It’s time to shine a spotlight on the winners of the first-ever EDIH Network Awards, announced at the EDIH Network Summit 2024. With categories focused on green digitalisation, human-centered AI, digital skills and collaboration, the awards celebrated outstanding projects that are driving digital transformation through innovative solutions.
The winners tackled major challenges and shook things up with forward-looking ideas across sectors including industrial manufacturing, textile production, education, and the arts.
Collaboration: Lithuania’s game-changing partnership
In the Collaboration category, Lithuania's European Digital Innovation Hub for Industry, Agrofood and Energy sectors (EDIH4IAE.LT) was praised for its partnership with Baltec CNC Technologies, a leader in manufacturing precision mechanical components. Faced with resource limitations and scaling challenges, the hub introduced robotic manipulators and Industrial Internet of Things-based monitoring systems.
This approach not only automated Baltec's machining process but also increased productivity by 30%. Further gains included funding for innovative projects, strengthening Baltec’s market position.
Digital Skills: Finland’s leap in education
HealthHub Finland (HHFIN) took home the award for Digital Skills, thanks to its collaboration with educational technology company ThingLink. The hub developed an AI-assisted functionality for the company’s scenario builder, a tool for creating interactive learning content.
Through task automation, such as converting text into interactive content, generating course descriptions, and suggesting templates, the new functionality makes it easier to create training materials. Its potential goes further: it can improve training efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance accessibility for learners, advancing industries where knowledge and compliance are essential.
Human-Centered AI: Germany reimagines culture
The Human-Centered AI award went to Enabling Digital Transformation in Hesse (EDITH) for its collaboration with the cultural institution Staatstheater Darmstadt. Facing operational inefficiencies, the theatre worked with EDITH to introduce a real-time ticket sales visualisation system, a blockchain-based NFT loyalty programme, and a digital twin for stage planning.
These solutions improved customer retention, increased production capacity, and boosted revenue, setting a new standard for digital transformation in the arts.
Green Digitalisation: Catalonia’s textile revolution
The winner in the Green Digitalisation category was Catalonia Digital Innovation Hub (DIH4CAT) with its groundbreaking ARACNE project, developed in partnership with textile manufacturer CANMARTEX and Eurecat. By leveraging AI and advanced imaging technologies, the ARACNE quality control system ensures 100% defect detection in textile production, minimising industrial waste through predictive and preventive measures.
With this solution, CANMARTEX increased sales by 20% and set a benchmark for sustainable practices in the industry.
People’s Choice: Cross-border collaboration at its best
Adding to Spain’s success, the Canary Islands Digital Innovation Hub (CIDIHUB), together with ARAGON EDIH and T4EfficiencyEDIH, received the People’s Choice Award for their Triangular Series project. This initiative tackled regional challenges by integrating the hubs’ complementary expertise to deliver tailored digitalisation services to SMEs.
They created a scalable and replicable framework for inter-hub collaboration, piloting a shared training programme focused on digital skills and tools for SMEs, which also expanded their ‘test before invest’ services.
Paving the way for the future
These stories of progress highlight the EDIH Network’s power to transform industries and communities through collaboration, creativity, and advanced technology. As the first edition of the awards comes to an end, the momentum built at the EDIH Network Summit 2024 promises a future filled with innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity for Europe. The ongoing dedication of EDIHs will continue to drive impactful change, ensuring even more remarkable success stories in the years ahead.
For more details about the awarded projects, visit the EDIH Network Awards page.
Details
- Publication date
- 13 December 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology