Crowd.li and my-login.li – Building Blocks for a Digital Innovation Ecosystem exemplified by BusinessAssistant.li – How to connect EDIHs and SME across Europe

The already successful collaboration between Beneficiary FOGS AG – weblab.li and GB Marketing & Solutions GmbH (gbms.li) on “expert-hub.li” (see EDIH / Success Stories) established the foundation for further common activities. 

The boost in digital transformation based on Artificial Intelligence presents big challenges especially for small and midsize companies (SME). SME are required to be compliant with the new EU AI Act, additionally they face new challenges regarding GDPR conform use of a new technology.

The project “Public API: The Foundation for a Digital Ecosystem in Liechtenstein” by FOGS AG – weblab.li emphasises the importance of establishing foundations for structured cooperation between SME and the public sector, standardisation in technology and data, and providing relevant APIs.

The Austrian Startup HalloSophia by Finothek GmbH has launched its AI platform BusinessAssistant.AI for access to leading AI models with the highest data protection standards, developed specifically for consulting firms and management—without compromising confidentiality and compliance.

GBMS aims making BusinessAssistant.li available for the Liechtenstein market, creating synergies with the expert advisory portal expert-hub.li and providing maximum support for SME putting AI quickly and securely into practice.

The main objective of FOGS AG – weblab.li is building a digital ecosystem (according to Public API project) that creates the necessary interfaces that connect companies and public institutions efficiently, provides digital solutions, and enables cross-industry collaboration.

FOGS AG – weblab.li has designed the central platform “crowd.li – Digital Room for Innovation”. In cooperation with intension GmbH, Germany, my-login.li has been developed as a Single sign-on solution for the Liechtenstein market in combination with crowd.li based on the “Public API” project.

FOGS AG – weblab.li supported GBMS with 
-details and requirements regarding “Public API” project
-business model development of BusinessAssistant.li
-analysis of synergies for enhanced business model for expert-hub.li and BusinessAssistant.LI based on ecosystem approach
-definition of technical interfaces
-project management

The ensuing strong partnership has already been established as a blueprint for successful cross-border collaboration in Europe

With BusinessAssistant.LI, GBMS provides in cooperation with crowd.li and finothek GmbH a modern online platform for the Liechtenstein market that combines the performance and capabilities of leading language models with high EU standards for data security and privacy. This is ensured through data processing agreements with European entities that include No-Training & No-Logging guarantees, communication encryption, LLM hosting in the EU or processing under GDPR-compliant contracts with EU-based entities of all selected model providers, and user autonomy to choose between model providers per request (e.g., Mistral, Google, OpenAI) and to activate encryption for storing their chats.

There has been no further public investment on the project. FOGS AG has provided its contribution free of charge to continue and foster the goals of the “Public API” project as the foundation of the development of a digital ecosystem. 

Innovation Ecosystem crowd.li
Crowd.li has started the basic core infrastructure (crowd.li platform and my-login.li) and the first part of its digital innovation ecosystem with the area “Services”.

The provided solution consists of the following core elements for the innovation ecosystem:

-crowd.li platform 
-my-login.li 
-operation and hybrid approach 
-partnership model 

crowd.li platform

crowd.li - Digital space for innovation - The platform that connects knowledge, people and technology in Liechtenstein.

Crowd.li aims to:

-become the leading online platform for promoting innovation in Liechtenstein and the region as the central digital space for Liechtenstein
- present and connect different platforms and digital solutions
- create the necessary interfaces between people and technology as a digital ecosystem
- connect knowledge, people and technology on one single platform
- develop together with partners cross-industry solutions and offer new digital tools and products

my-login.li is

- a Single sign-on solution (SSO)
-establishing a common user base
-providing access to different platforms and services of crowd.li and its partners
-a basis for connecting to different identities (eID, European Digital Identity, Self Sovereign Identity)

-a central payment service for access to ecosystem services
-a basis for prototypes showing necessary technical extension of Liechtenstein eID services to SME

Operation and hybrid approach

With SGM Management Establishment (digihub.li’s beneficiary), a successful basis and synergies are provided in its function as reliable leader of overall strategy and operator of core building blocks of a digital ecosystem (crowd.li and my-login.li).

SGM has initiated the project “Building the Future of Collaboration: Coworking Space 2.0” (see success story). Coworking Space 2.0 has led to the successful follow-up project “Egerta Schaan”, a building project of 2100 m2 and a budget of over EUR 13 mio. With “Egerta Schaan” (egerta-schaan.li), a modern coworking environment and physical room for innovation will be created. With crowd.li, SGM is running a digital platform for fostering innovation as a digital counterpart to the project “Egerta Schaan”, following ahybrid approach. SGM is already acting as an important driver and accelerator for the innovation ecosystem in Liechtenstein with high future potential.

The partnership model supports

- common innovation and business model development between SME across sectors and borders
-structured cooperation between public and private sector
-an organisational framework for connecting SME, NGOs and public sector organisations in strategy, innovation, technology, services and topics

BusinessAssistant.LI – an ecosystem service – benefits and synergies

The result of the service is the development of a new business model for GBMS that is based on a modern online platform. BusinessAssistant.li offers a state-of-the-art AI business platform with the following functions:

- Access to leading language models with strong performance, processing under GDPR-compliant data processing agreements with EU-based entities
- No-Training & No-Logging guarantees
- Communication encryption
- LLM hosting in the EU or processing under GDPR-compliant contracts with EU-based entities of all selected model providers
- User autonomy to choose between different model providers per request (Mistral (FR only), Google Vertex AI (BE only), OpenAI (IE + SCC US))
- Core Tools (Web Search, Code Interpreter, File Interpretation, Image Generation)
- Create and utilise custom applications

According to our ecosystem approach, the following synergies have been implemented between the two independent platforms BusinessAssistant.LI and expert-hub.li:

- single access to both platforms with my-login.li
-new category / labelling for AI-experts on expert-hub.li
-AI experts can upgrade their profile on expert-hub.li and be connected to BusinessAssistant.LI
-SME can get direct support from AI-experts of expert-hub.li (for prompting, legal advice, etc.)

The initiative offers valuable insights and practical advice for future projects and EDIHs undertaking similar projects. Here are the key lessons learned:

Do’s:

• Invest sufficient time in planning: A robust planning phase sets a solid foundation for the project. It ensured that all subsequent steps were strategically aligned with the overarching goals.
• Strongly adapt steps based on insights: Flexibility in adjusting processes based on findings from earlier phases proved essential. This iterative approach allowed the project to remain relevant and effective.
• Start with qualitative interviews: Using qualitative interviews and the basis of pre-project “Public API” as a starting point was instrumental in gaining in-depth insights and understanding the nuances of stakeholder needs.
• Communicate strategically with stakeholders: Navigating the complexities of stakeholder interactions with clarity and purpose strengthened involvement and enhanced the quality of insights. By elucidating the rationale behind processes, stakeholders were more engaged and better positioned to contribute meaningfully.
• Stay flexible throughout the project lifecycle: Adaptability fosters innovation and responsiveness to emerging challenges.

Don’ts:

• Stick rigidly to non-working ideas: In hindsight, involving experts at an earlier stage could have accelerated problem-solving and enriched project outcomes.
• Adhere strictly to the original scope when greater potential exists: Recognising the broader potential of the activity early on, so the business idea has been successfully expanded to match with follow-up projects and other platforms.
• Overlook the importance of clear communication: Ensure that all stakeholders understand the goals and processes to align contributions effectively and boost collaborative engagement.

By integrating these lessons, EDIHs and their partners can enhance project effectiveness and maximise their impact across diverse initiatives.