Collaboration between clusters and European Digital Innovation Hubs

Submitted by Imogen Allan on 29 April 2021

In the meeting on 25 February, the European Alliance Against Coronavirus spoke with Bianca Muntean, Transilvania IT​, and Frank Bösenberg, Silicon Saxony​, about the activities of Digital Innovation Hubs and how clusters can enter new collaborations with these hubs.

One of the recommendations of the EU Expert Group on Clusters is to “make clusters an integral part of Digital Innovation Hubs through incorporating clusters into their governance and operations in a continuous collaboration on the digital transition.”

As pointed out by Bianca Muntean, the practical cooperation between them can be in raising awareness among cluster members on digital transformation opportunities, the development of internal and external capacities and capabilities for digital competencies, offering vouchers for digitalisation, organising demonstration projects, and providing “non-commercial” information on potential technologies to be used.

Frank Bösenberg added that the distinction between a DIH and an IT cluster is not necessarily clear. The personal level of involvement is key in bringing them together. To set up a DIH, it is critical to think about the business model, as a hub does not have any membership fees, seek close connections with the regional authorities, and add the European dimensions to the services provided by the hub.

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Clusters and European Digital Innovation hubs
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