Digital Innovation Hubs

Description

IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center provides state-of-the-art technologies and services in the field of High Performance Computing (HPC) and makes it available for Czech and international research teams from academia and industry. IT4Innovations is the only national large research HPC e-infrastructure operating national Tier-1 systems. It currently operates two supercomputers, Anselm (94TFLOPS Rpeak, installed in summer 2013) and Salomon (2PFLOPS Rpeak, installed in summer 2015).

IT4Innovations is a part of the National Roadmap for Large Infrastructures for Research, Experimental Development and Innovations of the Czech Republic, represents the Czech Republic in the European research infrastructure PRACE (Partnership for Research and Advanced Computing in Europe), and is a member of ETP4HPC (European Technology Platform in the area of High-Performance Computing).

IT4Innovations is also an R&D centre with strong international links. The centre currently participates in dozens of international projects, mostly H2020 with top academic and industrial partners. IT4Innovations is also the only Intel Parallel Computing Centre (IPCC) in the new member states of the European Union (EU13). Its research activities are distributed across 5 laboratories:
•     Advanced data analysis and simulations lab
•     Infrastructure research lab
•     Parallel algorithms research lab
•     Modelling for nanotechnologies lab
•     Big data analysis lab

IT4Innovations národní superpočítačové centrum provozuje nejmodernější technologie a služby v oblasti superpočítání (High Performance Computing), které poskytuje českým a zahraničním vědeckým pracovníkům z akademické sféry a průmyslu. IT4Innovations jako jedna z národních velkých infrastruktur provozuje národní Tier-1 výpočetní systémy. V současné době se jedná o dva superpočítače, Anselm (výkon 94 TFLOPS, instalovaný v roce 2013) a Salomon (výkon 2 PFLOPS, instalovaný v roce 2015).

Contact Data

Coordinator (Research & Technology organization)

VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center
https://www.it4i.cz/en

Year Established

2011

Location

17. listopadu 15/2172, 708 33, Ostrava-Poruba (Czech Republic)

Website

https://www.it4i.cz

Social Media

Contact information

Tomáš Karásek Ph.D.
tomas.karasek@vsb.cz
+420597329648

Contact information

Vit Vondrak Ph.D.
vit.vondrak@vsb.cz
+420597329590

Contact information

Tomas Kozubek Ph.D.
tomas.kozubek@vsb.cz
+420597329650

Technologies

• Internet of things
• Artificial intelligence
• Mobility & Location based technologies
• Interaction technologies
• Advanced, or high performance computing
• Big data, data analytics, data handling
• Virtual, augmented and extended reality
• Simulation, modelling and digital twins
• Software as a service and service architectures
• Cloud computing
• Logistics

Link to national or regional initiatives for digitising industry

With its research, know-how and infrastructure the IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center, VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava is taking part in several national or European initiatives:

National Centre for Industry 4.0 https://www.ncp40.eu/partners

Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (PRACE) http://www.prace-ri.eu/members/

ETP4HPC http://www.etp4hpc.eu/membership.html

EuroHPC https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/czech-republic-signs-european-declaration-high-performance-computing/

EFFRA https://www.effra.eu/members

IT4Innovations plays role of Digital Innovation Hub in several EU funded projects:

H2020 project CloudiFacturing (Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs initiative, I4MS) https://www.cloudifacturing.eu

H2020 project TETRAMAX (Smart Anything Everywhere initiative, SAE) https://www.tetramax.eu

Interreg project InnoHPC http://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/innohpc

In past IT4Innovations was participating on project SESAME Net https://sesamenet.eu

IT4Innovations researchers are active in HiPEAC community https://www.hipeac.net (IT4Innovations organized HiPEAC conference in 2016 in Prague.

Market and Services

Partners

• TU München
  University
  https://www.tum.de/en/
• IMEC
  Research & Technology organization
  https://www.imec-int.com/en/home
• Inria
  Research & Technology organization
  https://www.inria.fr/
• Sygic a.s.
  SME
  https://www.sygic.com/gps-navigation
• K2 atmitec s.r.o.
  SME
  https://www.k2.cz/en
• IXPERTA s.r.o.
  Large enterprise
  https://www.ixperta.com/en/
• DHI
  Large enterprise
  https://www.dhigroup.com
• FRAUNHOFER Portugal
  Research & Technology organization
  https://www.aicos.fraunhofer.pt/en/home.html
• CINECA CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO
  Research & Technology organization
  http://www.cineca.it
• Politecnico di Milano
  University
  https://www.polimi.it/
• Invent Medical Group
  Start-up company
  http://www.inventmedical.com
• BORCAD cz s.r.o.
  SME
  http://www.borcad.cz/
• Continental Automotive Czech Republic s.r.o.
  Large enterprise
  https://www.continental-corporation.com/cs-cz
• Doosan Škoda Power s.r.o.
  Large enterprise
  http://www.doosanskodapower.com/cz/
• Siemens, s.r.o.
  Large enterprise
  http://www.siemens.cz
• ŠKODA AUTO a.s.
  Large enterprise
  http://www.skoda-auto.cz/
• Barcelona Supercomputing Center
  Research & Technology organization
  https://www.bsc.es
• HLRS
  Research & Technology organization
  https://www.hlrs.de/home/
• LRZ
  Research & Technology organization
  https://www.lrz.de/
• Imperial College London
  University
  https://www.imperial.ac.uk/
• Charles University
  University
  https://www.cuni.cz/UKEN-1.html

H2020 Projects

• Fortissimo 2
  Factories of the Future Resources, Technology, Infrastructure and Services for Simulation and Modelling 2

  Factories of the Future Resources, Technology, Infrastructure and Services for Simulation and Modelling 2

  
  

  Fortissimo 2 will drive the uptake of advanced modelling, simulation and data analytics by European engineering and manufacturing SMEs and mid-caps. Such an uptake will deliver improved design processes, better products and services, and improved competitiveness. For the European Union as a whole this means improved employment opportunities and economic growth.
  
  The importance of advanced ICT to the competitiveness of both large and small companies in the engineering and manufacturing domain is well established. Despite early successes in this area, there are still many barriers to the uptake of such solutions, not least of which are the initial cost and complexity of adoption, particularly in the context of challenging trading conditions. This proposal targets the ICT Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs (I4MS) action line (Phase 2) and builds on Phase 1 of that initiative.
  
  Phase 2 addresses the adoption of next generation ICT advances in the manufacturing domain. At the core of Fortissimo 2 are three tranches of Application Experiments (~35 in total). An initial set is included in this proposal and two further sets will be obtained through Open Calls for proposals. These experiments will be driven by the requirements of first-time users (predominately SMEs) and will bring together actors from across the value chain, from cycle providers to domain experts via the Fortissimo Marketplace. This will enable innovative solutions to manufacturing challenges, leading to new and improved design processes, products and services. A key feature of Fortissimo 2 will be the adaption of the Marketplace to meet the needs of end-users. It will offer a responsive and reliable service to companies which want to access HPC and Big resources and expertise.
  
  Fortissimo 2 initially involves 732 months of effort, a total cost of €11.1m and EC funding of €10m over a duration of three years, commensurate with achieving its ambitious goals.

• BEinCPPS
  Business Experiments in Cyber Physical Production Systems

  Business Experiments in Cyber Physical Production Systems

  
  

  BEinCPPS Innovation Action aims to integrate and experiment a CPS-oriented Future Internet-based machine-factory-cloud service platform firstly intensively in five selected Smart Specialization Strategy Vanguard regions (Lombardia in Italy, Euskadi in Spain, Baden Wuertemberg in Germany, Norte in Portugal, Rhone Alpes in France), afterwards extensively in all European regions, by involving local competence centers and manufacturing SMEs. The final aim of this Innovation Action is to dramatically improve the adoption of CPPSs all over Europe by means of the creation, nurturing and flourishing of CPS-driven regional innovation ecosystems, made of competence centers, manufacturing enterprises and IT SMEs.The BE in CPPS project stems upon three distinct pillars:• A FI-based three-layered (machine-factory-cloud) open source platforms federation, integrated from state-of-the-art R&I advances in the fields of Internet of Things, Future Internet and CPS / Smart Systems and able to bi-directionally interoperate data pertaining to the machine, the factory and the cloud levels.• A pan-European SME-oriented experimentation ecosystem. In a first phase of the project, the five Champions will provide requirements to the platforms integrators. In a second phase, an Open Call for IT SMEs developers (applications experiments) will award 10 third parties. In a final third phase, the extended platform will be instantiated and deployed in additional 10 third parties equipment experiment SMEs.• A well-founded method and toolbox for Innovation management, where an existing TRL-based methodology for KETs technology transfer will be enriched by a CPPS certification, education and training programme for young talents and experienced blue collar workers and by a well-founded three-fold (objectives-variables-indicators) method for results assessment and evaluation.

• MIDIH
  Manufacturing Industry Digital Innovation Hubs

  Manufacturing Industry Digital Innovation Hubs

  
  

  VISION: By 2023, Europe will set the reference for the Industry 4.0 market: European CPS/IOT Open Digital Platforms providers will be able to flexibly and dynamically connect the Real World with digital Enterprise Systems through common open standards; European ICT SMEs will be growing fast through leadership in data-driven smart Industry 4.0 services; European Manufacturing SMEs will successfully compete globally with innovative products and services, digitised Industry 4.0 processes and innovative business models, involving their workforce at all levels in this Digital Transformation innovations.
  MISSION. The MIDIH 4.0 project aims at implementing the fast, dynamic, borderless, disruptive side of the I4MS innovation coin: technological services (interactive try-on demos, webinars, challenges, hackathons and awards) will be driven by young and dynamic ICT talents virtually meeting older and experienced manufacturing engineers in a one-stop-shop global marketplace; business services (ideas incubation, business acceleration, demand-offer matchmaking and brokerage, access to finance) will support SMEs, startups, web entrepreneurs as well as corporates in the delivery of innovative products and services, in accessing new markets, in fund-raising; skills building services (serious and role games, participative lessons and webinars, virtual experiments in physical teaching factories, professional courses for existing technicians as well as for executives) will not only help SMEs and corporates understand the new technologies, but also take full advantage of them, providing an operational framework that will stimulate trust, confidence and investments.
  The MIDIH project is an inclusive Innovation Action of 21 beneficiaries coming from 12 EU Countries, including, Competence  Centers, Digital Innovation Hubs, CPS/IOT Technology Providers as well as Lighthouse Manufacturing Industries. A two-iteration Open Call will help achieve a critical mass of cross-border experiments.

• L4MS
  Logistics for Manufacturing SMEs

  Logistics for Manufacturing SMEs

  
  

  L4MS (Logistics For Manufacturing SMEs) will spark incremental (productivity increase of new users by a factor of 4 and system setup time reduction by a factor of 10) and disruptive innovation (batch size one & consumerization) for over 100,000 European Manufacturing SMEs & Mid-Caps, building on their intra-factory logistics challenge (50% of the production cost of an item) unleashing their digitalization potential by powering new robot systems that are more cost effective at lower lot sizes.
  
  L4MS relies upon:
  • An open industrial IoT platform with enablers for rapid and efficient deployment of customized logistics solutions.
  • A suite of "Smartization services" including business modelling, technical support, mentoring, access to skills and to finance.
  • The L4MS Marketplace, a one-stop-shop, where European Manufacturing SMEs & Mid-Caps will access the L4MS services.
  • A portfolio of 23 cross-border Application Experiments by 50 SMEs selected through 2 competitive Open Calls, that will test more than 40 services & apps leveraging 10M€ of public funding across 12 established and emerging Digital Innovation Hubs.
  • A growing ecosystem that will foster Smart Specialization in each single region linked to L4MS.
  
  L4MS will transform a pan-European ecosystem into a self-sustainable start-up operating an Open Platform for Innovations in Logistics (OPIL) and L4MS marketplace consisting of 21 members. Comprising 6 Competence Centres, 5 technology providers, 4 industry associations, 3 end-users and 3 business developers -currently engaged in I4MS (XS2I4MS, HORSE and BEinCPPS) and FIWARE- plus 6 Satellites Nodes. L4MS covers 14 EU countries, 15 regions with 8 of them from East Europe.
  
  L4MS will help demonstrate that public funded research with a “Smartization” approach (accelerating Industry 4.0) can help manufacturing SMEs & Mid-Caps achieve digital excellence and global competitiveness through logistics automation become “entrepreneurial states and digital industries”.

• DIH-HERO
  Digital Innovation Hubs in Healthcare Robotics

  Digital Innovation Hubs in Healthcare Robotics

  
  

  DIH-HERO (Digital Innovation Hubs in Healthcare Robotics) will establish a broad-based pan-European network of Digital Innovation Hubs specialising in Healthcare Robotics. The network will focus on developing services that join business and healthcare stakeholders in developing innovative products and services for the healthcare market. DIH-HERO will develop channels between healthcare and technology providers that reduce barriers to adoption and which develop strong mutual understanding between robotics technology innovators and healthcare professionals. DIH-HERO will operate throughout the healthcare "pathway" that connects Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Care as well as covering all aspects of hospital logistics and clinical services. It will also focus on home and care-based robotics addressing healthy aging and elderly care. The DIH-HERO consortium brings together a comprehensive network of partners reaching north, south, east and west across the European regions. The partners bring with them connection to their own regional networks and extensive expertise in healthcare innovation that ranges from surgical intervention to care at home. Each Hub partner delivers both technical and medical expertise to the consortium through their pre-existing operational relationships with hospitals and healthcare facilities. They couple in-built expertise in business development, access to finance and innovation to robotics technology and healthcare expertise in a network of hubs that will connect and stimulate robotics innovation in all aspects of healthcare. DIH-HERO is built on concrete plans to sustain the network beyond the time span of the project and to provide a long term network for innovators in healthcare. The network of Digital Innovation Hubs created and supported by DIH-HERO will ensure that robotics innovation in healthcare is accelerated, that SME can develop global reach and that the advantages of robotics based healthcare can be propagated across Europe.

• DIH4CPS
  Fostering DIHs for Embedding Interoperability in Cyber-Physical Systems of European SMEs

  Fostering DIHs for Embedding Interoperability in Cyber-Physical Systems of European SMEs

  
  

  The initiative for Fostering DIHs for Embedding Interoperability in Cyber-Physical Systems of European SMEs (DIH4CPS) will help European enterprises overcome these innovation hurdles and establish Europe as a world leading innovator of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. DIH4CPS will create an embracing, interdisciplinary network of DIHs and solution providers, focussed on cyber-physical and embedded systems, interweaving knowledge and technologies from different domains, and connecting regional clusters with the pan-European expert pool of DIHs. Backed by the IVLab, an experienced and well-established network organisation focussed on Interoperability, DIH4CPS can innately build on an extensive existing network, add value to its existing knowledge transfer capabilities and guarantee the sustainability of the growing DIH network. DIH4CPS expands the already existing network and aims for creating an integrated platform for DIHs from different, especially digitally underdeveloped sectors and regions. A selection of eleven initially starting application experiments guarantees an outstanding funding for European SMEs and Mid-Caps right from the start and demonstrates the high dedication of the consortium to reduce the digital divide. At least ten additional experiments will take up that torch during the project and allow external companies from sectors in need to further exploit the DIH4CPS network and uplift their portfolio, especially by including (semi)-autonomy into their products and systems. DIH4CPS will not only benefit the application experiments but also the individual DIHs by significantly complementing the regional investments made. Implemented in the IVLab structure, the DIH4CPS Network will leverage and sustain its impact far beyond the project duration, creating a vibrant, overarching and cross sector one-stop-shop for collaboration between SMEs, DIHs and Tech providers.

• HUBCAP
  DIGITAL INNOVATION HUBS AND COLLABORATIVE PLATFORM FOR CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS

  DIGITAL INNOVATION HUBS AND COLLABORATIVE PLATFORM FOR CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS

  
  

  HUBCAP will provide a one-stop-shop for European SMEs wanting to join the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) revolution. It builds on seven established Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) in seven European countries, each embedded in its regional innovation ecosystem, offering complementary technical expertise, experimental capabilities, and specialist knowledge in CPS application domains. From this base, HUBCAP will create a growing and sustainable European network offering SMEs opportunities to undertake experiments, seek investment, access expertise and training, and form new business links. This is enabled by a cloud-based open collaboration platform with a ‘sandbox’ capability to help users trial new technology.
  HUBCAP will lower barriers for SMEs to realise the potential of growing autonomy in CPSs by accessing advanced Model-Based Design (MBD) technology, providing training and guidance, and acting as a gateway to the full network of all registered DIHs specialising in CPS. Half the project funding will go to supporting SMEs, including open call funding for SMEs join the ecosystem and experiment with MBD technology. HUBCAP will extend an existing open collaboration platform to enable SMEs to co-create, analyse and validate new CPS products in a virtual setting, by accessing CPS assets (models, tools, services) and experimenting with new solutions, de-risking investments in skills or resources.
  The consortium’s DIHs have been chosen to cover complementary MBD capabilities. They represent a wide area of Europe and offer considerable experience in Innovation Actions, managing open calls, and outreach to businesses. Technology providers will help populate and validate the initial collaboration platform and carefully selected seed SMEs will assist in kickstarting the ecosystem and reaching out to entirely new users of MBD technologies. HUBCAP will ensure sustainability through a not-for-profit association to extend and maintain the network and platform after the project.
  

• EUHubs4Data
  European Federation of Data Driven Innovation Hubs

  European Federation of Data Driven Innovation Hubs

  
  

  EUHubs4Data will set up a European federation of Big Data Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs), with the ambition of becoming a reference instrument for data-driven cross-border experimentation and innovation, and support the growth of European SMEs and start-ups in a global Data Economy.
  Based on the concept “European catalogue, local offer”, EUHubs4Data will establish a Europe-wide, sustainable ecosystem drawing upon local expertise and achievements of European initiatives and national/regional Big Data DIHs, with the three-fold objective of:
  (1) creating a European catalogue of data sources and federated data-driven services and solutions;
  (2) making this offer accessible at the regional level so that European SMEs, start-ups and web entrepreneurs have access to the most valuable assets and expertise on the continent;
  (3) fostering cross-border and cross-sector data-driven experimentation facilitated through data sharing, and data & service interoperability.
  To achieve these objectives, the project relies on:
  • a strong initial ecosystem of 12 Big Data DIHs from the 4 EU poles, linked to European Data Incubators and SME networks;
  • a multi-dimensional approach (governance, operations, technical, ethical and legal aspects, interoperability, skills) for the expansion of the federation (growing up to 30 DIHs);
  • a strong offer of services and access to data sources, based on an initial set of solutions for data and service interoperability, and including a coherent and diverse training programme;
  • the capacity to attract, support and engage SMEs, start-ups and web entrepreneurs (40 cross-border experiments, and 60-80 companies directly involved in the data-driven innovation programme);
  • a community and ongoing collaborations with 60 relevant European Initiatives;
  EUHubs4Data initially covers 12 EU regions in 9 countries, and plans to expand to more than 20 regions and 14 countries during the project, establishing a long-lasting sustainable ecosystem

• AI REGIO
  Regions and DIHs alliance for AI-driven digital transformation of European Manufacturing SMEs

  Regions and DIHs alliance for AI-driven digital transformation of European Manufacturing SMEs

  
  

  The AI REGIO project aims at filling 3 major gaps currently preventing AI-driven DIHs from implementing fully effective digital transformation pathways for their Manufacturing SMEs: at policy level the Regional vs. EU gap; at technological level the Digital Manufacturing vs. Innovation Collaboration Platform gap; at business level the Innovative AI (Industry 5.0) vs Industry 4.0 gap.
  POLICY. Regional smart specialization strategies for Efficient Sustainable Manufacturing and Digital Transformation (VANGUARD initiative for Industrial Modcernisation) are so far insufficiently coordinated and integrated at cross-regional and pan-EU level. SME-driven >AI innovations cannot scale up to become pan-EU accessible in global marketplaces as well as SME-driven experiments remain trapped into a too local dimension without achieving a large scale dimension. Regional vs. EU Gap.
  TECHNOLOGY. Digital Manufacturing Platforms DMP and Digital Innovation Hubs DIH play a fundamental role in the implementation of the Digital Single Market and Digitsing European Industry directives to SMEs, but so far such initiatives, communities, innovation actions are running in a quite independent if not siloed way, where very often Platform-related challenges are not of interest for DIHs and Socio-Business impact not of interest for DMP. DMP vs. DIH Gap.
  BUSINESS. Many Industrial Data Platforms based on IOT Data in Motion and Analytics Data at Rest have been recently developed to implement effective Industry 4.0 pilots (I4MS Phase III platforms). The AI revolution and the new relationship between autonomous systems and humans (Industry 5.0) has not been properly addressed in I4MS so far. AI I5.0 vs. I4.0 Gap.
  AI REGIO is following the 4 steps for VANGUARD innovation strategy (learn-connect-demonstrate-commercialize) by constantly aligning its methods with the AI DIH Network initiative and its assets with I4MS/DIH BEinCPPS Phase II and MIDIH / L4MS Phase III projects. AI REGIO: Industry 5.0 for SMEs