Nearly twenty companies from León took part in ‘Conecta U+E: University–Business Meeting’ on 18 June, organised by the University of León (ULE), a member of the European DIGIS3 consortium. The event provided attendees with first-hand insights into the wide-ranging smart digitalisation opportunities that the University can offer.
The participating businesses came from a variety of sectors, including technology, meat production, education, pharmaceuticals, and services. According to Santiago Gutiérrez, Vice-Rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer at the University of León, the event was “very positive” and marks the beginning of “a series of engagements” between ULE and the business community in León, with the aim of “strengthening these relationships” and enabling the University to “take part in the transformation of the local business ecosystem, helping companies grow through cutting-edge technology”.
Through DIGIS3, ULE offers companies access to services that, as Gutiérrez noted, “are completely free of charge, meaning businesses can enhance their digital skills at no cost, and benefit from the expertise of our most advanced research groups”. These areas span automation, additive manufacturing, aerospace research, agricultural technology, and mining technology.
DIGIS3 was launched in 2023, with its two Principal Investigators at ULE being Manuel Domínguez and Flor Álvarez Taboada. The latter explained that “DIGIS3 is a European alliance aimed at increasing the competitiveness of businesses—both small and medium-sized—as well as public organisations, through digital transformation processes”. It is one of twelve alliances co-funded by the European Commission in Spain, with a total budget of €3.447 million. Of this, €543,000 is managed by ULE. The University is co-financing half of this amount—over €270,000—allowing services to be provided to businesses and public institutions free of charge, with costs shared equally between the European Commission and ULE.
OVER 100 SERVICES DELIVERED TO 84 BUSINESSES
Since the project began in 2023, Álvarez Taboada noted that ULE’s research groups have delivered more than 100 services to 84 companies and organisations “not only from León and the wider Castilla y León region, but also from other parts of Spain and across Europe. The aim is to transfer knowledge and technology developed at the University of León to the industrial and public sectors”.
The range of services includes support in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, supercomputing, Big Data, and the Internet of Things (IoT), with applications in “a wide range of fields”. The purpose of this Wednesday’s meeting with companies from a variety of industries, Álvarez Taboada explained, was “to share success stories, showcase the services we’ve already delivered, and encourage businesses to come to us with their specific needs”, as DIGIS3 is tailored to help each company “enhance its competitiveness through sustainable digital transformation”.
WHAT IS DIGIS3?
DIGIS3 is a European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) and a reference point for smart, sustainable, and cohesive digital transformation for SMEs and public sector organisations. These one-stop hubs support the digitalisation of both companies and public bodies, helping them to boost their competitiveness.
