Digitising European Industry: A key role for Digital Innovation Hubs in

the regions

• Alexandra Tasigiorgou

• DG CONNECT/A2 - European Commission

#DigitiseEU

14 March 2017

Thessaloniki, Greece

DIGITISING EUROPEAN INDUSTRY European Commission proposal

• Measures that enable all sectors to benefit from digital innovation

Foreseen Activities:

Mainstreaming digital innovations across all sectors

Strengthening leadership in digital technologies

Preparing people for the digital age

Regulatory framework

• Coordination of various initiatives - MS, regional, EU • Pool resources, avoid fragmentation, support

DSM

What is this about?

http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/digitising-european-

industry

Towards a European Platform of National Initiatives: Adding Value at EU Scale

EU-level initiative: Digitising European Industry (COM(2016)180)

National Policy Initiatives - March 2015: 6 - March 2016: +3 - March 2017: +4 (estimated) - More to come

Launch of the "Platform of Platforms":

Rome 23 March 2017 with 60 years celebrations of the

Rome treaty

High-level events with MS active involvement

Roundtable with the Commissioner for Digitising Industry (2 per year – next RT in June 2017)

• 1st RT took place on 20 September 2016 in Brussels

• 120 industry leaders, high-level MS representatives and business associations

Two Working Groups (2 meetings in Oct. & Dec. 2016)

• Digital Innovations Hubs (DIHs) (WG1)

• Digital Industrial Platforms (WG2)

Stakeholder Forum event (1 per year)

• 1st event took place , on 31st January – 1st February 2017 in Essen

• 500 participants from 22 EU Member States

Level of digitisation differs according to size of company, sector and region

Mainstreaming digital innovations across all sectors

Target: Access to digital technologies and expertise within "working distance"

for any industry in Europe

with a focus on: SMEs, mid-caps, non-tech

How:

"Digital Innovation Hubs" across Europe :

• Provide industry with access to technology, expertise, testing,… based on world-class specialised competence centre

• In line with smart specialisation strategy

Thematic smart specialisation platform on industrial modernisation

• Support new partnerships for interregional joint demonstration

Public procurement of innovations

Organic growth of Europe's digital innovation infrastructure

Setting up a pan-European network of Digital Innovation Hubs:

Member states & regions:

• build-up/strengthening of national and regional structures of digital innovation hubs

European Commission:

• Complementary added-value oriented measures

Ensure that any industry in Europe - big or small, wherever situated, whatever sector -

has access to advanced digital technologies and competences

#DigitiseEU

What is a Digital Innovation Hub?

• Awareness Creation around Digital Technologies

• Innovation Scouting

• Digital Maturity Assessment.

• Visioning and Strategy Development for Businesses:

• Brokering/matchmaking

• Access to Specialist Expertise and Infrastructure

• Mentoring

• Training

• Access to Funding and Investor Readiness Services

• Collaborative Research

A one-stop-shop providing services to companies in the region through a multi-partner cooperation:

Who does what?

Regions/MSs Establish/reinforce competence centres and DIHs

• Across Europe – specific support for regions without DIH

• Implement relevant activities if needed (incentives, …)

Collaborate with digital innovation hubs of other regions

• to fill gaps and facilitate specialisation and excellence

Commission Support pan-European networking of Digital Innovation Hubs

• Share best practices, success stories, training

• Develop catalogue of Hubs, competences, etc.

Smart specialisation platform for industrial modernisation will provide tailored support to develop joint investment projects.

Industry Engage with DIHs, help set priorities,..

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Digital Innovation Hubs: starting position

Variable geometry of the innovation infrastructure in Europe

• Competence Centers and Innovation Hubs

• Sector- and application oriented

• Technology oriented

• User oriented

• Location oriented

Netherlands Field Labs

VANGUARD INITIATIVE

European Factories of the Future PPP

Regional Innovation Hubs:

• Digital Hub Cologne • Bayern Innovativ • …

How to start a DIH?

• Which are the industries that need support?

• e.g. Farming, Farm machinery, Biofuels, Medical plants etc.

• What are the strengths of the region?

• E.g. Competences in mechatronics, simulation, ICT, start-up community

• The DIH can hire experts to:

• Develop together with the industry a vision for the future (e.g. personalised production, new business models, …); align with smart specialisation strategy

• Offer support for individual companies to experiment with the technologies necessary to achieve the innovations. An experiment should involve suppliers (start-ups, ICT, mechatronics) and the users (farming, farm machinery etc.), both will benefit!

• Small innovation grants (e.g. innovation vouchers) to facilitate the cooperation. Funding can come from regional funds.

• Collaboration with other Digital Innovation Hubs

• For filling missing competences

• If big investments are necessary for facilities, use the SSP for industrial modernisation to team up with other regions

European Structural and Investment Funds • ESIF support for digital growth is based on national or

regional Digital Growth Strategies and Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation. • Around EUR 2 billion will support digitising EU industry,

in particular SMEs, to develop ICT products and services, e-commerce and the take-up of ICT,

• Around EUR 1.2 billion will support e-Inclusion, e-Accessibility, e-Learning etc. to enhance human capital for the digitised economy and society,

• Around EUR 7.6 billion will go into intelligent transport, smart grids, e-health and e-government, offering also procurement opportunities for IT firms,

• Over 100 regions and 14 countries at national level will also invest in ICT-related research and innovation. Total funding for RIS3 accounts for 42 billion euro.

H2020

Other sources of funding (private, innovation funds of regions, loans, etc)

• 200 M€ in the H2020 work programme 2016-2017 • 300 M€ in the new H2020 work programme 2018-2020,

focus area "Digitising and transforming European industry and services"

• Focusing on networking Digital Innovation Hubs and highly innovative cross border experiments

Funding opportunities for Digital Innovation Hubs

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Financing Roles: EU, MSs, Regions, Industry

RAST: Risk Analysis and Simulation Testing for Agricultural Robots

Autonomous weeding:

• Easier farming • No chemical product • Requires less energy than a

tractor • Avoids compacting the soil

(lighter than a tractor) Oz weeding robot (small crops)

Dino prototype (large-scale crops)

Objectives: • Analyze the new risks induced by faster and heavier robots (HAZOP-

UML, Altarica) • Establish simulation-based testing as an essential part of naïo’s

validation process (taking close inspiration from MORSE-based testing)

http://www.cpse-labs.eu/experiment.php?id=c2_fr_rast

MARS: Mobile Agricultural Robot Swarms

Objectives:

• Plant specific precision farming optimisation • Massive soil compaction and energy consumption reduction • Highly automated and flexible to use systems

http://echord.eu/mars/ http://www.fendt.com/int/11649.asp

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFLCvE7FxBk

More information – Digital Innovation Hubs

• Digital Innovation Hubs working group:

• https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/content/report-wg1-digital-innovation-hubs-mainstreaming-digital-innovation-across-all-sectors

• https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/content/stock-taking-initiatives-supporting-development-digital-innovation-hubs-lessons-learned-eu-2

• Bilateral phone discussions with the MS on their current/planned actions

• EU Digital Innovation Hub Initiatives:

• http://i4ms.eu/

• https://smartanythingeverywhere.eu/

• Next:

• New round of I4MS Mentoring and Sponsorship Programme for EU13

• Catalogue of Digital Innovation Hubs (summer 2017)

• Workprogramme 2018–20: DIH actions (300M€++)

• EIP-AGRI Seminar "Digital Innovation Hubs: mainstreaming digital agriculture", 1-2 June, Kilkenny, Ireland

• http://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/content/eip-agri-seminar-digital-innnovation-hubs-mainstreaming-digital-agriculture

THANK YOU

Digitising European Industry http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/digitising-european-industry Twitter: #DigitiseEU

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Country officer for Greece:

Alexandra TASIGIORGOU Alexandra.TASIGIORGOU@ec.europa.eu