• Matthias Kuom, Seconded National Expert in CNECT.A.4 ‘Digital Transformation of Industrial Ecosystems’ unit at the European Commission (DG CONNECT).
• Maurits Butter, Project Leader at Digital Innovation Hubs Network.
• Mayte Carracedo, Partner & Chief Business Development Officer at FundingBox.
• María Roca, Project Manager at I4MS.
• Balázs Barta, Founder of am-LAB.

If you are interested in participating in the event or have any questions, please kindly refer to ICT Innovation stream Lead Anna Pobol (anna.pobol@gmail.com).

Registration for the target audience is open here until 21 April.

Previous ICT networking events:

• ICT Innovation first networking event on blockchain
• ICT Innovation second networking event on alternative finance
• ICT Innovation third networking event on ICT clusters development
• ICT Innovation fourth networking event on intellectual property management