Workshop on European industry digitalisation – the challenges ahead

Join us on 28 June for a deep dive into the challenges facing European industries on the road to digitalisation. 

Europe’s industrial landscape faces several significant challenges in 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a period of economic turbulence, followed by the supply chain crisis, which is currently being exacerbated, in part, by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These developments have impacted the digital transformation of industries in a multitude of ways that have often been contradictory, by making digitalisation simultaneously more essential and more challenging.

The public sector has a role to play in creating an environment that is supportive of business resilience, competitiveness, and innovation. The European Digital Innovation Hub network is a key recent initiative of the EU that will provide access to expertise and support experimentation of companies undergoing the process of digitalisation.

In light of this, we are carrying out a study on the digitalisation of five industries in five different European countries: agrofood in Lithuania, automotive in Hungary, construction in Romania, retail in Poland, and textile in Portugal. The first part of the study explores the remaining gaps in those five country-industry pairs when it comes to digitalisation. This will aid the identification of digitalisation best practices and the implementation of five experiments focusing on technological interventions. As part of the study, we will propose recommendations supporting industry digitalisation in Europe. If you are interested in the topic of industry digitalisation, join us throughout the series of events, each focusing on a different part of our study. 

Our first workshop in the series will focus on the latest digitalisation trends and obstacles faced by SMEs in the agrofood, automotive, construction, retail, and textile industries. We will be joined by industry experts from digital innovation hubs (DIHs), academics, and European Commission representatives. Professor Julian Müller will kick-start the discussion with a presentation on the key issues concerning European industry digitalisation. Industry experts will then discuss the most pressing practical challenges that lay ahead. You will also be among the first to learn more about the recently launched European Digital Innovation Hub network. 

Click here to register for the workshop. 

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Speakers and panelists

		Julian M. Müller is a professor at Kufstein University of Applied Sciences, Austria, and a visiting professor at Corvinius University, Budapest (Hungary). His research interests include Industry 4.0 and digital transformation, technology and innovation management, supply chain management, and sustainability. His research focuses on digital transformation across the entire value chain, for example integrating SMEs better into digital platforms and ecosystems.
		Przemyslaw Kowalski is an expert in the field of adaptation and the transfer of modern technologies to industrial environments. His industry experience is a result of 10 years of work on the implementation of various projects in Europe, Asia, and America. As the current dih4.eu President, Przemyslaw is dedicated to building an efficient and operable network of Digital Innovation Hubs across the EU.
		Pedro Machado is an IT engineer with nearly 30 years of experience in solving business problems with the right technologies. He is an expert on R&D project management, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He is currently managing digital transformation projects for the textile and clothing industry.
		Kristina Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė is the managing director of the AgriFood Lithuania. Her expertise includes product development and innovation managing, working with research and development and implementation, information technologies and services, and ICT products on a cross-sectoral basis. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. focused on evaluating the effectiveness of the green and digital twin transition in the European industries.
		Ionuț Tata Dciolac is a digital visionary and entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in orchestrating change in the public and private sectors. He is the CEO of Iceberg Plus, supporting start-ups in technology transfers in order to develop products and services in the digital industry, photonics, AI & Robotics, smart city, e-health, agrofood, and manufacturing sectors.
		Vivien Varga is a consultant at innomine with experience conducting research on the digital transformation of SMEs in various sectors including automotive, construction, and glass manufacturing. She is also pursuing Ph.D. studies in management and organization. Her research topic focuses on the relationship between entrepreneurial attitudes, agility, and managerial innovation potential and the performance and efficiency of management of medium-sized companies in Hungary.

Agenda (CET)

Tune in on 28 June to join the discussion! Register here.