This EU-funded project encourages cross-border cooperation between German and Dutch SMEs by providing the support and tools they need to better compete in today’s digital economy.
- 21 February 2020
Thanks to the support we received from Digipro, we were able to find a partner across the border with the specific knowledge we needed to improve our innovation. We challenged each other and, together, we refined the innovation and increased the chances of being successful in a larger market area.
To help Dutch and German SMEs keep up with the increasing digitalisation of industry, the EU-funded Digipro project is turning to cross-border knowledge exchange and cooperation.
As a result, manufacturing, IT, and technical installation companies from across the border region are finding their full innovative potential, increasing their competitiveness and gaining access to new markets.
Connecting the dots
All too often, SMEs operate in isolation and fail to take advantage of the many available resources. Digipro is tapping into the vast amount of knowledge and skills available within the German-Dutch cross-border region. To do this, the project matches SMEs with the support, services, and partners they need from both sides of the border.
The project is coordinated by a group of core partners, one in each involved region. On the Dutch side of the border, the partners are Oost NL (lead partner), het Huis van de Brabantse Kempen, LIOF, and RCT Gelderland. The German partners include Euregio Rein-Waal, Niederrheinische IHK, MCC, Wir4, and GEMIT.
They match SMEs with other SMEs or knowledge institutions on the other side of the border, creating partnerships. They do this through knowledge-sharing initiatives, including workshops; product, process, and business model development; and coaching.
Significant impact
One example of the project’s success is Medipee, from Moers, Germany, which leveraged a partnership with a Dutch firm to develop a medical device for automatic urine analysis. The main advantage of the measurement system is that patients can generate medical data at home, which a doctor can access remotely.
The project aims to help over 900 SMEs by facilitating in-depth discussions, developing concept studies, conducting feasibility studies, organising prototype projects, and holding cross-border visits and other events.
Companies who fail to embrace digital transformation will soon find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. This is particularly true for SMEs who often lack the comprehensive competencies and resources needed to upgrade their products, production processes, and business models.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Digital transformation of products, production processes and business models - DigiPro” is EUR 9 975 980, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 4 987 991 through the “Interreg V-A - Germany-The Netherlands (Deutschland-Nederland)” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Research and innovation”.