Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) Network summit attracted more than 200 participants to promote digital transformation across Europe.
Supported by the Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA), the event in Brussels was an opportunity to foster exchanges and share knowledge from more than 100 digital innovation hubs from 30 countries.
EDIH representatives, decision-makers, and experts from the digital transformation community exchanged their experiences and best practices on how to best help SMEs achieve their digital goals.
The EDIH Network, financed via the Digital Europe Program, focuses on delivering cutting-edge technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, high-performance computing, and advanced digital skills.
A keynote speaker at the event was Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, European Commission.
He said, “Digital transformation is essential for European business, it can increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption.”
“Together with the EU Member States, we will work on digital policies to help SMEs to improve technologies and advance EU ́s connectivity and secure digital infrastructures.
“These targets will help us achieve our objectives for a safer, sustainable, more competitive and efficient digital environment”, he continued.
Heidi Cigan, Senior Policy Officer of “Digitalisation of Business” for the European Commission said as one of the main conclusions: “What is important when supporting SMEs in their digital transformation is to speak their language, be approachable.
“To build trust we need to consider their needs, their digital maturity. It ́s all about people and keeping the motivation going”.
The European Commission is speeding up the digital transformation by co-financing research, development and deployment of innovative technologies in 2021-2027.
An overarching goal of the EDIH network is to support the achievement of the EU’s Digital Decade 2030 targets by:
• Accelerating the digital transformation of the private and public sector across the European Union by driving the uptake of advanced digital technologies – target to transform 75% of EU companies into Cloud/AI/Big Data users; • Ensuring that 90% of SMEs in the EU have at least a basic level of digital maturity;
• Creating new European value chains.
