Digital Innovation Hubs
(DIHs)
The BOWI network of digital innovation hubs will enable you to connect with other hubs from all across Europe. Whether you are interested in additional expertise, access to technologies or new markets, this can be found within our community.
The idea of the project
Influenced by different historical and economic factors some regions of Europe are less represented than others in European digitisation and digitalisation programmes such as SAE (Smart Anything Everywhere) and I4MS (ICT Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs). To support these regions in gaining in on others various EU support programmes aimed at promoting the uptake of advanced digital technologies have already been launched. The aim of these programs is to help digital innovation hubs from developing regions accumulate the experience of hubs from mature regions thus allowing all regions and their companies the same level of technological access.
As the need for Industry 4.0 related and digitalization solutions is growing stronger between companies, the digital innovation hubs are facing more complex and challenging tasks to solve. At times it just might be that there is no access to specific infrastructure solutions or expertise in your local area to meet these challenges and deliver the optimal solution to the customer.
BOWI project aims to develop an appealing and self-sustainable cooperation model to connect digital innovations hubs from regions with different technological advancement levels. The goal of this cooperation is to allow each side access to what it needs the most – experience and expertise, funding, infrastructure, complementary technologies, or access to new markets.
A strong and sustainable DIH network will provide added value to the whole European industry by strengthening regional economies and the competitiveness of the European SMEs and mid-caps. It will not only create new market opportunities and jobs but also ensure even access to digital technologies and Industry 4.0 solutions in all regions or Europe.
How will it work
BOWI project has been created to facilitate the building of the BOWI network. The project will run for 4 years starting in 2020 with the objective of discovering and implementing the best solution to establish digital innovation hub collaboration across different regions of Europe.
To explore the optimal ways of collaboration BOWI project will launch 2 sets of technology transfer experiments connecting the established and developing hubs and SMEs or mid-caps from specific regions. During these experiments, the developing hubs will receive mentoring and access to mature hubs technologies while aiding the company to reach the next technology readiness level. Knowledge exchange between the members of the hubs will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of both hubs, and refine the ways of supporting local companies.
1st set of the experiments will run in 2021 with the pioneering hubs – members of BOWI project consortium – to test first possible cooperation models and define the needs of hubs from regions with different technology adoption levels.
2nd set of the experiments will run in 2022 with new members of the BOWI community that will be selected during and open call at the Q1 2021. The aim of these experiments is to validate the changes implemented in the cooperation models during the 1st experiment set and come out with an upgraded and viable DIH collaboration model.
This model will then used to facilitate further cooperation between the BOWI digital innovation hub community members and ensure further development of the network even after the conclusion of the BOWI project.
Why join BOWI?
In BOWI we aim at not only helping the DIHs to access each other’s experience and resources, but also at creating a sustainable network of various stakeholders that will continue to grow after the conclusion of the project as well. We aim to connect DIHs, SMEs and mid-caps, investors, and regional development agencies to foster new synergies between the players.
As a digital innovation hub, you will have access to the knowledge base and resources of other hubs, located in different parts of Europe so you can widen your service portfolio and reach new markets. This way you can help your SMEs and start-ups to reach higher levels of smart solutions faster and more effectively or scout for new companies to join your own network. This network will also be the place to discover new funding opportunities four yourself and your companies and engage in dialogue with the development agencies to help in the formation of regional development policies.
Join the BOWI community
Connect with peers, discover new collaborations, stay updated with the news and expert opinions on digitalization