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Digital Catapult is excited to announce the completion of the EU-funded DigiFed programme, a collaborative endeavour committed to fostering digital innovation in Europe and facilitating the rapid adoption of cutting-edge digital technologies among EU SMEs.
As the UK’s authority on advanced digital technology, Digital Catapult played a pivotal role in the successful execution of the DigiFed programme. Leveraging its expertise, Digital Catapult took charge of designing and implementing the Digital Challenge tool, while spearheading the seamless delivery of associated activities.
This facilitated the entry of three large European organisations, GE Hydro, Acciona, and EDF Hydro, into the thriving European innovator ecosystem as Digital Challenge Owners. Through this engagement, these organisations gained invaluable access to a vast network of solution providers, enabling them to identify and collaborate with experts capable of implementing bespoke solutions to address their unique requirements.
To address the specific challenges, DigiFed onboarded four innovative technology companies from Europe:
- CATIE and Aquila Technologies from France took on the challenge of developing an Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) system for GE Hydro France;
- ISYmap, another French company, partnered with EDF Hydro France to implement drone technology for visual inspections;
- Instrumentation Technologies, hailing from Slovenia, collaborated with Acciona from Spain to enable predictive operations of water treatment plants.
The solutions developed underwent rigorous testing and validation procedures both in lab and relevant industrial settings at the digital challenge owner’s sites. These ensured that the solutions met all necessary criteria outlined by the challenge owners, encompassing both required and desired specifications.
In all three projects, the digital challenge owners have committed to fostering ongoing collaboration with the four SMEs. Recognising the value and impact of their partnership, all companies intend to sustain and further nurture these collaborative relationships.
Using DigiFed’s program and the Digital Challenge Innovation tool, the digital challenge owners embarked on a transformative journey to discover new European suppliers and collaborate with technology innovators and experts to develop a customised solution for their real business challenges. By adopting this approach, they benefited from a de-risked, cost-efficient, and expedited digital transformation of their business operations.
Additionally, the technology innovators were afforded a unique opportunity to tackle a tangible industry challenge, augment their existing value proposition by designing and implementing a novel product, and amplify its value through technical expertise, innovation support, and access to pilot sites for testing and validation. Supported by Digital Catapult throughout their journey, this experience has opened the door for the innovators to explore potential commercial prospects and venture into new markets, expanding their reach and paving the way for future growth and success.
Read the success story highlighting the achievements of Acciona in leveraging the Digital Challenge Innovation tool to solve key challenges in the water treatment industry here. The success story serves as a testament to the tangible impact of the DigiFed project and the transformative potential of digital innovation.