TU Delft participates in new European digitisation programme
Today, Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Change Micky Adriaansens kicked off a digital innovation programme for SMEs. TU Delft participates in the European Digital Innovation Hub Netherlands.
In the Netherlands, five European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) will become part of a new European network to help companies digitise. In three years' time, more than 3,500 Dutch companies and about 200,000 employees will be supported in discovering and applying technologies such as AI, robotisation and 3D printing. Whereas larger organisations easily invest in digital technologies, for small and medium-sized enterprises it can be quite a barrier. The new programme should stimulate European cooperation and knowledge exchange as well as strengthen the joint European competitive position.
René Tamboer, who is involved in setting up the EDIH on behalf of TU Delft: "Preparations are now starting. Together with Innovation Quarter, the regional field labs, educational institutions and the business community, we will be shaping the hub in the coming period. We will make use of the existing knowledge, expertise and infrastructure in the region. This could include practical support such as the use of field labs and their infrastructure, the provision of education and training, and bringing companies that are already further along the process into contact with each other."
The new hub in West Netherlands is a continuation of the current SMITZH programme: Smart Manufacturing Industrial Application in South Holland, which runs until the end of 2022.
The establishment of the five hubs is made possible thanks to an investment of 28 million euros by the European Commission, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change and a number of provinces. The support for the EDIHs is part of the new EU programme Digital Europe for which 7.5 billion euros is available in the period 2021-2027.
More information
Please consult the websites of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation Quarter and the Digital Europe programma.