AI Is Not Just for Tech Giants: Small Businesses Can Test Innovative Solutions with Support from European Digital Innovation Hubs
Supercomputers, artificial intelligence, robotics and 3D printing are no longer reserved exclusively for large companies with their own research teams and expensive technological equipment. Through European Digital Innovation Hubs, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can test new solutions, receive expert support and explore ways to improve their business operations.
How technologies developed in scientific and research centres can be brought closer to businesses was the focus of a panel discussion at the Biotech Future Forum, dedicated to connecting the European innovation ecosystem and promoting the application of artificial intelligence. Two European Digital Innovation Hubs in Serbia – Capital Innovation Point Serbia (CIPS) and S4AI_HUB, both co-funded by the European Union – are also providing support to Serbian companies in this process.
“Small and medium-sized enterprises need opportunities to test innovative solutions before investing in them and to identify the tangible benefits these technologies can bring to their businesses. Through CIPS, companies can receive expert support, participate in training programmes and explore the potential of advanced technologies, ranging from 3D printing to the supercomputer and AI platform at the State Data Centre in Kragujevac. The European Digital Innovation Hubs Network also provides access to knowledge, experts and technological infrastructure that companies often cannot secure on their own,” explains Tamara Bresjanac, Digitalisation Advisor at NALED.
“Through this project, with the support of the Science and Technology Park Novi Sad, our company has benefited from a range of services, including investor matchmaking, market entry support and networking opportunities. One of the most valuable forms of support was access to the supercomputer through the Test Before Invest service, which enabled us to begin developing our own artificial intelligence model,” emphasises Dr Stevan Vrbaški, founder and CEO of Vinaver Medical, a company benefiting from CIPS project services.
Companies usually do not approach innovation hubs because they are specifically interested in artificial intelligence, but rather because they face concrete business challenges – how to save time and resources, make better use of data or assess the viability of new ideas, says Ivan Pavlović, Assistant Director of the Science and Technology Park Niš and Coordinator of S4AI_HUB.
“Through our hub, we help companies identify suitable solutions, from expert advice and training to testing technologies before making significant investments. We also connect them with experts and infrastructure available through the European Digital Innovation Hubs Network. The goal is not to adopt technology at any cost, but to apply it where it delivers tangible business benefits, reduces costs, improves processes and facilitates decision-making,” Pavlović explains.
Sharing experiences and practical examples of digital transformation helps companies understand how technology can address everyday business challenges, drive business improvements and encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to take their first steps towards digitalisation with the support of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), emphasises Madara Melne-Krūmiņa, Director of a European Digital Innovation Hub in Latvia.
“When SMEs see how other companies have applied technology and solved specific problems, they can more easily recognise opportunities for their own development and gain the confidence to follow a similar path,” Melne-Krūmiņa adds.
“Cross-border cooperation between European Digital Innovation Hubs gives small and medium-sized enterprises access to new markets, advanced technologies and growth opportunities. By connecting Serbian companies with innovation ecosystems across the Western Balkans and Europe, we are creating the conditions for a more competitive and resilient digital economy,” highlighted Graciela Garrido, Sales Director at FundingBox and moderator of the panel discussion.
The panel also featured video addresses by Fani Tsirantonaki from the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) and Amila Kalača from the European Commission’s AI Office.
The Biotech Future Forum is organised by the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in cooperation with the Office for IT and eGovernment, the World Economic Forum and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the support of the BIO4 Campus.
The panel was preceded by a regional workshop held on 28 October at the Science and Technology Park Belgrade, where representatives of Digital Innovation Hubs from across the Western Balkans exchanged experiences on improving services and strengthening cross-border cooperation. The activities were organised at the initiative of the European Digital Innovation Hubs CIPS and S4AI_HUB, with support from GIZ through the EU4Digital programme and FundingBox.
The CIPS project is coordinated by the Science and Technology Park Belgrade, in partnership with NALED, the Science and Technology Park Novi Sad, Data Cloud Technology and the Faculty of Technical Sciences at the University of Novi Sad. Associated partners include the Institute of Physics and the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Belgrade.
The project is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.
