Europe awards the seal of excellence to the Digital Innovation Center of the Canary Islands

The Minister of Economy, Elena Máñez, explained that the European Commission chooses the Canary Islands to be one of its digital innovation 'hubs' with one of the highest scores in all of Europe

The European Commission has awarded the European Seal of Excellence to
Canary Islands Digital Innovation Center (CIDIHUB) a consortium of organizations and competence centers specialized in business digitization.

The goal is to serve as
one stop shop« for companies, public entities and society in general in digital transformation.

The CIDIHUB has obtained a score of 14 out of 15, which means that "The Canary Islands are integrated into this European network of digital innovation centers to
promote cutting-edge policies in the sector“, the Minister of Economy, Knowledge and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Elena Máñez, pointed out in a press conference.

The CIDIHUB operates in the Canary Islands and will collaborate and work with entities from other regions and countries inside and outside the European continent, which is why it is a "great success" for the islands, which are placed with this seal "
at the forefront in the area of ​​innovation».

It has been chosen to be one of the digital innovation hubs with one of the highest scores, in a call to which 283 hubs from Europe applied, of which 138 were selected and only
12 have obtained this recognition.

It will be funded by
€4.6 millionof which the European Union contributes 50% and which already has the commitment of the Government of the Canary Islands, which will contribute
€600,000 "Fundamentally oriented towards reinforcing cybersecurity solutions from the innovative ecosystem of the islands" and being "an initial push so that CIDIHUB will be self-sustaining over time", Máñez pointed out.

The Canary Islands «in this way enter the main digital innovation network of the European Union, which will serve to obtain
state funding Y
european and opt for tenders restricted to projects of excellence" and that "highlights the fact that we are competitive at a national level and with which we enter the first league in Europe in terms of innovation", the minister celebrated.

The archipelago is not only among the 12 selected in this Seal of Excellence but is also the «
single outermost region» in achieving it.

The minister pointed out that digitization "is a reality", and in the Canary Islands "we can buy or generate solutions or create them, with our reality and needs" which is what CIDIHUB will achieve, while "helping to attract startups, to improve innovation, digitization and knowledge and take advantage of opportunities to move forward”, creating employment and business fabric.

The director of the Canarian Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI), Carlos Navarro, has highlighted that this ecosystem "will help companies
to be more competitive in relation to business and production processes«, using »cutting-edge technologies».

CIDIHAB will offer «access to the latest knowledge, experience and advice« to create a »
great innovation ecosystem and new opportunities” in digitization and innovation by promoting “a physical space shared by professionals, entrepreneurs, startups and investors” to develop “innovative universes”.

With CIDIHUB, Navarro has expressed, the Canary Islands "enter the present and future of the digital economy through the front door", since with this recognition "the door is opened to exclusive calls, to attract competitive funds, and to show the
exceptional conditions and the ability to work» that the archipelago has.

The presentation of this CIDIHUB European Seal of Excellence has included three work tables on 'Digital Innovation Hubs, convergence mechanism with Europe', the 'Digital Innovation Challenges in the Canary Islands' and 'Advanced and complementary capacities in CIDIHUB', which have delved into the public policies associated with the ecosystem,
The abilities,
tools Y
technologies of CIDIHUB for the Canarian economy and company, and the real challenges and needs of companies, among other topics.