EIP-AGRI seminar ‘Digital Innovation Hubs: mainstreaming digital agriculture’

The European Commission is organising the EIP-AGRI seminar ‘Digital Innovation Hubs: mainstreaming digital agriculture’
 
It will take place on 1-2 June 2017 in Kilkenny, Ireland, and we are looking for participants!
 
Universities, research technology organisations, farmers, farmer's organisations,  entrepreneurs, SMEs, start-ups, incubators, investors, EU regions and member states, innovation brokers, agriculture advisory services, EU networks and platforms and anyone who may have relevant ideas or experience with engaging in, designing and/or developing ecosystems for the collaborative development of Digital Innovation Hubs in agriculture across Europe are invited to apply.
 
If you are interested in participating, please fill in the application form before 8 March 2017. Please forward this email to others who also may be interested.
 
Scope and objectives
 
The farming sector has never stopped innovating and every generation brings new technological and organisational improvements and competencies. However, the pace of technological innovation is proceeding faster than ever before and there is a need to ensure that the agriculture sector is taking fully advantage of this "digital revolution". Main actors in the agriculture sector and ICT developers have difficulties to see which and where is the real added value of these technologies, to decide when to invest, up to which level and in which technologies.
 
In this sense, the EU is supporting the development of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs). A DIH is a support facility that helps both, agriculture businesses and ICT companies - within their region or beyond - to become more competitive by improving their business/production processes as well as products and services by means of digital technology. DIHs act as one-stop-shop enabling any business to access the latest knowledge, expertise and technology for testing and experimenting with digital innovations. They provide connections with investors, facilitate access to financing for digital transformations, and help connect users in agriculture and ICT suppliers of digital innovations across the value chain.

The main objective of this event is to enable policy makers, research and technology organisations, the agriculture sector and investors to share knowledge, expertise and needs to develop Digital Innovation Hubs for agriculture.
 
Please forward this information to other people you think might be interested to participate in the seminar and to share their experiences and ideas on Digital Innovation Hubs for agriculture!
 
The selected participants will be informed by the end of March. If required, travel and accommodation (hotel) costs for participants may be paid for by the European Commission.
 
For further information, see the event page on the EIP-AGRI website.