International exchange EDIH's Europe

During the Advanced factories Farah Aziz, Ingrid Meijer, Karolien de Bruine, Thomas van der Lee en Bas Ramaker had several valuable exchanges with a number of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) across Europe to share experiences, approaches, and lessons learned related to SME engagement, AI adoption, and service delivery within regional innovation ecosystems.

Insightful discussions took place with:
Digital Innovation Hub de Catalunya (DIH4CAT) (Spain)
AI EDIH Hungary HU (Hungary)
@EDIH AIRE (Estonia)
@EDIH DinO (Germany)
@EDIH EasyHPC (Greece)
During these exchanges, a wide range of topics was explored, including AI adoption pathways, digital maturity assessments, SME activation strategies, regulatory support, test-before-invest services, and ecosystem collaboration.

Several common challenges were identified across regions, particularly regarding the conversion of initial company interest into long-term service uptake and measurable impact. At the same time, valuable practices were shared, ranging from sector-specific engagement approaches and regulatory sandboxes to demand-driven service portfolios and collaboration with intermediary organisations.

The exchanges provided important insights into how EDIHs across Europe are adapting their approaches to better support SMEs in their digital and AI transformation journeys.

Ingrid Meijer: “By collaborating through the EDIH network, we can connect companies from East Netherlands with organisations across Europe to share knowledge, explore opportunities, and innovate together.”
Many thanks to all participating organisations and representatives for the open discussions and knowledge sharing.