A delegation from Albania, including Deputy Minister Enkelejda Muçaj and representatives from EDIHs Digital Valley Albania 1.0 and Digital Innovation Unit, joinED the EDIH Network Summit 2024 on Nov 26-27 to discuss AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation across Europe.
Day 1
Roberto Viola, Director General of DG CONNECT, European Commission reiterated that the EU’s mission is to create the European AI continent. More than 80% of EDIHs already use AI, and some are 100 % specialised in AI. Embracing AI is the core mission of EDIHs because it affects the productive system, SMEs, and traditional companies. The key role of EDIHs is to train SMEs to fine-tune models so companies start to use and bridge with AI.
EU’s future priorities are augmented intelligence and quantum computing.
Mrs. Lucilla Sioli, Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Digital Industry at the European Commission, shared key insights into the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). These hubs collectively offer over 80,000 services to more than 10,000 SMEs, with a focus on digital skills development. Four hubs in Digital Skills also extend services to four Western Balkans countries. Over a third of the EDIHs concentrate on digital transformation skills, and most have AI expertise. Mrs. Sioli highlighted that the EU’s priority is Generative AI, which promises to drive groundbreaking technologies.
She emphasized the value of the EDIHs’ collaborative network, connecting hubs, AI factories, and research organizations across the EU. Looking forward, Mrs. Sioli stressed the need for increased private sector adoption of AI, especially generative AI, and noted the EU’s investment in AI factories for supercomputing. Robotics, she added, will play a crucial role in shaping the future, particularly in manufacturing and healthcare, offering new opportunities and advancing industrial goals.
Day 2
Ms. Enkelejda Muçaj, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, participated as a panelist in the session “Meet the Associated Countries—Panel discussion on new EDIHs joining the EDIH Network.” During the discussion, Ms. Muçaj emphasized that the Digital Europe Program and the EDIHs are key elements in Albania’s digital integration, representing a significant policy and action from the Albanian government. She highlighted that joining this network presents a valuable opportunity for growth and tangible results for the country.
Ms. Muçaj also shared insights on the challenges and lessons learned during Albania’s national pre-selection process for European Digital Innovation Hubs. She noted that securing the 50% co-funding required for the initiative posed a financial challenge, a concern also faced by Ukraine and Turkey.
Additionally, she spoke about the initial difficulty in gaining trust from institutions applying for the EDIH Network. Building cooperation between the public and private sectors, and inviting consortia of 14 institutions, was a complex task. Despite these challenges, ten consortia were endorsed to the European Commission, with two ultimately selected. Ms. Muçaj emphasized that while the process was difficult, it highlighted the importance of working with local partners before expanding to international collaboration.
