Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DIH4AI (AI on-demand platform for regional interoperable Digital Innovation Hubs Network)
Período documentado: 2021-01-01 hasta 2022-06-30
The DIH4AI project aims at building and networking DIH-driven AI-on-demand regional platforms, linked to the pan-European AI4EU toolbox and experimental facility. The network of AI DIHs supports the development, engagement and provision of services for local SMEs and GovTech companies. This is particularly important since SMEs and start-ups in Europe face a great degree of difficulty into scaling their ideas and commercializing them, and in this context Digital Innovation Hubs offer useful support to overcome the challenges that these types of businesses face. More in detail, the work of this project is especially relevant due to importance that Artificial Intelligence will have in the next decade in Europe in solving today's major societal problems. AI will be a technology where a lot of investment will be allocated in the future, and where small businesses might have difficulty competing against big tech players. In this context, the contribution that AI-focused DIHs can provide in terms of AI innovation to small and medium-sized European companies, prevalent in our market, can be crucial.
The project moves along five specific directions:
• DIH Network innovation, collaboration and economical sustainability model
• Interoperability framework for regional-EU AI On-demand Platforms
• Intra- and Cross-DIH Experimentations, also through Open Calls
• AI Applications and Trustworthy AI Experiments
• Skills and new Professions for AI, Train the Trainers program
All the progress made on these activities was published on the official project website, both on the homepage and on the pages concerning experiments, open calls, events and news. In addition, all project updates were published and disseminated via the monthly newsletter and the official project social channels (LinkedIn and Twitter).
The project moves along five specific directions:
• DIH Network innovation, collaboration and economical sustainability model
• Interoperability framework for regional-EU AI On-demand Platforms
• Intra- and Cross-DIH Experimentations, also through Open Calls
• AI Applications and Trustworthy AI Experiments
• Skills and new Professions for AI, Train the Trainers program
All the progress made on these activities was published on the official project website, both on the homepage and on the pages concerning experiments, open calls, events and news. In addition, all project updates were published and disseminated via the monthly newsletter and the official project social channels (LinkedIn and Twitter).
Working intensively and collaborating with all stakeholders in the European AI community, the DIH4AI Consortium members achieved the following key results in these first 18 months of the project:
• definition of DIH AI-on-demand Platform requirements
• installation of the regional platforms and implementation of the first interoperability layers
• implementation of the first iteration experiments both intra- and cross-DIH and publication on the website
• analysis of the ethical and legal aspects of the experiments
• definition of the catalogue of L-BEST services offered by the 5 DIHs of the Consortium
• launch of the first Open Call and organisation of 3 presentation webinars
• analysis of the 80 proposals of the first Open Call and selection of the 10 winners
• organisation of the first dissemination event with more than 200 registered participants
• participation in more than 20 third-party events
• publication of about 100 updates on social media
• publication of more than 40 updates on the website
• publication of about 12 non-scientific articles on project updates
• participation in more than 10 collaboration initiatives with related projects
• publication of two versions of the project brochure and a roll-up poster
• publication and updating of the project profile on the AIoD platform
• start-up, lead and management of a collaboration initiative with all ICT49 projects on Trustworthy AI
• collection of feedback also from other ICT49 projects on services in the L(legal-ethical) category of L-BEST
• conducting a survey on the AI training needs of different types of stakeholders
• definition of DIH AI-on-demand Platform requirements
• installation of the regional platforms and implementation of the first interoperability layers
• implementation of the first iteration experiments both intra- and cross-DIH and publication on the website
• analysis of the ethical and legal aspects of the experiments
• definition of the catalogue of L-BEST services offered by the 5 DIHs of the Consortium
• launch of the first Open Call and organisation of 3 presentation webinars
• analysis of the 80 proposals of the first Open Call and selection of the 10 winners
• organisation of the first dissemination event with more than 200 registered participants
• participation in more than 20 third-party events
• publication of about 100 updates on social media
• publication of more than 40 updates on the website
• publication of about 12 non-scientific articles on project updates
• participation in more than 10 collaboration initiatives with related projects
• publication of two versions of the project brochure and a roll-up poster
• publication and updating of the project profile on the AIoD platform
• start-up, lead and management of a collaboration initiative with all ICT49 projects on Trustworthy AI
• collection of feedback also from other ICT49 projects on services in the L(legal-ethical) category of L-BEST
• conducting a survey on the AI training needs of different types of stakeholders
The main expected impacts for the broader society are:
• spreading awareness on AI and Trustworthy AI in Europe and beyond
• creation and sustainability of an AI-focused DIH network
• enrichment of the AIoD platform and interoperability with regional platforms
• development of collaborations between DIHs from different European regions and with similar organisations outside Europe
• support for SMEs of different European regions on AI and collaborations between them
• development of knowledge and innovative tools related to AI and Trustworthy AI
• definition and dissemination of the L-BEST classification of services for DIHs
• development and dissemination of up-to-date and pioneering AI training programmes
• increasing the AI-related skills and knowhow of the DIHs and SMEs involved in the project and collaborating with them
• improving the positioning of European SMEs on the international AI market
• strengthening the role of DIHs for AI innovation
• spreading awareness on AI and Trustworthy AI in Europe and beyond
• creation and sustainability of an AI-focused DIH network
• enrichment of the AIoD platform and interoperability with regional platforms
• development of collaborations between DIHs from different European regions and with similar organisations outside Europe
• support for SMEs of different European regions on AI and collaborations between them
• development of knowledge and innovative tools related to AI and Trustworthy AI
• definition and dissemination of the L-BEST classification of services for DIHs
• development and dissemination of up-to-date and pioneering AI training programmes
• increasing the AI-related skills and knowhow of the DIHs and SMEs involved in the project and collaborating with them
• improving the positioning of European SMEs on the international AI market
• strengthening the role of DIHs for AI innovation