FIRST Digital web platform: news, events and opportunities on digital transformation

By project BEST DIH

Published on 31 January 2025

Italy

Emilia-Romagna

About this good practice

Europe’s Digital Decade goals have brought a blossoming of initiatives aimed at developing services to support the digitization of businesses at regional, national and European level. Given the different levels of firms/PSOs digitization and the complexity of financial instruments, a comprehensive overview of available opportunities is essential for supporting organizations.

FIRST Digital is the free information service of ER2Digit, the European Digital Innovation Hub of the Emilia-Romagna region. It operates as a website nested within the FIRST ecosystem, the R&I information platform managed by ART-ER. Initially conceived to promote ER2Digit’s services —such as Test Before Invest, Networking & Innovation Ecosystem, Skills & Training, and Support to Find Investment (mainly allocated through public calls), its scope was later expanded in agreement with the Region to include consultancy firms, trade associations, startups, EDIHs, research centers, and local development agencies. First Digital together with the web site of the Regional Network is now the shared tool of the Regional Network members nourished by ART-ER.

FIRST Digital showcases contents organised on the basis of key digital technology keywords, paired with a set of information (search filters, target applicants, funding amount, call deadline, etc.) that improves readability of the opportunities. A newsletter, issued every two weeks, updates the registered users.

Resources needed

FIRST Digital is powered by ART-ER internal resources: the permanent newsroom managing FIRST, a dedicated news editor supported by ER2Digit communication manager and a web editor focusing on troubleshooting.

Evidence of success

ER2Digit reinforced its role as EDIH by providing SMEs and PSOs with free access to quality information on networking and funding opportunities in digital transformation.
Around 7.000 news, events and project calls have been shared in 18 months with more than 110 subscribers via Newsletters.
The service is free for the local innovation ecosystem and in particular for the local EDIHs, DIHs and innovation centers that are part of the Regional Digital Transformation Network.

Potential for learning or transfer

FIRST Digital offers content in Italian but covers news, events and funding calls that have an EU-wide potential audience. Other regions/administrations could adopt the idea behind FIRST Digital platform to provide content in their local language, implementing similar information services.
The problem of the multiplication of opportunities and the need to design ad hoc digital transformation paths for each business or public/non profit organizations makes such a tool useful, especially if managed by a public entity that can absorb its costs and disseminate information in the equal interest of all the local economic actors.