Digital Innovation Hubs

Contact Data

Coordinator (University)

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
https://www.kuleuven.be/

Year Established

N/A

Location

Celestijnenlaan 300 - box 2420, 3001, Heverlee (Belgium)

Contact information

Herman BRUYNINCKX
herman.bruyninckx@mech.kuleuven.be

Contact information

Kris Kuypers
kris.kuypers@kuleuven.be

Contact information

Lukas LANNEAU
lukas.lanneau@kuleuven.be

H2020 Projects

• RobMoSys
  Composable Models and Software for Robotics Systems

  Composable Models and Software for Robotics Systems

  
  

  RobMoSys will coordinate the whole community’s best and consorted effort to build an open and sustainable, agile and multi-domain European robotics software ecosystem.
  RobMoSys envisions an integration approach built on-top-of, or rather around, the current code-centric robotic platforms, by means of the systematic application of model-driven methods and tools that explicitly focus on (system-of-) system integration. As proven in many other engineering domains, model-driven approaches are the most suitable approach to manage integration that is intended to be “all-inclusive” with respect to technologies and stakeholder groups.
  RobMoSys will enable the management of the interfaces between different roles (robotics expert, domain expert, component supplier, system integrator, installation and deployment, operation) and separated concerns in an efficient and systematic way by making the step change to a set of fully model-driven methods and tools for engineering robotics systems.
  RobMoSys will drive the non-competitive part of building the eco-system aiming at turning community involvement into active support for an ecosystem of professional quality and scope. It will provide, based on broad involvement via two Open Calls, important concretizations for many of the common robot functionalities (sensing, planning, control in the broad sense). It will fulfill two complementary missions: (1) establish a common methodology enabling a composition-oriented approach to address complexity in robotics and face the integration burden caused by type diversity, target diversity and platform diversity; (2) stimulate and boost an ecosystem of methodology-based toolchains that supports the interaction of separated roles.
  RobMoSys is designed for widest inclusion - from the very beginning and throughout the overall course of the project - of the expertise and body of knowledge of the robotics community and of related relevant technology and application domains (Tier-1 concept).

• 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

• MediaFutures
  MediaFutures, Data-driven innovation hub for the media value chain

  MediaFutures, Data-driven innovation hub for the media value chain

  
  

  MediaFutures will set up a virtual, European data innovation hub, including funding, mentoring and support for entrepreneurial and creative projects to reshape the media value chain through responsible, innovative uses of data. We will:
  • explore the critical factors that impact how people engage with bottom-up quality journalism, science education and digital citizenship;
  • define a participatory, inclusive innovation programme, leveraging impulses from multiple disciplines, as well as synergies between entrepreneurs and creatives;
  • organise a competition addressing pressing technical, economic and societal challenges in the media value chain to identify promising digital entrepreneurs, creatives and data-empowered solutions;
  • provide data and experimentation facilities for the winners of this competition to test and nurture their ideas;
  • support 51 businesses and 43 artists by solving common concerns around funding and access to mentoring in technical, legal, business, media and sustainability matters; and
  • create toolkits and best practices for innovators, creatives, and other stakeholders to achieve greater traction for their citizen-centric initiatives, and empower them to communicate through data in inspiring, informative and engaging ways.
  Drawing on the experience of the consortium - ZABALA, ODI and SOTON (instrumental to delivering several flagship Horizon 2020 data incubators); IRCAM (leading the way in publicly funded art-tech-science residencies programmes); EUT and LUH (2 accomplished DIHs and BDVA i-Spaces); NMA (Europe’s largest media accelerator); LUISS (renowned school of journalism and digital startup accelerator); KU Leuven (legal and ethical expert) and DEN (one of Europe’s social innovation pioneers) - we will establish a Europe-wide, virtual data-driven innovation ecosystem, supported and promoted by an international network of 28 organisations that have confirmed their  intention to join MediaFutures as members of our stakeholder cluster.