Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DigiFed (Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) federation for large scale adoption of digital technologies by European SMEs)
Période du rapport: 2020-01-01 au 2021-06-30
The main objective of DigiFed is to accelerate and promote the digitalization of European companies by providing significant support mechanisms for individual and groups of SMEs and Midcaps to foster the introduction of digital technologies in their product and service offerings. DigiFed aims is to support EU industries to digitalize their product & services and reaching new markets enabled by Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) & Embedded Systems.
The challenge DigiFed aims to tackle is to accelerate the design, development and uptake of advanced digital technologies by European industry - especially SMEs and mid-caps - in products that include innovative electronic components, software and systems, and especially in sectors where digital technologies are underexploited.
DigiFed partnerships are designed to strengthen the European digital ecosystem through the adoption of advanced digital technologies (CPS & embedded systems) and a combination of regional, national and European funding instruments so that SMEs and midcaps can benefit from knowledge sharing regardless of their location. Three main innovation pathways are proposed to EU companies.
· Applications Experiment (AE) with an innovative model of “TWIN AE” involving two cross-border SMEs/midcaps, one of which is of a low digital maturity level”
Two explorative services for DIH will be trialed involving the following co-funding schemes:
· Generic Experiments (GE) are designed to test new collaborations between research centres and a group of SMEs and midcaps as well as evaluate new co-financing mechanisms between European and regional funding to foster European industry digitalization. DigiFed targets to launch 3 GE Communities.
· Digital Challenge (DC) will experiment with new co-funding mechanisms with large European organisations -the Digital Challenge Owners (DCOs). Advanced digital technology SMEs will be selected through an open call to solve the challenge proposed by the DCOs. The purpose of the Digital Challenge is to highlight attractive market needs to be addressed through CPS and embedded systems and for which new solutions are required. DigiFed aims to launch 3 Digital Challenges.
Altogether, DigiFed aims to involve at least 200 EU SMEs and midcaps with different Digital maturity levels and from all markets including sectors with low digital penetration. A minimum of 80 EU companies will receive Cascade Funding support through one of DigiFed’s innovation pathways.
Finally, DigiFed aims to foster interaction between European Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs). The DigiFed consortium already involves six well-established DIHs from different countries and will expand its network through collaboration with other DIHs aiming at fostering cross-border sustainable collaboration and improving the services given by the European DIH network.
The challenge DigiFed aims to tackle is to accelerate the design, development and uptake of advanced digital technologies by European industry - especially SMEs and mid-caps - in products that include innovative electronic components, software and systems, and especially in sectors where digital technologies are underexploited.
DigiFed partnerships are designed to strengthen the European digital ecosystem through the adoption of advanced digital technologies (CPS & embedded systems) and a combination of regional, national and European funding instruments so that SMEs and midcaps can benefit from knowledge sharing regardless of their location. Three main innovation pathways are proposed to EU companies.
· Applications Experiment (AE) with an innovative model of “TWIN AE” involving two cross-border SMEs/midcaps, one of which is of a low digital maturity level”
Two explorative services for DIH will be trialed involving the following co-funding schemes:
· Generic Experiments (GE) are designed to test new collaborations between research centres and a group of SMEs and midcaps as well as evaluate new co-financing mechanisms between European and regional funding to foster European industry digitalization. DigiFed targets to launch 3 GE Communities.
· Digital Challenge (DC) will experiment with new co-funding mechanisms with large European organisations -the Digital Challenge Owners (DCOs). Advanced digital technology SMEs will be selected through an open call to solve the challenge proposed by the DCOs. The purpose of the Digital Challenge is to highlight attractive market needs to be addressed through CPS and embedded systems and for which new solutions are required. DigiFed aims to launch 3 Digital Challenges.
Altogether, DigiFed aims to involve at least 200 EU SMEs and midcaps with different Digital maturity levels and from all markets including sectors with low digital penetration. A minimum of 80 EU companies will receive Cascade Funding support through one of DigiFed’s innovation pathways.
Finally, DigiFed aims to foster interaction between European Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs). The DigiFed consortium already involves six well-established DIHs from different countries and will expand its network through collaboration with other DIHs aiming at fostering cross-border sustainable collaboration and improving the services given by the European DIH network.
Despite the pandemic, the project has been running smoothly and according to the planned and expected activities withing the 1st Period of DigiFed and the results expected have been delivered in due and scheduled time despite the pandemic.
During the first period DigiFed activities were focused on the engagement of SMEs and MidCaps througt Open Calls:
• Application Experiments (AEs) : three open calls for Application Experiment have been launched . 42 projects have been selected involving 47 European SMEs. 25 AEs are running, one AE already successfully ended.
• Digital Challenges (DCs): three Digital Challenge owners (DCO) are engaged with DigiFed to cofunded an AE raising a total of 155k€ co-financing. The first open call is closed and the selected third party has started the project with the DCO. Open call for the 2 other DCs is running, and will close in September 2021.
• Generic Experiments (GEs): four Generic Experiment Communities have been prepared, with 270k€ of regional co-financing validated. The four open calls are closed leading to a total of 46 SMEs selected. Two GEs have already started the implementation phase.
In addition, almost 1 M€ of Cascade Funding has already been paid as prefinancing to the Selected Third Parties (STP).
During the first period DigiFed activities were focused on the engagement of SMEs and MidCaps througt Open Calls:
• Application Experiments (AEs) : three open calls for Application Experiment have been launched . 42 projects have been selected involving 47 European SMEs. 25 AEs are running, one AE already successfully ended.
• Digital Challenges (DCs): three Digital Challenge owners (DCO) are engaged with DigiFed to cofunded an AE raising a total of 155k€ co-financing. The first open call is closed and the selected third party has started the project with the DCO. Open call for the 2 other DCs is running, and will close in September 2021.
• Generic Experiments (GEs): four Generic Experiment Communities have been prepared, with 270k€ of regional co-financing validated. The four open calls are closed leading to a total of 46 SMEs selected. Two GEs have already started the implementation phase.
In addition, almost 1 M€ of Cascade Funding has already been paid as prefinancing to the Selected Third Parties (STP).
Most current innovation hubs for CPS technologies provide either only development or business support to SMEs and midcaps, leaving gaps in the acceleration of ideas / solutions to market. DigiFed is bringing together the best of both technology and business support to provide holistic acceleration experience for SMEs and midcaps, while offering further access to funding opportunities for commercialization. By offering the choice of different innovation pathways, DigiFed provides the best possible tailor-made innovation support to SMEs and midcaps.
By the end of the project, DigiFed will have attracted at least 600 start-up, scaleups and midcaps across Europe to seed its acceleration programme funnel that will systematically qualify the most promising talent and ideas for our innovation support activities.
226 of these organisations are/have been receiving training on digitisation through CPS and embedded systems as well as useful business skills as part of our innovation boot camps. Furthermore 68 organisations are already benefiting from our comprehensive offering of innovation support services, technical expertise, facilities available at our federated DIHs for product and service innovation as part of our Application Experiments. This also includes access for funding to carry out the envisioned research and innovation activities. A further 20 SMEs will benefit from our Generic Experiment support instrument.
DigiFed also brings other substantial impacts that would enhance innovation capacity, create new market opportunities, strengthen competitiveness and growth of SMEs.
DigiFed fosters the market uptake for all the stakeholders involved. For the SMEs we will expand their existing networks, technology stack and business knowledge, for DIHs we will generate further beneficiaries through internationalisation of their current services, for RTOs and other knowledge providers multiply the type and number of beneficiaries of their services and research results.
The developments supported in the different AEs will have a societal impact in different aspects such as in Energy and Health.
By the end of the project, DigiFed will have attracted at least 600 start-up, scaleups and midcaps across Europe to seed its acceleration programme funnel that will systematically qualify the most promising talent and ideas for our innovation support activities.
226 of these organisations are/have been receiving training on digitisation through CPS and embedded systems as well as useful business skills as part of our innovation boot camps. Furthermore 68 organisations are already benefiting from our comprehensive offering of innovation support services, technical expertise, facilities available at our federated DIHs for product and service innovation as part of our Application Experiments. This also includes access for funding to carry out the envisioned research and innovation activities. A further 20 SMEs will benefit from our Generic Experiment support instrument.
DigiFed also brings other substantial impacts that would enhance innovation capacity, create new market opportunities, strengthen competitiveness and growth of SMEs.
DigiFed fosters the market uptake for all the stakeholders involved. For the SMEs we will expand their existing networks, technology stack and business knowledge, for DIHs we will generate further beneficiaries through internationalisation of their current services, for RTOs and other knowledge providers multiply the type and number of beneficiaries of their services and research results.
The developments supported in the different AEs will have a societal impact in different aspects such as in Energy and Health.