DIF 2017 concludes

The Digital Innovation Forum (DIF 2017) event, jointly organised by ARTEMIS Industry Association and the EUREKA Cluster ITEA, has concluded.

The two-day event displayed, debated and demonstrated the opportunities created by digital transformation to add value for both industry and society. It focused particularly on smart healthcare, smart energy, smart manufacturing and smart mobility.

Keynote speaker Henk van Houten, CTO of Royal Philips, said: “Digitisation is transforming every industry, and digital solutions will enable industrialisation and personalisation of care.”

The co-organisers, Zeynep Sarilar (ITEA chair) and Laila Gide (president of ARTEMIS Industry Association), worked around the theme that ‘digitalisation is not an option anymore’, and stated that the forum presented an opportunity to experience and share digital innovations and “to explore the future through what we do today.”

Jasper Wesseling, director for innovation and knowledge at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and keynote speaker, said: “To stay competitive in the future, we need to transform our business activities, processes and competencies. SMEs, large companies, universities and research organisations, they all have their role to play in creating European-wide ecosystems for pre-competitive co-operation in the field of R&D.”

Workshops explored the ‘smart’ areas of energy, health, manufacturing and mobility. Topics ranged from standardisation and security to collaboration and business models.

The ARTEMIS panel session on the digital transformation explored the role of large ecosystem projects in accelerating the digital transformation.

During the ITEA community session the role played by open innovation was highlighted in project results and the wider impact stream on both subsequent projects and on industry and society.

Gide and Sarilar reiterated the role of open collaboration across the industry spectrum and the need to develop ecosystems in the digital transformation process.