Technology leaders unite forces!

Country progress and prosperity is increasingly determined by digitization in business and the public sector. So far, Lithuania lags behind the most digitally advanced EU countries by the scope of introducing robotics, databases, artificial intelligence, and cyber security. In Lithuania, as little as every tenth company has digitized its processes. This is a reason why labor productivity in Lithuania is more than twice lower compared to the EU countries that are digitization leaders. This gap continues growing fast due to insufficient technology use.

 

16 Lithuanian organizations decided to unite and change this situation. They include Lithuanian universities, Digital Technology Centres (DTCs), associations uniting industrial and information technology companies, and private sector leaders in digital technologies. Experienced in digitization projects, they all have established the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) of Central and Western Lithuania.

 

Such centres are being set up across Europe and networked to strengthen the competitiveness of countries and Europe as a whole. EDIH will aim to help companies transition into the next generation of the digital economy age, where competitiveness depends on the manufacturing digitization level, namely to what extent automation, robotization, services and processes are digitized.

 

EDIH will operate as a one-stop-shop and provide innovation support and advisory services to businesses and public authorities.

 

EDIH plans to assist more 500 companies in the Central and Western Lithuania, so that more than 1,000 processes will be digitized, and more than 5,000 staff will be trained to use digital technologies at work. Before investing, companies will be able to test the digital technologies they intend to procure and install, and evaluate their performance.

 

EDIH consists of 16 organizations operating throughout Lithuania and representing various areas of competence and experience.

 

Research and study establishments:

• Kaunas University of Technology
• ISM University of Management and Economics
• Mykolas Romeris University
• Lithuanian Cybercrime Centre of Excellence for Training, Research and Education L3CE

• Klaipėda University

• Lithuanian University of Health Sciences

 

Associations and businesses:

• Association INFOBALT
• Lithuanian Engineering Industry Association LINPRA
• Technology Centre Intechcentras
• Uosto Verslo Centras, UAB
• Centre of Excellence Baltic Technology Park, VSI
• Vilnius Industry and Business Association
• Pažangios Inovacijos, UAB
• Columbus Lietuva, UAB
• NRD CS, UAB
• Blue Bridge Code, UAB

 

On 28 September 2020, the 12 partners of the consortium submitted an application to MITA (the Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology) aiming to receive EU funding for EDIH activities. EDIH activities are administered by EDIH Coordinator, Kaunas University of Technology.