Workshop on Digital Innovation Hubs serving the public sector

A Digital Innovation Hub is a coordinated group of organisations with complementary expertise and a not-for-profit objective, offering a set of services to companies and public sector organisations, to support their digital transformation. This workshop will provide best practices and ideas on how Digital Innovation Hubs can support public administrations, smart cities and healthcare organisations.

Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) provide access to technical expertise and experimentation, to allow “test before invest” and provide innovation services, such as financing advice, training and skills development that are needed for a successful digital transformation.

The Digital Europe Programme (DEP) will increase the capacity of a selected number of hubs, to cover activities with a clear European added value, networking the hubs and promoting transfer of expertise. DIHs funded by the Digital Europe Programme will be called European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). The initial network of EDIHs will be established from a list of hubs designated by Member States.

Digital Innovation Hubs were conceived in the context of the Digitising European Industry Strategy (2016) and thus policy support and funding were mostly directed towards DIHs supporting SMEs and midcaps. It is with the Digital Europe Programme that DIHs helping public sector organisations can also receive financial support from the EU.

Not all EDIHs will need to support the public sector, but in the overall network, there needs to be a reasonable amount that do. Other hubs can, if they find it beneficial, develop this expertise through train-the-trainer activities in DEP, and learn from other hubs how they approach public sector organisations. If a hub was until now only focused on industry, but in the future they would like to serve public administrations as well, they can consider including research institutions, Living Labs, City Labs or other organisations, dedicated to public administration and public sector innovation in their consortium.

More info on the DIHs.

This workshop will provide best practices and ideas on how Digital Innovation Hubs can support public administrations, smart cities and healthcare organisations.  The workshop will therefore:

1. Bring together organisations that could take on the role of a Digital Innovation Hub and make them aware of the specificities and opportunities of the Digital Europe Programme;
2. allow them to network amongst each other.