Periodic Reporting for period 2 - DIGI-B-CUBE (Digital Enterprise Innovations for Bioimaging, Biosensing and Biobanking Industries)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-11-01 bis 2022-04-30
Start-ups and SMEs working in the field of medical diagnostics and related value chains have been put under considerable pressure by the increased complexity and heterogeneity in Bioimaging, Biosensing and Biobanking (B-CUBE) and related industries to handle the analysis and automation of the information. The digitalisation of SMEs that are working in these interconnected areas is of relevance not only at the scientific, but also at the industrial and societal level. Through this project, digital innovations were be supported in health, medicine and related sectors that lead to reconfigured medical diagnostics and related value chains by providing key digital solutions for their reconfiguration towards Health Economy 4.0.
The DIGI-B-CUBE project aimed to unlock the cross-sectoral collaborative potential of SMEs by combining e.g. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cognitive Computing Digital Technologies (CCDT) with the Bioimaging-Biosensing-Biobanking (B-CUBE) and related industries to deliver market-sensitive disruptive technologies and generate innovative solutions that enhance patient-centred diagnostic work-flows, delivered through the improved algorithms for Medical Diagnostics’ efficiency and accuracy. By providing a framework for a more structured cross-sectoral and cross-border collaboration DIGI-B-CUBE instantiated the mechanisms to ensure the long-term sustainability of the action through collaborations of the participating clusters with hospitals, academia, industry, investors, business angels, managing authorities of the national innovation agencies and the European Commission support measures.
DIGI-B-CUBE wanted to foster the development of customized solutions and prototypes by providing innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU and Associated Countries with access to different kinds of vouchers of up to € 60,000. In 2 open calls launched during the project, DIGI-B-CUBE awarded Customised Solution Innovation Vouchers (CSIV) or Prototyping Vouchers (PV), depending on the development stage of the start-up or SME. Dedicated travel vouchers to attend relevant events will also be part of the DIGI-B-CUBE funding scheme.
The DIGI-B-CUBE project aimed to unlock the cross-sectoral collaborative potential of SMEs by combining e.g. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cognitive Computing Digital Technologies (CCDT) with the Bioimaging-Biosensing-Biobanking (B-CUBE) and related industries to deliver market-sensitive disruptive technologies and generate innovative solutions that enhance patient-centred diagnostic work-flows, delivered through the improved algorithms for Medical Diagnostics’ efficiency and accuracy. By providing a framework for a more structured cross-sectoral and cross-border collaboration DIGI-B-CUBE instantiated the mechanisms to ensure the long-term sustainability of the action through collaborations of the participating clusters with hospitals, academia, industry, investors, business angels, managing authorities of the national innovation agencies and the European Commission support measures.
DIGI-B-CUBE wanted to foster the development of customized solutions and prototypes by providing innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU and Associated Countries with access to different kinds of vouchers of up to € 60,000. In 2 open calls launched during the project, DIGI-B-CUBE awarded Customised Solution Innovation Vouchers (CSIV) or Prototyping Vouchers (PV), depending on the development stage of the start-up or SME. Dedicated travel vouchers to attend relevant events will also be part of the DIGI-B-CUBE funding scheme.
After a successful kick-off in May 2019 and the first events implemented, the DIGI-B-CUBE consortium had to cope with sanitary restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which made in situ meetings, such as matchmaking events, unfeasible or forced these onto a novel online format, which required a certain degree of adaption from the SMEs. Amidst the pandemic, a series of sectoral (involving SMEs from health, medicine and clinical sectors) and cross-sectoral (involving SMEs from health, clinical, IT, ICT, and automation sectors) webinars were organised by DIGI-B-CUBE partners, which covered a variety of topics within the project framework. In addition to discussions on different technological solutions for medical diagnostics, new funding opportunities, including the DIGI-B-CUBE Open Call, were introduced and explained. The webinars also facilitated development of consortia for project applications.
The open call for innovations was launched as originally planned in April 2020 and attracted 426 applications in total from SMEs based in 36 countries, from both European Union member states and Horizon 2020 associated countries.
In line with the Open Call objectives, SMEs submitted 307 ideas for Customised Solution Innovation Voucher (CSIV) projects and 119i deas for Prototyping Voucher (PV) projects. The purpose of the CSIVs was to foster cross-sectoral cooperation between SMEs to support joint development of a novel product or service based on an existing proven concept that addresses a digitalization challenge, while the PVs aimed at supporting the prototyping or conceptualising of a solution (e.g. with a proof of concept or feasibility study) for a digitalization challenge in the Medical Diagnostics and related value chains. With the help of external experts, the consortium selected 15 PV and 17 CSIV projects for funding, financially supporting unique SMEs from 18 European countries. In total, more than 2.4 million euros were awarded to support both PV and CSIV projects.
The DIGI-B-CUBE collaborative platform enabled the SMEs to handle all processes online. For example, SMEs could register for workshops and other DIGI-B-CUBE events and also directly apply for the respective travel vouchers. They could reach out for potential cooperation partners via the matchmaking module, whose semantic search function offered an entirely new experience in finding partners with the right knowledge and core expertise. SMEs were able to apply for all other types of vouchers using the platform and – if successful – they were able to manage the entire contractual and reporting process online. Last but not least, the platform also enabled the SMEs to access services like a digital maturity assessment tool and a knowledge repository to facilitate their digital transformation.
The open call for innovations was launched as originally planned in April 2020 and attracted 426 applications in total from SMEs based in 36 countries, from both European Union member states and Horizon 2020 associated countries.
In line with the Open Call objectives, SMEs submitted 307 ideas for Customised Solution Innovation Voucher (CSIV) projects and 119i deas for Prototyping Voucher (PV) projects. The purpose of the CSIVs was to foster cross-sectoral cooperation between SMEs to support joint development of a novel product or service based on an existing proven concept that addresses a digitalization challenge, while the PVs aimed at supporting the prototyping or conceptualising of a solution (e.g. with a proof of concept or feasibility study) for a digitalization challenge in the Medical Diagnostics and related value chains. With the help of external experts, the consortium selected 15 PV and 17 CSIV projects for funding, financially supporting unique SMEs from 18 European countries. In total, more than 2.4 million euros were awarded to support both PV and CSIV projects.
The DIGI-B-CUBE collaborative platform enabled the SMEs to handle all processes online. For example, SMEs could register for workshops and other DIGI-B-CUBE events and also directly apply for the respective travel vouchers. They could reach out for potential cooperation partners via the matchmaking module, whose semantic search function offered an entirely new experience in finding partners with the right knowledge and core expertise. SMEs were able to apply for all other types of vouchers using the platform and – if successful – they were able to manage the entire contractual and reporting process online. Last but not least, the platform also enabled the SMEs to access services like a digital maturity assessment tool and a knowledge repository to facilitate their digital transformation.
A whole range of international networking opportunities was launched to ensure that SMEs had been left with the best possible framework for their future development. In late 2021, SMEs had the opportunity to attend the GITEX event in Dubai - a sort of prelude to the two travel opportunities they were presented with in early 2022. The SLAS 2022 event in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Final Event of the project itself, which took place in the context of the Health Valley Event in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, were two outstanding opportunities for SMEs to get to know each other, network and find potential investors. The future-proofed SMEs had paved the way towards digital transformation and became increasingly internationalised in their networks - precisely in the sense of the cross-border impact the DIGI-B-CUBE project aimed to deliver.
The expected impacts successfully delivered by DIGI-B-CUBE can be summarised as follows:
1. DIGI-B-CUBE strengthened industrial leadership in the EU and Associated Countries by making B-CUBE and related industries more competitive through better integration of state-of-the-art IT solutions and advancements in digital technologies in their Medical Diagnostics related processes and products and by stimulating the creation of new globally competitive digital products and processes.
2. It stimulated the creation of new globally competitive industrial value chains across the EU Member States and Associated Countries to accelerate the development of emerging industries by dedicating a large portion of the direct funding allocated through vouchers and the innovation services to SMEs.
3. It leveraged and complemented the support for innovation by coaching of companies that have benefitted from DIGI-B-CUBE innovation vouchers as well as by linking the project activities to and building synergies with other national and regional funding programmes.
The expected impacts successfully delivered by DIGI-B-CUBE can be summarised as follows:
1. DIGI-B-CUBE strengthened industrial leadership in the EU and Associated Countries by making B-CUBE and related industries more competitive through better integration of state-of-the-art IT solutions and advancements in digital technologies in their Medical Diagnostics related processes and products and by stimulating the creation of new globally competitive digital products and processes.
2. It stimulated the creation of new globally competitive industrial value chains across the EU Member States and Associated Countries to accelerate the development of emerging industries by dedicating a large portion of the direct funding allocated through vouchers and the innovation services to SMEs.
3. It leveraged and complemented the support for innovation by coaching of companies that have benefitted from DIGI-B-CUBE innovation vouchers as well as by linking the project activities to and building synergies with other national and regional funding programmes.