Wallachia eHub´s mission is to become the digital transformation gateway in the Region of South-Muntenia, Romania (RSM), by providing twin transition services and solutions to both the private sector (start-ups, SMEs, small mid-caps) and the public sector. We start from a challenging position as our region is classified as “Emerging Innovator” and Romania ranks last in DESI 2021, being also one of the most exposed regions to climate change and environmental degradation. Therefore, green digital technologies should be the focus of our actions at regional level for environmental and societal sustainability and a more resilient region. Our vision is based on our role as a regional catalyst with many collaborations both nationally and internationally.
Consortium partners, as well as the other Wallachia eHub members external to the project, have a previous experience of collaboration and strong interaction within the South Muntenia cluster movement. Wallachia eHub capitalizes on a relevant infrastructure through its founders, the core team and an additional 70 members of Wallachia eHub from business associations, universities, clusters, public authorities and technological companies. These strong links reflect Wallachia eHub’s value proposition to stimulate the digital green innovations in South Muntenia through: fostering a collaborative ecosystem, capitalising on key organisations around our EDIH, and providing our flagship approach – Integrated Services for Digital Innovation and Transformation. Wallachia eHub’s Consortium brings together 17 partners harmonising each other’s capabilities to provide specialised services in the form of digital and interoperability solutions applying advanced technologies such as AI, Cybersecurity, Robotics, Mobility, Location technologies (GIS) and Building Information Modelling (BIM).
Wallachia eHub will provide a range of high technology services focusing on logistics engineering, precision agriculture, smart city, dual use services, urban planning and training programmes on key digitalisation concepts. Considering both the regional background and our EDIH resources and competencies, the main sectors of interest for our services are: manufacturing, agriculture and food, tourism and heritage, construction, energy, automotive, health and public authorities. The final goal will be to ensure appropriate matchmaking between the technological capacities, infrastructure, know-how and experience of Wallachia eHub with the digital needs of our customers at local and European level; thus, consolidating the initial network of EDIHs with an adequate service offering. Wallachia eHub is a mature and well-connected DIH qualified to provide high quality services and aligned with the EDIH call objectives and with the South Muntenia RIS3 strategy.
Through this project, we aim to transform RSM into a competitive regional economy, with reverberations in the macro-regional context of the Danube Strategy and at European level. The project addresses challenges in an integrated approach creating greater innovation-based resilience at company and sector levels. Wallachia eHub estimates to generate an increased number of companies developing and adopting digital innovative solutions, set-up of new innovative start-ups, new digital technological competencies, more revenues for the companies; upskilling and reskilling the workforce in the region to support job creation, contributing to the green economy.