Coming up this week are three digital tech events co-organised and co-funded by Topsector ICT:
- Future Network Services’ (FNS) National 6G Conference at Delft University of Technology, Aula building;
- The World Summit AI on 8 and 9 October in Amsterdam;
- The Digital Product Passport (DPP) Festival by the Centre of Excellence for Digital Product Passports, part of the Centre of Excellence for Data Sharing & Cloud (CoE-DSC).
An opportunity to share knowledge and build connections
Topsector ICT supports various knowledge-sharing and networking activities for SMEs through the Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation (TKI) Network Activities Scheme (TKI scheme). Three of those events will be taking place this week. The National 6G Conference is a major nationwide conference and features a track specifically for SMEs. Over the past two years, Topsector ICT has co-funded and co-organised a range of regional 6G sessions. 6G is assigned to Digital Connectivity Technologies, one of the seven Digital and Information Technologies coordinated by Topsector ICT.
Two parts of the World Summit AI in Amsterdam are supported by Topsector ICT. The first is the Deeptech AI Invest Matchmaking Event for start-ups, organised in collaboration with TTT.AI, Invest NL, EIT and Breaking Barriers (AIC4NL). The event will be attended by more 40 innovative start-ups and 12 investors, including LumoLabs, NL Invest and Keen Ventures. Tijs Koops, Programme manager for internationalisation and innovative SMEs at Topsector ICT, will be kicking off this session. The second is the Dutch pavilion at the NL AI Ecosystem Day, part of the World Summit AI supported by the Strategic Trade Fairs Programme (SBP).
The Digital Product Passports (DPP) Festival taking place on 9 October is also supported by MIT funding through Topsector ICT. Stephanie Ottenheijm, Programme manager at KIA Digitalisation and coordinator of the Action Agendas for Cybersecurity Technologies and AI/Data at Topsector ICT, will be sitting on the ‘From Innovation to Adoption’ panel and discussing practical applications of Digital Product Passports for participants.
Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation (TKI) Network Activities Scheme
Topsector ICT is funding these major digital tech events and side events through the Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation (TKI) Network Activities Scheme (TKI scheme). This scheme is part of the MIT (SME Innovation Stimulus for Regional and Top Sectors), a grant scheme set up by the Dutch central government and provincial governments to support innovative SME projects, such as feasibility studies and R&D collaborations, to enrich Dutch top sector policy and the innovation agendas.
Funding from Topsector ICT’s TKI scheme is awarded through two pathways: the regional governments, with the five European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) playing a prominent role, and a range of coalitions and branches linked to Topsector ICT’s seven Digital and Information Technologies.
Regional events
Topsector ICT supports various regional events – from hackathons and networking dinners to workshops and matchmaking sessions – focusing on innovation and SMEs. These are often organised together with the EDIHs, the AI Hubs or another regional partnerships and are always linked to one of the two Digital and Information Technologies for which Topsector ICT is developing Action Agendas in collaboration with industry partners. These Agendas – AI/Data and Cybersecurity Technologies – are based on the National Technology Strategy (NTS).
Other MIT schemes
The TKI scheme includes another nationwide grant scheme with funding allocated by the top sectors: the Innovation Brokerage Scheme. Through this scheme, Topsector ICT is able to support SMEs tackling specific innovation challenges related to AI/Data or Cybersecurity Technologies. This year, Topsector ICT has assigned an innovation broker to around ten to fifteen SMEs. This article on Dutch IT Channel has more information on this scheme and its benefits for SMEs.