The BOWI project: initiating interregional collaboration

The BOWI project (Boosting Widening Digital Innovation Hubs) aims to foster interregional collaboration and connect Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) from across Europe, focusing on regions with different technological advancement levels. The project seeks to create a structured approach to collaboration between DIHs, promoting widening of DIHs and increasing the participation of widening hubs to improve the competitiveness of the regions and ensure long-term social cohesion. By promoting collaboration between DIHs, the project seeks to improve the competitiveness of the regions and ensure long-term social cohesion.

One of the main objectives of the BOWI project is to forge structural interregional collaborations, which involves creating interregional innovation corridors and encouraging collaboration focused on the digital transformation needs of SMEs. By connecting DIHs from different regions and fostering collaboration, the BOWI project aims to support companies in turning their most innovative projects into reality, and help development agencies understand the needs of the industry.

The BOWI project also includes a mentoring program for orchestrators of Strategic Public/Private Innovation Networks (SP2INs), which adopts a blended learning approach combining various teaching methods, such as lectures, practical exercises, and interactive discussions. The project is designed to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by DIHs at regional, interregional, and European levels, and includes a range of learning modules covering various topics and objectives.

The benefits of interregional collaboration

Interregional collaborations offer numerous benefits for regions, businesses, and stakeholders involved in the process. Some of the key advantages of interregional collaboration include:

• Access to leading-edge technologies and expertise: Interregional collaboration enables regions to access cutting-edge technologies and skills, fostering innovation and competitiveness. By sharing knowledge and resources, regions can benefit from the expertise available in other areas, promoting technological advancements and economic growth.
• Support and initiation of new business opportunities: Collaborative efforts can help broaden and reinforce innovative markets in other regions, creating new business opportunities and promoting economic growth. Interregional collaboration can lead to the development of new products, services, and markets, benefiting businesses and consumers alike.
• Exchange of experience and good practices: Interregional collaboration allows regional stakeholders to share experiences and best practices in various fields, leading to improved policies and strategies. This exchange of knowledge can help regions learn from each other’s successes and challenges, ultimately enhancing their overall performance and effectiveness.
• Facilitation of cross-border synergies: Collaborative efforts can lead to co-creation and complementarity in technology and knowledge development, fostering innovation and strengthening regional ecosystems. By working together, regions can leverage their unique strengths and resources to achieve common goals and address shared challenges.
• Creation of pan-regional value chains: Interregional collaboration can help create pan-regional value chains, increasing the competitiveness of industries and promoting economic growth. By connecting businesses and stakeholders across regions, these value chains can facilitate the flow of goods, services, and knowledge, ultimately benefiting all parties involved.
• Increased impact of public funding: Collaborative efforts can lead to a more efficient use of public funds, avoiding unnecessary duplication of infrastructures and investments. By pooling resources and coordinating efforts, regions can maximize the impact of their investments and ensure that public funds are used effectively.

In summary, interregional collaboration can lead to numerous benefits, including access to leading-edge technologies and expertise, support for new business opportunities, exchange of experience and good practices, facilitation of cross-border synergies, creation of pan-regional value chains, and increased impact of public funding. By fostering interregional collaboration, regions can promote economic growth, social cohesion, and competitiveness.

Our proposition: Initiation and support

The BOWI project (Boosting Widening Digital Innovation Hubs) is a European initiative that aims to foster interregional collaboration and connect Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) from across Europe, with a focus on regions with varying levels of technological advancement. The project seeks to improve the competitiveness of the regions and ensure long-term social cohesion.

The BOWI project’s propositions include:

• Developing a digital innovation hub widening network that supports the cooperation of new and established DIHs, particularly in regions where Smart Anything Everywhere (SAE) and ICT Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs (I4MS) technologies are underrepresented.
• Creating a structured approach to collaboration between DIHs, promoting widening of DIHs and increasing the participation of less developed countries.
• Supporting companies in turning their most innovative projects into reality, aiding investors in discovering the leaders of the digital revolution, and helping development agencies understand the needs of the industry.
• Fostering interregional collaboration through the creation of interregional innovation corridors and encouraging collaboration focused on the digital transformation needs of SMEs (see more at the tab BOWI project on this matter).
• By promoting interregional collaboration, the BOWI project leverage the benefits of interregional collaboration, as mentioned previously: leading-edge technologies and expertise, support and initiate new business opportunities, exchange experience on good practices, facilitate cross-border synergies, create pan-EU value chains, and increase the impact of public funding.