Implementing the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) in EU regions – online

The importance of further accelerating the digital transformation of the economy and society in Europe was recently accentuated – although not exclusively – by the COVID-19 crisis and it remains one of the top two EU political priorities.

The European Commission further supports this goal with the full deployment of a new network of 136 European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) – financed via the Digital Europe Programme – with a special focus on cutting-edge technologies including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, high-performance computing and advanced digital skills.

This network is expected to boost the capacities of SMEs and public sectors in integrating these technologies in their products and services, which will contribute to a faster recovery. The ambition is that every region in the EU will have at least one EDIH to help in the digital transition of the region and to act as a major player of the regional innovation ecosystem, including the implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies – S3/S4.

The network will be further completed through a second call when 15 additional EDIHs are expected to be selected, and by projects that will be funded by regions or Member States only.

The workshop targets regional/national policymakers and DIH/EDIH stakeholders with these main objectives: (a) update them on the state of play of the development of the network of EDIHs in Member States and regions funded by the Digital Europe Programme; (b) provide analytical results on the geographical coverage of EDIHs at regional level along with other territorial information such as specialisation, services and links; (c) present a digital maturity assessment tool; (d) interact and receive feedback from the audience.

Further information please check out here