January 2018

Digitising European Industry Stakeholder Forum 2018

The Stakeholder Forum is a public and free event organised on a yearly basis by the European Commission and a Member State within the context of the Digitising European Industry initiative (DEI). This event is also a key part of the European Platform of National Initiatives on digitising industry, which offers a coordination framework between the various actions on digitisation of industry at national, regional and EU level.

The Stakeholder Forum aims to bring together all the different actors involved in the digital value chain, such as the European Commission, Member States, national initiatives, industry representatives, SMEs, academia and Digital Innovation Hubs to share experiences, exchange best practices and discuss the implementation of the DEI initiative. By attending this event, you will have the opportunity to influence and contribute to the development of European policy on digitisation, and being informed on all the latest developments.

After a successful first Stakeholder Forum in 2017 co-organised with the German Federal Ministry for economic affairs and Energy (BMWi), the second Stakeholder Forum is co-organised with the French Ministry for Economic Affairs and Digital Technologies on 27 and 28 March 2018. The event will take place within the large 4-day Global Industrie 2018 trade fair.

The French Minister Bruno Le Maire and European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel will open the Forum on the afternoon of 27 March. This will be followed by high-level policy presentations and discussions in a plenary session.

On 28 March, there will be dedicated parallel workshops involving a broad range of stakeholders, focused on the themes of Digital Innovation Hubs, Public-Private Partnerships, financing instruments for digitisation, digital skills, and rolling out of digital industrial platforms.

An exhibition area will also offer the possibility to get first-hand information on national initiatives on digitising industry, exchange best practices, organise presentations for small groups, and showcase successful examples of the use of digital technologies.

The conference will have a specific focus on SMEs and it will conclude with a plenary session.

You can register here for the event. A draft programme is available for download and it will be updated with most recent information.