Schramböck: “Digital Innovation Hubs” for all of Austria

Promoting digital transformation of domestic SMEs – 2nd call for proposals enables regional coverage – FFG completes program with four million euros

“Digital transformation is both an opportunity and a challenge for our society and economy. With the ‘Digital Innovation Hubs’, we have created attractive innovation and research networks that specifically support domestic SMEs in their digitalization projects. Together, we are taking on the digital challenges of the future,” emphasizes Margarete Schramböck, Federal Minister for Digitization and Economic Affairs, on the occasion of the jury results now presented for the second call for proposals, which was endowed with four million. “With the regionalization of the digitization hubs that has now been created, all companies will have direct access to top-class partners from research and business. This benefits the entire business location,” Schramböck is convinced. The program, which is specifically designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises in their successful digital development, is managed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).

With the second call for proposals, Austria-wide coverage has now been achieved. A large proportion of domestic SMEs thus have a regional connection to one of the digitization hubs. The contact persons can be found in numerous institutions (universities, universities of applied sciences, competence centers, companies, non-profit organizations) and each offer their services in several provinces in so-called “digital centers”. “The target group SMEs is the clear focus: with the ‘Digital Innovation Hubs’ they get excellent know-how suppliers for their digital innovation projects. The Austria-wide coverage now achieved makes it possible to reach the necessary contact persons in the immediate vicinity. This noticeably shortens the path to success,” said Henrietta Egerth and Klaus Pseiner, Managing Directors of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).

These “digital hubs” are created by successfully networking existing research and innovation institutions, such as universities, universities of applied sciences or competence centers focusing on the topic of digitization, and are intended to be the first port of call for small and medium-sized enterprises. The “Digital Innovation Hubs” will also facilitate and improve participation in European initiatives, because FFG, as the national contact point for European programs, always has the European level in mind as well.

The three existing “Digital Innovation Hubs” will thus be expanded by three more:

DIH innov:ATE (Austria’s Digital Innovation Hub for Agriculture, Timber and Energy).

Topics: Robotics, Automation, AI, Smart Industry & Infrastructure (Cybersecurity, Blockchain), Big Data, Forecasts & Simulation with a special focus on agriculture, timber, forestry and energy.

Province coverage: Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Vienna.

Participating organizations:

• Wood K Plus
• FH Kuchl
• Furniture and Wood Construction Cluster
• University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Institute for Agricultural Engineering
• Josephinum Research
• University of Leoben, Chair of Energy Composite Technology
• Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt
• Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS)
• Know-Center
• THI TECHHOUSE
• Blue Minds Solution

More Information: https://www.dih-innovate.at/ 

DIH South

Topics: Production & manufacturing technologies, security, data science knowledge from data, digital business models & processes, logistics, and the cross-cutting topic of human resources & young talent.

Federal state coverage: Styria, Carinthia, Burgenland

Participating organizations:

• JOANNEUM RESEARCH
• Graz University of Technology
• FH JOANNEUM
• FH Carinthia
• Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt

DIH Working Environment SME

Topics: Digital transformation and innovation, Industry 4.0, eServices, Artifical Intelligence, Security

Province coverage: Upper Austria, Lower Austria

Participating organizations:

• Johannes Kepler University (Linz), Institute for Vocational and Adult Education Research (Linz).
• University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria Campus Hagenberg
• University of Arts (Linz Creative Robotics)
• University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten (Lower Austria)

The tasks of the “Digital Innovation Hubs” are information, further education and digital innovation for the benefit of the target group of SMEs. The call for proposals, which has now ended, was allocated a budget of 4 million euros from funds of the National Foundation (NATS) and is aimed at players with research priorities in the field of digitization for the establishment of further “Digital Innovation Hubs” in Austria. The program of the Federal Ministry for Digitization and Economic Affairs (BMDW) is managed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).