• Europe’s rural areas are still struggling to keep up in the digital age. Many countryside communities lack access to broadband internet, skills and technologies to keep their businesses competitive

• Under the Horizon 2020 initiative, the new AURORAL project seeks to reverse the “digital divide” between urban and rural areas by delivering a comprehensive digital environment of interoperable service platforms

• Joining a consortium of top European partners, DIGITAL SME will play a pivotal role facilitating ecosystem building, the management and promotion of an SME open call, and developing policy and standardisation recommendations.

Rural businesses are struggling. Due to a lack of connectivity, skills, and access to emerging technologies, rural SMEs, in particular, have difficulties competing on the Internal Single Market. This leads to a “double digital divide”[1]: a lack of connectivity on the supply-side, and a lack of digital skills for emerging technologies on the demand-side. In addition to an exacerbated lack of digital skills in rural areas, the urban-rural gap in broadband penetration has remained virtually unchanged between 2010 (16%) and 2019 (14.6%).[2]

To help bridge this gap, DIGITAL SME is supporting the new AURORAL project to place Europe’s rural areas at the forefront of digital innovation. AURORAL aims to increase connectivity and digitalisation of rural areas by providing a comprehensive digital environment of interoperable service platforms. This connected digital environment will allow rural businesses, the overwhelming majority of which are SMEs, to utilise emerging technologies and stay competitive on an increasingly fierce and international market.

Through the participation in AURORAL, DIGITAL SME further delivers on its objective of Sustainable Digitalisation. It ensures that a vital part of European SMEs—those located in rural areas—are not left behind in the digital race. This is especially crucial for SMEs in sectors such as agrifood, crafts, tourism, and retail, which account for a substantial share of Europe’s GDP. By providing the possibility to use emerging technologies and embark on their own digitalisation journey—facilitated by other innovative ICT SMEs and their ecosystems—rural businesses can stay competitive and create much-needed jobs and prospects in their communities.

Smart village communities for sustainable rural development across Europe

The AURORAL project focuses on “smart villages”, a relatively new paradigm in the EU policy landscape aiming for sustainable rural development. Smart villages are understood as “communities in rural areas that use innovative solutions to improve their resilience, building on local strengths and opportunities.”[3]

By providing digital tools and services in an open and transparent online marketplace, AURORAL’s digital environment will allow rural communities to share and exchange data, innovative products and services, matching technology and end-users in need of it. This marketplace will be supported by an open innovation ecosystem of developers, service and application providers as well as platform operators and user communities.

AURORAL will be implemented and tested in five EU member states and in five different domains: smart health, smart energy, smart mobility, smart farming and smart tourism. In addition, SMEs selected through a competitive open call will validate AURORAL’s solution. This will allow the project consortium to assess and demonstrate the acceptance by the local and regional ecosystem actors and end-users.

DIGITAL SME’s role: ecosystem building

The project of more than €16 million is led by the Alentejo Regional Development Agency. Other partners include rural innovation stakeholders (Smart Innovation Norway, Catalonian Bioenergy Cluster, Kemi technology park in Lapland, etc.), world-class technical research centres and universities (CERTH, Polytechnic University of Madrid) as well as digital SMEs and leading industrial companies.

It takes a village to build a community. And from DIGITAL SME’s ‘village’, an extensive network of digital SME innovators, deep expertise and valuable knowledge in sustainable digitalisation will be brought to the table. DIGITAL SME’s role will be to contribute to ecosystem building, connecting the members of rural innovation ecosystems (digital SMEs, local universities, industrial bodies) and local and regional authorities managing the rural development funds. In addition, DIGITAL SME will contribute to the management and promotion of the SME open call.

DIGITAL SME will also develop policy and standardisation recommendations to ensure the interoperability of the project architecture, as well as recommendations on developing an investment platform that will support investors and private stakeholders in providing new services.

Learn more about AURORAL by visiting the project website.

[1] https://enrd.ec.europa.eu/sites/enrd/files/s4_rural-businesses-factsheet_digital-hubs.pdf

[2] DESI 2020. Connectivity – Broadband market developments in the EU, p. 13 (https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=67079)

[3] https://enrd.ec.europa.eu/smart-and-competitive-rural-areas/smart-villages/smart-villages-portal_en?2nd-language=cs

• On 29 October 2020, DIGITAL SME hosted an online event titled “Digitalisation in the Energy Sector: Thermal Energy contribution to the Green Deal”, focussing on the SABINA project that tries to enhance buildings’ energy consumption through thermal inertia

• Digitalisation of the energy sector brings tremendous benefits in terms of energy efficiency and climate neutrality, positively contributing to the Green Deal

• Experts agreed that data sharing, standardisation, and interoperability are crucial enablers of market efficiency and competition, leading to the introduction of innovative solutions to achieve the “Twin Transition”

The objective of a climate-neutral economy presents enormous challenges for the energy sector. Renewable energy—including thermal technology—is one of the solutions to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Finding a way to effectively “turn buildings into batteries” by interlocking their thermal inertia with the energy grid is the goal of the SABINA project.

Four years of work, one step towards the Twin Transition

On 29 October 2020, DIGITAL SME organised a Policy Webinar on “Digitalisation in the Energy Sector: Thermal Energy contribution to the Green Deal”. This event highlighted the past four years of work done within the SABINA project. It presented the possibilities of scaling up energy-related technologies that use IoT standards to reach maximum benefits for producers and consumers in the energy market while increasing climate neutrality at the same time.

How can technologies such as SABINA contribute to the overall energy efficiency of buildings and extend such benefits to neighbourhoods and even cities? And how can digitalisation and standardisation address these challenges? At the Policy Webinar, experts in energy, construction, and digitalisation engaged in an interactive discussion to discuss and answer the questions above.

First, Antonio Kung, CEO of Trialog, and a key partner in H2020 project InterConnect underlined that to create a positive impact in the energy market, new technologies should be developed through a flexible and interoperable ecosystem in two main areas: energy and ICT. In addition, Mr Kung gave his vision on how policy and standardisation can help the energy domain, providing guidance for IoT use cases, semantic interoperability, IoT data frameworks, IoT trustworthiness and interoperability. He also asserted that digitalisation in the energy sector shall contribute to an enhanced ecosystem that provides benefits to all stakeholders and enable them to better understand the market needs.

Next, Andrew Bolitho, Senior Energy Management Consultant at SMS, presented the achievements and the benefits of SABINA. He said that “If we want to achieve climate neutrality, then the entire energy system has to be decarbonised. Moreover, our behaviour and interaction with the market have to change significantly.  SABINA is essential in addressing these objectives”. Mr Bolitho stressed that SABINA is effective in creating flexibility and highlighted its strong capability in managing energy costs. He concluded his speech with a call for action to governments to provide policies that support flexibility.

Achieving the twin transition thanks to the digitalisation of the energy sector

Then, the Policy Webinar continued with the roundtable discussion which saw the interesting contribution of participants from the public and private sector. They brought their knowledge and experience concerning how different stakeholders could contribute to the EU’s energy targets by embracing digitalisation in their core activities.

The construction sector is facing several challenges related to the green transition, firstly in relation to the turnover rate of buildings that should be higher than 2% per year, as stressed by Vittorio Cossarini (President of AssoESCo – Italian Association of Energy Service Companies). Mr Cossarini affirmed that digitalisation is important with regard to the way we design and build, as well as the prediction of energy consumption in buildings using Artificial Intelligence. Pietro Bertelli from Alperia Bartucci highlighted how AI and a higher level of automation can help Europe reach its climate neutrality goalsThrough the presentation of “The Concrete Initiative”, Francesco Biasioli (Secretary General of ERMCO) explained how thermal inertia works in buildings. “We need to work with systems which allow dynamic energy modelling and SABINA is doing exactly that”, Mr Biasioli explained before stressing the need for architects and people involved in planning and execution of construction to take into consideration solutions that help to optimise the use of thermal energy, transforming buildings into “batteries” and enhancing energy efficiency.

Figure A: Scaling up energy efficiency using IoT and Smart Cities

Omar Dhaher from the European DIGITAL SME Alliance discussed standards identified for the project and their role in enhancing data-sharing and interoperability with other stakeholders’ systems and solutions. According to Mr Dhaher, the real value of solutions such as SABINA is their ability to share and use data to provide better information to consumers, prosumers, and producers. However, for SABINA and similar digital solutions to effectively work, policymakers need to acknowledge the need for accessible, fair, and open data. Standardisation in the area of data exchanges and interoperability can be strategically viewed as a vehicle to promote and strengthen competition in the energy markets.

SABINA and similar IoT solutions can act as a middle-ware between smart cities and the common European data spaces, a key element of the EU Data Strategy to enhance access to data. At the same time, allowing access to data will provide more information regarding de-carbonisation and contribute to the Green Deal goals. As such, SABINA is an interesting manifestation of the twin transition, i.e., providing environmental solutions through digital transformation.

The importance of data sharing and standardisation in the energy sector

At the end of the session, speakers unanimously agreed that data sharing and interoperability in the context of Smart Cities and Common European Data Spaces can achieve more flexibility in the energy mix and increase competition for efficiency. In this framework, standards come into play as key enablers of innovative solutions, which enable the energy market to grow and achieve the Green Deal by 2050.

For more information on the SABINA project, visit the project website here: https://sabina-project.eu

Digital Services & Markets: Towards an open and competitive digital space for SMEs

The Digital Services Act package will lay the legal foundation of Europe’s internet economy of the future. What will that mean for SMEs? Join the debate on 22 January via the webinar by registering below or simply watch the live-stream via YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter!

Add to Calendar

On 15 December 2020, the European Commission published two pieces of legislation that will update the rules for digital companies in Europe: a Digital Services and a Digital Markets Act, collectively known as the Digital Services Act package. In a nutshell, the Digital Services Act (DSA) focuses on illegal content. On the other hand, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) promises to tackle the dominance of large gatekeeper platforms like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft (GAFAM).

At DIGITAL SME, we believe that Europe needs an open, fair, and competitive digital ecosystem that enables innovation. Continuous dialogue and information flow between the stakeholders can help to create a better system for all. Therefore, DIGITAL SME is organising an online exchange with the European Commission about the Digital Services Act package.

Join us for a debate between policymakers and representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to discuss the proposed solutions for a fair and competitive digital ecosystem. This will ultimately allow SMEs and a wider audience to gain first-hand insights about the proposals of the Digital Services Act package, which may substantially shape digital markets in the years to come.

Agenda

15.00 – 15.05	Welcome by DIGITAL SME
15.05 – 15.15	Opening Statement by Prabhat Agarwal, Head of Unit Digital Services and Platforms at DG CONNECT, European Commission
15.15 – 16.00	Panel discussion: How to create a fair and competitive digital environment for SMEs? Speakers: Prabhat Agarwal, Head of Unit Digital Services and Platforms at DG CONNECT, European Commission Margarete Rudzki, Head of Unit Digital Economy, German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) Frank Karlitschek, CEO, Nextcloud Anna Cavazzini, MEP, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance Moderated by DIGITAL SME
16.00 – 16.15	Closing remarks Tiemo Wölken, MEP, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats

Register

 

With support from the COMPACT Project

• The European Commission has today published two pieces of legislation that will update the rules for digital companies in Europe: a Digital Services and a Digital Markets Act.

• In a nutshell, the Digital Services Act (DSA) focuses on illegal content, while the Digital Markets Act (DMA) promises to tackle the dominance of large gatekeeper platforms like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft (GAFAM)

• DIGITAL SME welcomes these new rules as they support a more competitive and open market environment for upcoming digital companies.

Today, the European Commission has published its long-awaited rules for digital services and digital markets. One of them, the Digital Markets Act, defines “do’s and don’ts” to address imbalances in digital markets. “Large gatekeeper platforms are dominant across different fields, e.g. search and browser, app stores and operating systems, or social media and instant messaging. Their dominance allows them to attract ever-more users and collect more data about customers, which confirms their dominance even more. We are happy that the European Commission is taking bold steps to bring back fairness to digital markets”, said DIGITAL SME President Dr Oliver Grün in a first statement.

Addressing market imbalances

Power imbalances and the practice of limiting access to newcomers is not new in digital markets. In the 2000s, the so-called “browser wars” served as a first indicator of what was to come. In 2009, DIGITAL SME backed the Commission on its antitrust investigation against Microsoft for tying Explorer to Windows. Similarly, in 2016, DIGITAL SME spoke out against the dominant position of Google’s Playstore on Android phones. “In both cases, we decided to speak up because we believe that Europe needs an open and competitive digital ecosystem that enables innovation”, said President Grün. However, the approach to tackle these issues with competition law has not been a full success. As Commissioner Breton told POLITICO Pro Morning Tech today: “We have tried in the past to address gatekeeper issues through competition cases. But these cases took years to instruct.”

With the Digital Markets Act, regulators will have the option to address certain unfair practices of large gatekeeper platforms. “We welcome that the European Commission proposes targeted legislation rather than a one-size-fits-all type of legislation. The majority of problems are caused by a handful of players, and therefore, a targeted approach is the right way to go”, remarked President Grün.

New rules for new challenges?

The second document published today is the Digital Services Act. The DSA will focus more on the “wild west” nature of the internet, i.e. illegal goods and content. Rampant disinformation, election interference on social media, and the sale of faulty goods are just a few examples of challenges the Act aims to tackle.

In an effort to harmonise the rules of how goods and services are bought and sold online in Europe, the DSA will upgrade the 20-year-old e-commerce Directive, which regulated the distribution of content online while limiting the liability of internet service providers and intermediaries like large platforms. This limited liability enabled the success of many business models like YouTube or Facebook which live off third-party content that is not moderated in real-time.

The Digital Services Act now attempts to curb some of the negative effects of limited liability while upholding the general principle. At the same time, it aims to create harmonised rules across Europe, e.g. for notice-and-action mechanisms. “We are happy that also in the DSA, the Commission refrained from taking a one-size-fits-all approach,” said President Grün after a first analysis of the document.

Stricter rules will apply to platforms with at least 45 million users: they will have to collaborate with regulators and fulfil data access requirements for researchers. Further, the DSA includes Know-Your-Customer obligations, a Good Samaritan principle and a new enforcement mechanism. And here comes the stick: Companies that don’t comply with the legislation could be fined up to six per cent of their annual revenue.

Stay abreast of everything DMA/DSA!

If you’d like to know more about the DMA and the DSA, you can read the European Commission’s official press release here. You can find our detailed position paper on the Digital Services Act here. Also, stay tuned for a debate about the impact of the DMA on SMEs, which we will organise in January 2021! To keep up with all our updates, you can subscribe to our newsletter and mailing lists here!

Are you an innovative digital SME or start-up? Are you working on innovative data-driven products or services? Are you getting close to the market but need some support? Then we might have a solution for you!

The EuHubs4Data First Open Call offers:

• 60,000€ to develop your idea
• technical and business support (you can see our service catalogue HERE)
• visibility and promotion

What do you need to do?

• have an innovative idea to develop data-driven product or service: it should be ready to be delivered to market the in nine months
• choose at least two services from our catalogue HERE (offered by at least two different providers) which you need to implement your idea
• get inspired by the specific challenges set up by the European Data Spaces (See the list in pg. 21-22 in the document HERE) and make sure that your idea answers one of them!
• Check whether you are eligible (criteria listed below).

Do you think you have it all? Great! Then find more information and all relevant documentation here: https://euhubs4data.eu/1st-open-call/
And start your application procedure here:  https://www.f6s.com/euhubs4data

Eligibility criteria:

• Fall under EU definition of an SME (the definition can be found HERE)
• Be established in one of the EU Member States or one of the Overseas Countries and Territories; or in one of the H2020 Associated countries (a full list can be found HERE)

Application, selection and implementation process:

• If you wish to apply, FIND ALL INFORMATION HERE
• Fill in the application form HERE no later than 8 February 2021 noon (CET)
• Wait for the selection results to be communicated on the week of 5 of April 2021
• In May, 2021 start nine-months implementation process and develop your idea with our support!

If you have any questions, contact Justina Bieliauskaite (j.bieliauskaite@digitalsme.eu) or attend one of the two Information Sessions on 18 December or 12 January!

Register now

Disclaimer: the Open Call is organised by the EUHubs4Data project which aims to consolidate as the European reference for data driven innovation and experimentation, fostering collaboration between data driven initiatives in Europe, federating solutions in a global common catalogue of data services, and sharing data in a cross-border and cross-sector basis. For more information, visit: https://euhubs4data.eu/

This project receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 95177

• On 1 December, elections took place at the General Assembly of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

• DIGITAL SME is represented by Massimo Vanetti (vice-chair) and Secretary-General Sebastiano Toffaletti (board member), who will champion inclusiveness at ETSI on behalf of Small Business Standards (SBS)

• Nevania Nikoloski from the Swiss company Phonak was re-elected as chairwoman of the ETSI General Assembly

Brussels, 2 December 2020 (DIGITAL SME/SBS). Small business representation at ETSI will remain strong for the next mandate period! At Tuesday’s General Assembly elections, DIGITAL SME/SBS expert Massimo Vanetti was elected as vice-chair of the General Assembly. Mr Vanetti’s election formally recognises his (literally) far-reaching engagement for the interests of small businesses in standardisation, including an enormous success achieved when India adopted oneM2M as a national standard earlier this year.

DIGITAL SME Secretary-General Sebastiano Toffaletti was re-elected as member of the board. “On behalf of SBS, I am committed to championing inclusiveness of SMEs and other under-represented stakeholders in ETSI”, Mr Toffaletti said in a statement after his re-election. “It is crucial to show SMEs in particular that standards can be a tool to facilitate their digital transformation and innovativeness—not just a boring and incomprehensible ‘black box'”.

Continuing the strong signal for the inclusion of women in standardisation, Nevania Nikoloski was as re-elected chairwoman of the General Assembly. Ms Nikoloski is the first woman to hold the position since the ETSI’s foundation in 1988. Representing Swiss company Phonak Communications AG, Ms Nikoloski’s election underscores inclusiveness in ETSI.

The election of DIGITAL SME representatives by the ETSI General Assembly underscores increasing awareness of SMEs’ as Europe’s motor of innovation and the digital transformation of the continent’s economy. While the ETSI membership counts over 900 organisations, including all the major global tech companies, the election of Nikoloski, Vanetti, and Toffaletti affirms strong support for European small businesses and digital sovereignty.

• Discussions about ICT resource efficiency often focus on hardware, overlooking  software as a decisive factor in environmental calculations

• The “blue angel label for resource- and energy efficient software” provides a framework for certfication of software that adheres to strict climate protection measures

• The German Competence Center IT Economy is compiling a list of “recyclable APIs” to increase the “re-use of code, software, and resources”

Sustainability and digital transformation are two megatrends that go hand in hand. Discussions about the ICT sector’s potential to become greener often focus on the climate impact of hardware: rare minerals and how they are sourced, electronics waste, or energy consumption of devices. Several labels attempt to certify sustainable hardware products to give consumers the possibility to “think green” when buying smartphones or computers. Although awareness about the importance of software as a factor in green tech is increasing, until recently, there was no such label for software.

The “Blue angel label” for software that is sustainable by design

In 2019, a team of researchers led by Professor Stefan Naumann from the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld introduced criteria for a potential certification scheme for sustainable software: the “blue angel label for resource- and energy efficient software”. Among the criteria to be certified are:

• Controllability: users should be able to configure software according to their individual needs (e.g. night mode, dark mode)
• Sufficiency: new software versions should not require more computing power, hard-disk space, or bandwidth unless new functions explicitly necessitate it. Core functions should also remain available on older hardware
• Power awareness: software should manage the energy consumption of hardware as efficiently as possible, including energy-saving modes and “shut down-friendliness” (software should not incentivise users to keep hardware on continuously)

These and other criteria can help to reduce the energy consumption of devices and significantly extend their life cycle by avoiding premature obsolescence, which is an issue of significant concern to SMEs with limited resources. Software producers can now apply for the label and certify their software in three areas energy efficiency, resource efficiency, and transparent interfaces.

Openness and interoperability as decisive criteria for sustainable software

In our position paper on Sustainable Digitalisation, DIGITAL SME has mentioned openness and interoperability as crucial factors in green technologies.

The catalogue of criteria for the “blue angel” label states that using standards for open data formats is “decisive for avoiding dependence on a software product (customer lock-in), which can enforce unnecessary resource consumption both in the case of keeping an inefficient product and in the case of a (costly) switch to another product”[1]. The German Competence Centre IT economy is compiling a list of “recyclable interfaces (APIs)” to increase the “re-use of code, software, and resources”.

DIGITAL SME will continue to raise awareness about different aspects in the discourse around sustainability and digital transformation. We want to show that the ICT sector, driven by innovative SMEs and startups, is indispensable in the fight for more environmental and social sustainability.

Read more about our approach to sustainable digitalisation on our campaign page.

[1]  Catalogue of criteria for sustainable software, p. 19. Source: https://www.umwelt-campus.de/fileadmin/Umwelt-Campus/Greensoft/Kriterienkatalog_nachhaltige_Software_v01_2017-05-31.pdf

image credit: shiftphones.com 2020 source: https://www.shiftphones.com/das-neue-shift13mi/

How a German family business is promoting the shift towards a more circular economy—and why it matters for Europe

In a recent position paper, DIGITAL SME outlines a path towards a sustainable digitalisation that builds on digital sovereignty as well as the impact of ICT on the environment—both good and bad.

One pillar of this sustainable digitalisation campaign are green(er) technologies and circular economy. The premise is that ICT, if done right, can decisively contribute to a more sustainable economy. Digital has the potential to save resources, expedite research and analysis of climate change, and replace polluting technologies. But Europe has to support green business models through smart policy to realise this potential.

Shift, a small family business placed in the heart of Germany, shows how ICT can be sustainable by design. Circular economy models are integrated into its products from the start. Through its innovative business activities, Shift is representing a path towards the achievement of Europe’s green and digital “twin” transitions.

Shiftphones as a solution to electronics waste

The Circular Economy Action Plan mentions that “electrical and electronic equipment continues to be one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the EU, with current annual growth rates of 2%. It is estimated that less than 40% of electronic waste is recycled in the EU20”. (p. 10)

These problems are related to difficulties consumers face when wanting to repair smartphones and other electronic devices. When repairing devices via independent repair shops, customers often risk losing their warranty. In addition, outdated parts cannot be replaced or upgraded to new technical standards. However, as stated in the Circular Economy Action Plan, “two in three Europeans would like to keep using their current digital devices for longer, provided performance is not significantly affected” (ibid.).

The impossibility of repairing ICT devices has negative consequences for the environment and prevents these technologies from becoming green and circular. In contrast, Shift’s modular smart phone, the Shiftphone, allows users to replace spare parts of the device themselves (Shift provide videos with instructions to that end).

Avoiding planned obsolescence

Another practice that is harmful both to the environment and to consumers is planned obsolescence, i.e. designing or producing products with an artificially limited useful life. Several tech giants have faced rulings against this practice (see Apple and Samsung cases – ICA 25 September 2018, PS 11009-PS 11039). Planned obsolescence generates electronics waste and increases costs for the consumer, who has to buy new devices when the old ones should still be working.

Shift addresses premature obsolescence with its self-claimed “most modular smartphone in the world”, which allows not only the replacement of spare parts, but also the upgrade of the smart phone’s software. In so doing, the waste of resources, planned obsolescence, and difficulties in repairing the device are effectively addressed from the start. Could Shift’s business serve as a best practice for hardware-producing SMEs?

A holistic approach to pursue sustainable digital transformation

DIGITAL SME’s position paper on sustainable digitalisation underlines the need for a holistic approach to regulation. It is important that new digital environments remain open to newcomers. In a sustainable and innovative digital economy, businesses like Shift need access to data to perform repairs and develop new services. A holistic outlook on regulation can help to prevent these markets from being closed-off to competition, circular economy models, and innovation.

DIGITAL SME launched the campaign on sustainable digital transformation to support and enable Europe’s twin transitions to a green and digital economy by building on its key strength: innovative SMEs and their business ecosystems. Shift is a good example of an innovative SME leading the way towards sustainable digitalisation.

If you are interested in learning more on our proposals for a sustainable digitalisation, please visit our campaign page here.

• Although Europe is well-positioned to “lead the global race for blockchain”, a lack of digital skills could hinder this ambition

• The new CHAISE project was tasked by the European Commission to develop a new skills development strategy to address the lack of talent in blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) across Europe.

• DIGITAL SME joined the CHAISE consortium with Europe’s top blockchain providers and research organisations. The four-year project will develop a certified training programme for blockchain and DLTs, and the first-ever “blockchain specialist” occupational profile

Brussels, 19 November (DIGITAL SME).

Industry, manufacturing, agriculture, technology: Europe is in a leading position in many sectors that can successfully apply blockchain or other Distributed Ledger Technologies. At the same time, the lack of digital skills throughout Europe threatens to hamper and slow down innovation in this and other emerging technologies. To counteract this dynamic and “close the gap”, DIGITAL SME and a consortium of top stakeholders in DLT innovation and skills development have launched the new CHAISE project to deliver “blockchain skills for Europe”.

From 18-20 November, the new four-year initiative was officially launched with its first project meeting. CHAISE is not just another European project. Mandated by the EC to design the missing European Blockchain Skills Strategy, “It is a really specific project”, said Pavol Krempasky from the European Commission’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). He assured the partners of his agency’s strong commitment to enhance CHAISE’s visibility.

Blockchain skills development done right

“We expect a lot from this project”, agreed Pierre Marro from the Commisson’s DG CONNECT, highlighting the importance of approaching blockchain-skills development with an interconnected mindset that includes other emerging technologies as well. CHAISE is well-equipped for the paradigm shift ushered in by blockchain. Led by the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), the project’s consortium consists of European and global leaders in blockchain and DLTs, including industry partners (Fujitsu, IOTA, INTRASOFT), sectoral organisations and communities (e.g. Italian Digital SME Alliance member Italia4Blockchain and BERCHAIN), as well as the International Association of Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA) and others.

The project will develop a 5-semester VET (qualification) programme in 11 EU languages with an innovative approach: In addition to technical skills specific to blockchain/DLTs, the CHAISE Curriculum will also include non-technical soft skills to respond to the specific needs of modern work environments (problem-solving, team work, and a customer-oriented and entrepreneurial mindset).

In addition, all learning materials developed by the project will be consolidated into an open online course. Finally, CHAISE will also develop the first-ever “blockchain specialist” occupational profile in line with existing competences and qualification frameworks (like the eCF) to guarantee a common language for digital skills descriptions.

DIGITAL SME’s role in CHAISE

The CHAISE project contributes to two pillars of DIGITAL SME’s Skills Strategy 2030 by providing “training and education” as well as “ecosystem leadership”.

Firmly consolidating our role as a top player in digital skills, DIGITAL SME will function as the Communications Manager of CHAISE. Our primary role will be to increase the project’s visibility and expand sectoral collaboration, as well as to contribute to market-based intelligence gathering of blockchain and DLT-skills needs and the development of the European Blockchain Skills Strategy.

Stay tuned for more information about the project! We are currently developing its online presence, including website and social media channels. Be sure to follow DIGITAL SME on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook for more updates!