Organisation profile

In 2017 Ecipa, a service provider of CNA (Confederation of Craft Trades and SMEs) for the North East regions in Italy, was designated the Digital Innovation Hub that provides support to SMEs in their digital transformation, acting as a “spider” in the ecosystem that facilitates innovation. It deals mainly with: awareness workshops about digital transformation potential, demonstration activities to approach digital technologies practically, education & training for SMEs to approach digital transformation, consulting services on how to introduce digital optimisation and/or innovation (support to move from TRL1 to TRL6), support in funding opportunities for digital innovation, and networking among relevant stakeholders. Ecipa Hub is funded by the projects carried out with and for the SMEs.

Field of expertise: products and services essential to value-added benefit

Ecipa Hub, mainly focused on IoT, cloud computing, and 3D printing, helps companies in the following three main steps:

1. The first contact: the hub meets companies, providers, and experts looking for the skilled services it provides during events and workshops
2. Interviews and plans: the hub carries out a “company screening” and then, together with the company itself, defines the strategies and main changes to be adopted
3. “On air” transformation: the hub starts implementing the changes through tailored actions in cooperation with actors of its ecosystem in order to achieve the best performances.