Representatives of Eda took part in a study visit within the framework of the project BEST DIH – Boosting European DIH Success, held on October 29 and 30, 2025, in Bologna. The host was ART-ER – Attrattività Ricerca Territorio, a partner organization from the Emilia-Romagna region, one of the most advanced European regions in the field of digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
During the two-day visit, participants became acquainted with the policies and support instruments for the digital transition of SMEs in the Emilia-Romagna region, including systemic support through a regional network and open calls funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Models for assessing the level of digitalization of enterprises were also presented, along with experiences from member organizations of the network, such as CNA – Confederation of Craft Trades and SMEs Emilia-Romagna, which actively connects small and medium enterprises with digital transformation programs.
The second day of the visit was dedicated to touring key actors of the region’s innovation ecosystem – DAMA – Tecnopolo Data Manifattura Emilia-Romagna, ER2Digit – the European Digital Innovation Hub, and BI-REX, a competence center specialized in Big Data and Industry 4.0. Participants had the opportunity to directly observe the application of advanced technologies at BI-REX’s pilot plant, where digital and traditional manufacturing technologies are integrated into a unified, networked environment.
The study visit facilitated the exchange of experiences and identification of potential for future collaboration among the partners of the BEST DIH project, which brings together partners from Spain (Innovation Agency GALICIA), Hungary (Pannon Business Network Association), the Netherlands (Overijssel Province), Finland (Tampere Region Council), Italy (ART-ER Joint Stock Consortium, Emilia- Romagna), Romania (West RDA), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Eda – Enterprise Development Agency).
The BEST-DIH project is implemented under the Interreg Europe programme, funded by the European Union.
