Digital Transformation Hub of Rural Europe
▶Summary
The original project application opened with the following sentence: ‘Rural Europe's future in the 21st century will be defined by its ability to engage with digital innovation.’ The entire projec...
▶Objectives
The desired impact of this project was to strengthen the capacity of rural areas to successfully engage with digital innovation. Key to achieving this are digital pioneers which can be defined as individuals that possess a specific set of skills, knowledge and resources that allows them to adopt and disseminate digital innovations prior to others. The DigiTrans Hub aims to nurture a new generation of said digital pioneers by providing understanding of key concepts and practical instruments that allow individuals to understand the impact of digital transformation on their region and develop solutions accordingly. Secondly, in contrast to many existing best-practice databases the DigiTrans Hub allows users to collaborate with each other based on shared interests. Taken together, the DigiTrans project has the potential to unfold a lasting positive impact that is manifested in a growing number of regions that apply ‘smart’ strategies.
▶Activities
Most activities that were carried out throughout the project either directly or indirectly aimed to build up user-networks for the DigiTrans Hub. In PR1, partners interviewed a total of 20 experts in the domain of digital innovation and transformation. These experts continued to be involved in many of the following project activities. In PR3, each partner conducted a multiplier event that was attended by regional stakeholders with a sincere interest to accelerate ‘smart’ initiatives and/or strategies on their own. In PR4, the DigiTrans Hub prototype was evaluated in expert focus groups and via a pilot testing. Both formats targeted experts and users alike. Most importantly, the finalised DigiTrans Hub was showcased to an audience of more than 60 target group representatives during the Final Project Exhibition on December 4th 2024. In addition, partners actively contributed to a regular dissemination of meaningful material such as newsletters and blogposts and thus helped to increase the project results’ visibility and reach. To ensure a lasting impact, a LinkedIn group was established through which partners will continue to promote the DigiTrans Hub and upload relevant content until the end of February.
▶Impact
PR1 Best Practices on Digital Innovation in Rural Europe: The consortium conducted a total of 20 interviews with experts in the domain of digital transformation and compiled the findings in a comprehensive report that highlights key competencies and knowledge elements of a digital pioneer. PR2 Smart Region Workshop Curriculum Guide: Based on the previous findings, a Smart Region Workshop Curriculum on how to implement Smart Region innovation workshops was developed. The curriculum covers key fields of action that include Smart Economy, Smart Mobility, Smart Health, Smart Government, Smart Environment and Smart Living. PR3 Smart Region Activity and Knowledge Menu: Partners developed a total of 19 educational resources that are subdivided into learning nuggets and collaborative tools. These resources were tested in four innovation workshops for their added-value and user-friendliness. PR4 Digital Transformation Hub (DigiTrans Hub) Open Platform: The project’s intellectual centrepiece was the development of the DigiTrans Hub (https://digitranshub.eu/digitrans-hub-2/) - an open exchange and learning platform on which current and potential digital pioneers can engage in the co-design and co-development of digital innovation.