Futures of Innovation and Technology Digital Innovation Hub

Overview

Futures of Innovation and Technology Digital Innovation Hub is created by the community, for the community, having a non-profit purpose. The DIH represents a partnership formed by different entities from the non-profit, public, private, but also from the academic field, all serving the same common goal: to develop and implement a complex process in order to facilitate the digital transformation of SMEs, organizations and public administrations in the Central Region of Romania, with the purpose of increasing the economic, social and administrative competitiveness of the region at European level.

The non-profit objective of FIT DIH is important in this regard and could encourage local companies to improve the overall impact of the local economy. When it is possible not to find the right local partners, the digital innovation hub can connect to the network with other DIHs to find a partner that fits elsewhere in Europe.

A true catalyst for innovation and digitalization, covering a wide range of services, FIT aligns with the four main types of services specific to a DIH. Through these, the hub brings together the entire ecosystem under a common mission, that of accelerated progress towards digitalization and the adoption of emerging technologies, serving both companies with tradition and start-ups and innovators. Our hub's activities towards supporting the local SMEs with their digital transformation are the following:

The “Test before invest” component aims to raise awareness and ensure access to expertise, know-how and digital transformation services, including testing and experimentation facilities.

A living lab is a research concept that can be defined as an open, iterative and user-centered innovation ecosystem, operated at the territorial level (Central Region), integrating research, development and innovation processes in a public-private-people partnership. An excellent way to identify and solve the problems facing society, the living lab allows innovators access to real data and the ability to test proposed solutions in a real-world setting. The smart specialization areas for which we develop the living lab infrastructure are Industry 4.0 and E-health.

Digital competences

Through training, coaching and e-learning programs, we accelerate the rate of adoption of advanced digital skills among SMEs in the Central Region of Romania. In addition to educational programs, a special contribution is the package of modular microservices for the digitalization of companies - FIT Digital Booster. Through modularity and replicability, microservices can be adapted to all industries. The first initiatives in this direction are addressed to SMEs in the fields of Health and HORECA.

Access to investments and financing

Innovation, good ideas and steps forward need resources. Therefore, the FIT Digital Innovation Hub provides support for companies, especially SMEs and start-ups, through services such as: access to financial institutions and investors, supporting the use of InvestEU and other relevant financing mechanisms. As a pilot initiative, we are developing a disruptive start-up identification service to be introduced in an extensive mentoring, acceleration and funding process. In support of SMEs, we are preparing a simplified digital application methodology for public funding.

The DIH’s partners aim to capitalize on existing skills in digital technologies (such as AI, Big Data, AR / VR, robotics, IoT) but also in the emerging ones (Blockchain, 5G, CPS, HPC, cybersecurity) in order to meet the needs of 4 key application areas: 1. Smart cities & digital administration; 2. Industry 4.0 and digitalization industry; 3. E-health and 4. Tourism 4.0.

By implementing good practices regarding the management of Digital Innovation Centers transferred through the participation of the FIT team in the technical assistance projects Smart Factories in New EU Member States and DIHELP, but also by implementing the conclusions drawn from the pilot project dedicated to DIHs - DigitaliseSME, we aim to sustainably develop a series of value chains of digital transformation at the level of the region involving the centers of competence, consultants and designers, technology suppliers and integrators, innovators and startups, beneficiaries and users.

Expertise in digital technologies with which Futures of Innovation and Technology Digital Innovation Hub will operate is owned on the one hand by the University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology "George Emil Palade" in Targu Mures, and on the other hand by the Cluster for Innovation and Technology, among its members are Transilvania University of Brasov and more than 40 technology companies active in the Central Region.

The Futures of Innovation and Technology Digital Innovation Hub is taking part, either directly or through founding partners, of a series of European DIH networks, such as: AgROBOfood, DIH World, DigitaliseSME or DIHNET.eu. Digital technologies.