EDIHs: implementation challenges
On 10 March 2023, the Policy Learning Platform hosted an online discussion with around 20 policy makers from across Europe to discuss the challenges of implementing European Digital Innovation Hubs on the ground.
Last Autumn 2022, the first EDIHs were selected by the EC across Europe. National and regional stakeholders involved were confronted with similar strategic and operational challenges all over Europe. They concern more specifically the positioning of the new EDIHs in terms of services, ecosystems, policies and strategies.
The discussion mainly featured three cases from DigitalTech EDIH (Hungary), Digital Innovation Zone (Romania), and Data2Sustain (Ireland).
- Many EDIHs still encounter difficulties on the national level to get the national co-funding and corresponding grant agreements signed. EDIHs are looking for ways to start operations despite of this situation by deploying free services, running pilot phases with initial clients or even building on voluntary work from some partners.
- EDIHs interacting with clients experience a strong need for market and business development services in relation to technological services. The right balance needs to be found between those aspects and the capacities of the EDIH consortium partners.
- EDIH are confronted with the need to find specific approaches towards micro-enterprises with low digital maturity and their capacities to face digital transformation. This also requires the involvement of local business support providers. In regions with generally low digital maturity, those activities shall lead to the emergence of a currently non-existing market for more complex digital services.
The discussion showed a strong interest of EDIHs members in exchanging with their European peers, especially as many questions remain open with respect to the full-scale operation of EDIHs and the provision of services on a larger scale.