PA 8 Flagship Project BrAIn (BRINGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOWARDS SMEs)
AI enabling technologies are transforming all walks of life from education, health, public services, to transport, manufacturing, agriculture & social media. Transferring such technologies towards SMEs, the driving forces of a country’s economy, is key to support a sustainable, human-centric and resilient industry in the Danube Region. Currently, individual regions, even countries, have struggles to overcome the transformative challenges and gain new insights. In order to achieve a transformative impact, transnational harmonised support for the uptake of technologies alongside multiple value chains is essential. However, the Danube Region is formed by a heterogeneous and complex pool of countries and regions with respect to population, geographical size, business and innovation-maturity, and development level. Nonetheless, common challenges like the transfer of AI enabling technologies toward SMEs can be tackled with the help of well targeted transnational interventions such as “BrAIn – BRinging Artificial INtelligence towards SMEs”.
BrAIn’s objectives
At SME level, transformative support can be given by transferring knowledge on new technologies, such as AI and i4.0, and related skills upgrade for employees. Hence, SMEs should be familiarised with the relevance and potential of AI and their employees should be equipped for i4.0 transition processes and which further adapts them to the human-centered i5.0 approach. To achieve this, the BrAIn project partners will propose concrete AI solutions to alleviate already identified challenges alongside three vertical value chains sectors like manufacturing, agrofood, and healthcare industry, while accounting for the economic, environmental and social sustainability. As a result, the project will contribute with tangible and sustainable results to bridging AI related gaps in the Danube Region by pilot solutions that can contribute to a more innovative, balanced and convergent territorial development.
BrAIn as Danube Strategy Flagship
During the BrAIn Kick-off event on January 22, 2024, in Budapest, Hungary, Carmen Hawkins and Helia Kovačević Grčić from PA 8 together with Cristina Cuc from Danube Strategy Point presented the Danube Strategy Flagship Certificate to the BrAIn project partners.
Handover of the Danube Flagship Certificate on Jan. 22, 2024, at the Kick-off meeting of the project BrAIn in Budapest, Hungary
The BrAIn project is acknowledged as Danube Strategy Flagship because the project actions directly support the objectives of EUSDR PA 8 by contributing to the competitiveness of enterprises in the Danube Region. It does so by familiarizing SMEs with the relevance and potential of AI enabling technologies and equipping the main stakeholders with the necessary skills to follow i5.0. Furthermore, the partnership aims to connect to the proposed actions of PA8 since the lead partner, Pannon Business Network, is coordinator of a PA 8 Working Group himself and many project partners are members of PA 8 Working Groups too. In addition to its connection to PA8, the project is also supporting the goals of PA 7 (Knowledge Society) and PA 9 (People and Skills) as through the project activities the R&D potential of the Danube Region is supported.
BrAIn Project Partners
Next to the Lead Partner Pannon Business Network Association, PBN, Hungary, the following institutions are Project Partners or Associated Partners of the project:
- Pannon Business Network Association, PBN, Hungary, Lead Partner
- Innovation Technology Cluster, ITC, Slovenia, Project Partner
- Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, S2i, Germany, Project Partner
- ICT Cluster, ICT, Bulgaria, Project Partner
- West Regional Development Agency, WRDA, Romania, Project Partner
- PROUNION, PU, Slovakia, Project Partner
- Business Upper Austria, Biz-up, Austria, Project Partner
- XR Institute Ltd., XRI, Czech Republic, Project Partner
- University of Belgrade – School of Electrical Engineering, ETF, Project Partner
- Organization for Entrepreneurship Development, ODA, Project Partner
- Information Society Development Institute, IDSI, Project Partner
- Prime Minister’s Office, PMO, Hungary, Associated Partner of PBN
- KMETIJSKO GOZDARSKA ZBORNICA SLOVENIJE KMETIJSKO GOZDARSKI ZAVOD MURSKA SOBOTA, KGZS, Slovenia, Associated Partner of ITC
- Union of Slovak Clusters, UKS, Slovakia, Associated Partner of PROUNION
- SOFIA TECH PARK JSC STP Bulgaria, Associated Partner of ICT
- National Technical University of Ukraine, “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, ISKPI, Ukraine, Associated Partner of SEZ
- North Regional Development Agency, NRDA, Moldova, Associated Partner of W RDA
- Institute of Spa and Balneology, Czech Republic, Associated Partner of XRI,
- Science Technology Park Cacak, Serbia, Associated Partner of ETF
- Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, Associated Partner of ETF
- PROFACTOR, Austria, Associated Partner of Biz-up
Contact
Balázs Barta
Pannon Business Network
Phone: +36 94 505 003
Email:
Renáta Csabai
Pannon Business Network
Phone: +36 94 505 003
Email:
