07.06.2022
Robocoast EDIH Consortium awarded the European Digital Innovation Hub
The European Commission has selected Robocoast EDIH as the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH). A total of four EDIH organisations were selected in Finland. Overall, the Commission selected 136 EDIH organisations from 283 applications, which will serve as an EU-wide knowledge network.
The mission of EDIH organisations is to act as a low-threshold contact point for companies, through which companies can easily find the skills, training, expert resources, partners, development environments they need to utilise different types of digital solutions and modernise their operations. Businesses are offered help
Also the acquisition of funding.
EDIH service activities funded 50 % EU Digital Europe Programme (DEP), 30 % The funding comes from Business Finland and 20 % the share of the funding is self-financing by operational actors. The funding decision is three years, after which the effectiveness of the operations is evaluated. The Robocoast EDIH consortium's budget for the next three years is approximately EUR 3 094 000.
The Robocoast EDIH consortium consists of 15 Finnish higher education institutions and two business companies from 9 different counties. In addition, the Robocoast EDIH Consortium is strongly networked with other EDIH organisations as well as with key national service actors such as CSC, EEN, DIMECC, EIT Digital, Tieke and Crazy Town. From a technology point of view, the strengths of the Robocoast EDIH consortium are expertise in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, automation and robotics. The Robocoast EDIH consortium is coordinated by Prizztech Oy.
Drone technology as a strength of Oamk
Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Oamk) participates in the Robocoast EDIH consortium. Oamk's absolute strength in the consortium is drone technology, test areas and equipment, Arctic Drone Lab Digital Innovation Hub and ATI Center. The Robocoast EDIH consortium distributes these key resources to both Finnish and European industrial companies.
“Oulu has been known worldwide for its ICT expertise, which is now being used in new applications. In addition to promoting digitalisation, Oamk's expertise and Robocoast EDIH support the cross-cutting transport development goals in the Northern Ostrobothnia Transport System Plan 2040, which are competitiveness, emission reduction targets and accessibility," says Tiina Rajala, Development Director of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia.
The actions of the strategic development targets described in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment's RDI road map, such as the ecosystem agreements signed with the cities of university and university centres, are well in line with the goals set for the operations of EDIH organisations. EDIH organisations are also an inventive tool for the practical level of the AI 4.0 programme of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
in implementation.
The Robocoast EDIH consortium implements its EDIH service by operating close to the enterprise interface and identifying challenges related to the modernisation of enterprises, as well as the methods and solutions that best suit these challenges. In addition, the Robocoast EDIH consortium conveys the digital know-how and RDI environments of higher education institutions, as well as technology partners for the needs of companies.
Robocoast EDIH consortium is responsible at national level for industrial companies
promoting digitalisation. During the autumn of 2022, the Robocoast EDIH consortium will organise kick-off events in several different locations, where companies will be informed about EDIH services, the expertise of the consortium's higher education institutions and the opportunities offered by development environments for companies.
