Unleash the Power – Current State of Digital Play, The CUBE

Located in Portlaoise, Co. Laois, The CUBE supports businesses in the Midlands region of Ireland and has a national reach. Officially opened in March 2023, The CUBE is in its early stages, focused on finding opportunities to aid regional businesses while establishing itself as a sustainable financial entity. Portlaoise stands out as Ireland’s first Low Carbon Town, championing sustainability and attracting businesses committed to a greener future. The CUBE is integral to this vision.

The services provided by EDIH have identified international examples of innovation centres that have overcome similar issues whilst embracing sustainable practices and digitalisation. This research shall help to provide The Cube with the foundation for a model of best practice to help attract and sustain new businesses in Laois.

IDA figures show Laois has the lowest number of IDA-supported jobs in Ireland. The Midlands region, with a population of 324,600 and covering 6,500 square kilometers, was recently named a ‘European Region of the Future’ by the Financial Times’ Intelligence ranking. It boasts clusters in Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, ICT, Life Sciences, and Food and Drink. Presently, this has led to a disconnect with the low number of IDA-supported jobs and a growing population – County Laois has experienced a 56% growth rate in the past twenty years – that is young – the largest young dependency ratio in Ireland at 33.8% – that is highly educated – the Third Level educational attainment is currently at 34.53%.

By engaging with EDIH services, The CUBE aims to address challenges and opportunities for start-ups, investors, and expanding companies in Laois and the Midlands. This includes exploring funding opportunities for digital transformation, identifying training needs, and developing specialized programs to bridge skills gaps in digitalization. The CUBE's impact will be in supporting start-ups, accelerating their growth, enhancing efficiencies, and boosting competitiveness.

We are currently awaiting completion of our EDIH focus group, to identify final opportunities for The CUBE and how digitalisation needs for businesses in the region can be supported through our innovation centre. Tier 2 service is currently under completion also.

To date, we have found the visit to ARC Labs in SETU, Waterford and on-site meeting with the ENTIRE team to be extremely beneficial. This was part of Stage 1, Discovery and Assessment. This was where the EDIH researchers met with The CUBE and explored their needs via discussion of the current use cases, workflow and the CUBE’s aspirational use cases and its proposed direction. Following this, the EDIH researchers proposed an appropriate service as well as content for The CUBE’s path through EDIH. Similarly, this service comprised a digital maturity assessment which allowed us to take a step back and look at any deficiencies, whilst being supported in identifying how The CUBE can not only improve our own digital needs, but also assist businesses in the Midlands region on their digitalisation journey.

The Tier 2 service provided to The CUBE was an investigation into ‘Current State of Digital Play for your Regional Needs.’ The preliminary findings of this investigation provided us with information about similar innovation hubs located in Europe, and potential opportunities that can be implemented by The CUBE. This includes identification of initiatives that were received favourable responses by similar population demographics across Europe as well as strategies that have proven successful in areas with similar resources. We look forward to implementing some of the findings provided to us. 

As The CUBE works towards identifying funding streams, Stage 2 will provide us with a unique overview of the national landscape, EU Horizon, as well as a mind map of network contacts generated during the assessment. This will culminate with an end report that will benefit the future development and direction of The CUBE.

Once Stage 2 of ENTIRE’s service – Current State of Digital Play for your Region -  has been completed and an end report provided to The CUBE, we will be in the position to address any skills and training gaps in the area of digitalisation. This will allow us to support businesses in the Midlands region, providing them with a competitive advantage as they expand their business. 

Stage 2 will allow us to unlock the digital potential not only for The CUBE, but this will in turn also have a positive knock-on effect for businesses located in the Midlands region. 

The report provided to The CUBE summarises the findings to date which indicate a precedent for The CUBE’s goal of setting up a sustainable innovation centre that will attract and inform client businesses. The findings of this service to date have already enhanced The CUBE’s networking with similar centres in Ireland identified and relationships fostered. Although the research provided as part of this EDIH service has captured the demographics and opportunities on the ground. The ENTIRE researchers have also set up focus groups in order to communicate the research conducted at a European level and to ensure that the findings have local presence on the ground.

Online meetings with members of the ENTIRE team have also been advantageous. This has led to collaborations which have brought The CUBE to European networks also which not only increases The CUBE’s visibility and opens links for funding opportunities but also enables The CUBE to learn from others who are further along in their establishment and to develop partnerships with them.

Do's:

• Use a Digital Maturity Assessment: It helps identify areas within the company that require improvement.

• Leverage external support: ENTIRE provided valuable assistance to address areas needing improvement and shared research on similar innovation hubs in Europe, which aids in growth and development.

• Engage in site visits: The in-person visit to ARC Labs in SETU, Waterford, provided valuable insights into the digital potential for businesses.

• Conduct focus groups: Engaging with diverse sectors helps gain insights into their experiences and learnings, which can help tailor support to businesses.

• Position your services effectively: Use the knowledge gained from assessments, visits, and focus groups to uniquely position your hub in supporting businesses with digitalization and training.

Don'ts:

• Don’t overlook the importance of sector-specific insights: Ensure you include representation from various sectors to address their unique needs.

• Don’t delay in applying shared knowledge: Act on the research and insights gained from other innovation hubs and sectoral representation to drive immediate improvements.