Document(s): 

Working group 1 Digital Innovation Hubs report of december 2016

Author(s): 

Mike Sharpe

Year of publication: 

2017

This report summarises the WG1’s work so far, based on the following meetings:

WG1 held a first meeting in Brussels on 20 October 2016. Around 80 representatives from industry (including SMEs), Member States, regions, and social partners attended and addressed a series of questions related to the above mandate. The meeting included a series of scene-setter presentations and more focused discussions and exchanges within smaller discussion groups.

This first meeting focused on three key issues, each of which was broken down into a series of sub-questions:

• What are the needs of industry with respect to digital transformation?

• How to develop a network of Digital Innovation Hubs in Europe that reflects these needs?

• Which investments are necessary to successfully build the network of DIHs?

Following this meeting four phone conferences were held that explored specific topics in greater depth, namely: industry needs, investing in digital innovation hubs and networking digital innovation hubs. The discussions were recorded using the Groupmaps tool.

Building on the results of the first workshop and the phone conferences, a second meeting was held on 9 December 2016, also in Brussels. The discussion there further elaborated on the characteristics of a digital innovation hub and showcased a number of ongoing initiatives and projects at EU and national level.