Confindustria Lombardia: an inclusive DIH based on the European model, a step forward for business competitiveness

Milan, 16 June 2017 – The Confindustria Lombardia Presidential Council announced yesterday the creation of the regional Digital Innovation Hub. The DIH, in line with Confindustria’s guidelines and the government’s National Industry 4.0 Plan, will be regionally driven with local branches. A fundamental role will therefore be played by the liaison activities carried out by the local associations, founding members of the DIH, with their member companies.

The task of the Lombardy Digital Innovation Hub – created on the European ‘one-stop shop’ model – will be to provide direction, act as a catalyst, offer strategic vision, and coordinate and enhance local specificities, thereby avoiding duplication and overlap at a regional level.

As stated by Confindustria Lombardia President Alberto Ribolla, “The creation of the Digital Innovation Hub Lombardia, based on the European model, is yet another step forward for the competitiveness of our manufacturing sector and for the entire regional economic system, which is increasingly a national leader in these areas. The regional DIH will become a point of reference, a partner for businesses, helping them to understand and navigate the complexity of the market and technologies, and to implement Industry 4.0.” “The DIH created by Confindustria Lombardia will be an inclusive model, therefore also available to other non-Confindustria entities in the region, from sectoral categories to other associative systems,” concluded Ribolla.

The objectives of the DIH Lombardia will be: to strengthen the level of knowledge and awareness among companies regarding the opportunities offered by digital transformation, including within the scope of the National Industry 4.0 Plan, the European strategy for the digitalisation of industry, and the I4MS programme; to stimulate business demand; and to coordinate and support any other entities with similar aims and purposes established in the region by Confindustria Lombardia members and/or other associations within the Confindustria system.

The regional hub, through its local branches, will therefore provide companies with services related to Industry 4.0, utilising the high-level complementary expertise already present within the Lombardy Confindustria system. This is to help companies, particularly SMEs, navigate the complexity of the market and technologies, regardless of their size or sector. The services provided include: Assessment, Technologies and Digital Transformation, Human Capital 4.0, access to innovation finance, Strategic Consulting, Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, Production 4.0, Supply chain and Go-to-market, Physical infrastructure, and Intangible infrastructure.

Furthermore, the ability of the Lombardy Digital Innovation Hub to initiate collaborations and network at a local, national, and supranational level with key institutional stakeholders, as well as with entities within the innovation ecosystem, will be essential. These collaborations will be formalised through the signing of a preliminary agreement, based on a common format already defined at a regional level, which will serve as the foundation for carrying out joint awareness initiatives.

Attachments

• CS_DIHlombardia_16June2017.pdf