CITAH is the European Digital Innovation Center for the Weser-Ems region and beyond.

Motivation

The digital transformation of medical research and healthcare has great potential for the state of Lower Saxony. In everyday life, for example, it can help to maintain a high quality of life across all age groups in rural areas. Hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient care services are also among the large companies in the state that remain attractive and efficient employers thanks to innovation impulses. The same applies to the agricultural and food industry, where the digital transformation of agricultural machinery, cultivation and processing methods contributes to more sustainable farming. In order to promote the innovative strength of such regional "hidden champions" for Europe, a network of so-called "European Digital Innovation Hubs" is being created - innovation centers that support SMEs and the public sector in their digital transformation.

Objective

As the European Digital Innovation Hub for the leading industries of agriculture, food and healthcare, CITAH has set itself the goal of driving forward the digital transformation of SMEs in Lower Saxony. The project builds on the successful work of the Center for Digital Innovation in Lower Saxony (ZDIN) founded by the state of Lower Saxony in 2019 and the Lower Saxony innovation network SmartHybrid. CITAH offers services in four areas:

• Further training on technological skills, particularly in the areas of artificial intelligence, interoperability and cyber security,

• Innovation labs at the Oldenburg and Osnabrück sites for prototype "test-before-invest" applications,

• Advice on financing digitalization activities,

• Networking the agricultural and food industry as well as the healthcare sector with companies from the information technology sector to form strategic alliances and ecosystems.