pro_digital

EDIH pro_digital serves as a comprehensive one-stop shop for startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), midcaps, and governmental organizations in Brandenburg. Our mission is to support our partners in navigating digital and sustainable transformation processes, enhancing digital security, and leveraging artificial intelligence through tailored innovation services—ultimately boosting their efficiency and competitiveness.

With a team of 30 transfer experts from Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau (THWi) and Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU), we offer practical expertise and access to a wide range of cutting-edge technologies and applications. As part of the DIGITAL program, which encompasses 227 European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), we are funded with €2.3 million over three years. This allows us to tap into the extensive expertise of this Europe-wide network and make it accessible to our partners.

Our innovation centers provide opportunities to optimize products and services through digital technologies, enabling testing before investment and thereby improving business and production processes. Our services also include training, skills development, and financing advice. In the realm of public administration, we support the development of business- and citizen-oriented processes through our transfer and digitization experts.

Positioned at the intersection of science, business, and society, we aim to strengthen the regional economy, making it more attractive to skilled workers and enabling innovative approaches to address the labor shortage. Together with our partners, we aspire to establish a robust innovation ecosystem for digital transformation in Brandenburg—one that generates competence and visibility across Europe.

Supporting EDIH through Innovative Transfer Tools and Events

The research group actively supports the EDIH, particularly in Work Package 6 (Startup Mindset for Innovative Transformation), by employing innovative digital transfer tools and organizing specialized events. Key initiatives include:

• Inno Radar: A digital tool designed to facilitate technology and knowledge transfer, enabling stakeholders to efficiently navigate the innovation landscape.
• Innovation Camps: Immersive workshops aimed at fostering creative solutions and collaborations for digital transformation challenges.
• Startup Safaris: Guided explorations of regional innovation ecosystems to connect startups, experts, and stakeholders, promoting knowledge exchange and collaboration.

Who is pro_digital?

pro_digital is the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) for Brandenburg selected by the first EDIH call of the European Commission (DG CNECT) and funded by the Digital Europe Programme. pro_digital is a joint partnership of THWi and BTU. Both organisations have a long and consolidated experience in knowledge and technology transfer to SMEs and GOs.

Current and previous expertise has been gained through recently national funded projects such as the Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Cottbus (funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, this is a competence center for the SMEs), the Innovation Hub 13 (funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research), and the the Digital Innovation Hub Innovation Center Modern Industry Brandenburg (DIH IMI) among many many others!

In the context of pro_digital, TH Wildau works with specific associated EDIHs and located in the Baltic Sea Region e. g.:

• Sweden: Digital Impact North (Coordinator: Britta Duve Hansen, Mobileheights).
• Finland: 5STAR eCorridors with a focus on logistics and mobility (Coordinator: Harri Kulmala, DIMECC).
• Poland: Wro4DigITal (Coordinator: Emilia Mazgajczick, Wroclaw Technology Park).
• Lithuania: DI4LithuanianID (Coordinators: Mindaugas Bulota and Mindaugas Kemzura, Kaunas Technology University).
• Latvia: Digital Accelerator of Latvia (DAoL).
• Denmark: AddSmart EDIH (Coordinator: Rikke Alexandra, Erhvervshus Nordjylland).

Additionally, the BTU collaborates with the Greek ReBrain Western Greece EDIH (Coordinator: Athanasios Kalogeras, University of the Peloponnese/ESDALab DIH).

The research group supports mainly Work Package 6, which aims to drive digital transformation in the region by fostering collaboration between startups, SMEs, and governmental organizations (GOs). The goal is to raise digital awareness and shift the mindset of digital non-natives, with startups serving as role models.

Key activities include:

• Innovation Camps: Immersive workshops aimed at fostering creative solutions and collaborations for digital transformation challenges.

• Inno Radar: A digital tool designed to facilitate technology and knowledge transfer, enabling stakeholders to efficiently navigate the innovation landscape.

• Startup/SME Safaris: Topic-driven explorations connecting startups, SMEs, and experts to promote knowledge exchange.
• Matchmaking Events: Creating networking opportunities between GOs, SMEs, and startups to drive innovative partnerships.
• Working Groups: Establishing focused teams to explore specific digital tools and applications.

Through these initiatives, pro_digital aims to accelerate digital transformation in the region, enhancing competitiveness and fostering an innovation-friendly ecosystem.

01/2023 bis 12/2025

The pro_digital European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) is co-funded from the European Union’s DIGITAL EUROPE Programme research and innovation programme grant agreement No 101083754

Interested?

• Browse the portfolio of demonstration projects we have set up for the digitalisation of companies in our region.
• You can find the description of our EDIH pro_digital in the Catalogue of candidate EDIHs.
• News, Events and more can be found on the pro_digital website
• Or simply get in touch...

Contact details

• TH Wildau: Markus Vossel, markus.vossel(at)th-wildau.de,  Project Manager of pro_digital; Prof. Dr. Isabell Peters, isabell.peters(at)th-wildau.de, Scientific Manager of pro_digital
• BTU: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Berger, ulrich.berger(at)b-tu.de, Chair of Automation Technology and Carsten Heintze, carsten.heintze(at)b-tu.de, Contact of the EDIH pro_digital at BTU

Tel.: +49 3375 508 199
Mail: dana.mietzner(at)th-wildau.de
Web: http://www.th-wildau.de/mietzner
Haus 16, Raum 2077

Research Associate
Tel.: +49 3375 508 757
Mail: eva.ismer(at)th-wildau.de

Haus 16, Raum 2090

Research Associate

benedict.loesert-albrecht@th-wildau.de

Haus 16, Raum 2091

Research Associate

Tel.: + 49 3375 508 742

E-Mail: marko.bahle(at)th-wildau.de