Sunrise Valley Campus in Vilnius Is Pooling up the Digital Innovation Technology Development Competencies
On the 24th of September the partnership agreement for the expansion of Digital Innovation Hub (DIH), located in the integrated studies, science and business center "Sunrise Valley", has been signed. Sunrise Valley Science and Technology Park, Vilnius University, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU), Vilnius City Municipality and Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists are stakeholders agreeing on concentrating digital competencies, strengthening existing and installing new technological infrastructure for digital innovations development in Lithuania.
“This partnership agreement brings Sunrise Valley Digital Innovation Hub up to the new stage. The accessible infrastructure in partner universities will help to better deploy the existing innovative, scientific and technological potential for digitalizing industrial companies, thus enabling businesses to overcome challenges of the fourth industrial revolution”, - the Director of Sunrise Valley Science and Technology Park Laima Kaušpadienė is highlighting the benefits.
Professor Rimantas Jankauskas, the Vice-Rector for Science at Vilnius University, emphasizes that “successful implementation of the agreement would broaden the range of activities that the university as the competence center is currently performing. Developing and installing digital innovations in private or public organizations would create a positive impact on the overall Lithuanian economy.”
“Digital technologies are among the fastest growing technologies which are used by modern businesses to sustain their competitiveness in the market. Therefore, VGTU is encouraging youth to study financial technologies or artificial intelligence technologies – the domains, that are boosting the use of scientific and infrastructural potential, and increasing the cooperation with private and public sectors.” – the Vice-Rector for Science at VGTU Professor Antanas Čenys indicates advantages of the partnership agreement.
The partnership of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists will ensure that digital transformation would be fostered in traditional and non-traditional industry sectors, and will increase Lithuanian industry competitiveness globally. The Director of Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists Ričardas Sartatavičius claims that the Lithuanian market must increase its productivity and use of digital technologies to stay competitive: “I am willing this partnership agreement to spark the fruitful cooperation between business and science, and Lithuanian industrial businesses to see the significant urge of using Sunrise Valley DIH services for their continuous development.”
The participation of Vilnius City Municipality is essential on a broader scale as most of the existing and prospect clients of Sunrise Valley Digital Innovation Hub are located in Vilnius. Digital transformation solutions created in the capital city could then be easily transferred to other Lithuanian cities as well as to foreign countries.
Lithuanian business is still lacking various digital competencies and the ability to integrate thorough, innovative solutions for digitalizing their business activities. Therefore, Sunrise Valley DIH is actively communicating and consulting about the diverse possibilities digitalization technologies are opening up for companies. One of the key services the hub is offering is digital maturity assessment for organizations and corresponding service package for digitalization implementation. In addition to broadening the digital infrastructure within Sunrise Valley campus, partners have agreed to help each other in implementing scientific research, technology and innovation related activities, gaining high added value digital competencies and strengthening the networking.
The first DIHs in Lithuania have started their activities in 2017, and currently they are actively fostering the use of digital innovations in the private and public sectors. At this moment, there are 11 digital innovation hubs established in Lithuania.