NWRA launches digital innovation hub for local SMEs

The €5.4M investment will support businesses for three years.

A new European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) has been established in the Northern and Western region to help SMEs apply cutting-edge technologies and digital skills to their businesses.

With €5.4M in funding, Data2Sustain will support regional SMEs and enterprises over three years and work in collaboration with a network of three other digital innovation hubs nationally in collaboration with over 200 across the European Union.

Businesses that engage these one-stop-shops for firms with digital challenges will be able to access an ecosystem of expertise to support innovation projects, consultancy services, business model development and funding support.

Denis Kelly, Director of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly highlighted how the majority of Irish small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) have little knowledge of the requirements of digitalisation and are hesitant to embark on their own digital innovation projects.

“We are enabling businesses to gain better access to data or use solutions powered by artificial intelligence,” he continued. “The programme also invests to ensure that our regional talent can get the right skills to actively participate in the labour market. The aim is that everyone in the region – citizens, businesses and public services – can benefit from market-ready technological solutions.”

Northern and Western Regional Assembly Cathaoirelach, John Naughten added; “Data2Sustain, will support SMEs across all sectors, as well as the public sector and not-for-profit in their digital transformation.

“While broad in brief, there is a special focus on Business Operations, the circular economy and sustainability and utilising digital and data centric innovation with regard to energy consumption and low–carbon emissions.

“What is really thrilling is that members of this new EDIH can use any of the other 200 innovation hubs across Europe. This means, for example, that a company in Roscommon can avail of research in Denmark that might assist its business with a technology such as Blockchain or Robotics.” For more details log onto www.data2sustain.ie