The project CATCH atMIND (advanCed digitAl TeChnology Hub for the Life Sciences at MIND), funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU, received the “Seal of Excellence” quality label from the European Commission, which enabled access to national funding for Digital Hubs under the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (Ministerial Decree of March 10, 2023, PNRR Funds – Mission: 4 – Component: 2 – Investment: 2.3).

LEF, as a partner of the CATCH atMIND-EDIH project, will deliver services worth around €500,000 to SMEs and Public Administrations in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region to support Lean and Digital transformation pathways aimed at operational excellence in healthcare.

Project Objectives

The CATCH atMIND project in the digital health sector is based on the experience of high-level academic and industrial partners in the heart of the Italian healthcare industry, the Lombardy Region. It is founded on the idea that building the digital healthcare ecosystem of the future is a journey that begins with data. CATCH atMIND offers a portfolio of services based on the secure collection of biodata and in silico analysis through AI-ML models, providing new insights and generating business value for Italian and European healthcare ecosystems.

It provides, in a realistic yet virtualized context, digital services that support innovation in products and services across the entire healthcare ecosystem. CATCH atMIND’s test-before-invest services cover the entire healthcare sector, supporting experiential training and business development throughout the ecosystem and facilitating access to funding for new entrepreneurial initiatives.

Through business development and funding access services, CATCH atMIND helps existing companies grow and increases the success rate of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives in digital health, while also exploring new business models and accessing funding at both local and European levels. Adoption of the CATCH atMIND service portfolio will spread best practices for the secure management of biological data and the use of AI-ML in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, profoundly transforming healthcare innovation, its operating model, and the user/patient experience.

CATCH atMIND will be an active member of the European network of health hubs, as a founding member of a corridor bringing together similar innovation hubs from across Europe.

Services

Test before invest

A.8 Services to support the development of projects and prototypes:

LEF provides support for the development of new organizational models in healthcare based on data analysis to optimize the customer journey. In addition, through the adoption of IoT and other enabling technologies, we provide assistance for in-depth analysis and effective use of clinical information, creating ad hoc Proof of Concepts (PoCs) that meet clients’ specific needs and requirements.

Target audience: service addressed to hospitals and clinics, research institutes, regional or national healthcare system administrators, start-ups, and technology companies in the clinical-health sector.

Training and skills development

B.1 Incubation and acceleration of start-ups and SMEs in the field of digital Health and Life Sciences:

1. LEF offers support through personalized and intensive mentoring and coaching, with continuous assessments and a focus on innovation and sustainability. Guidance is provided in defining business strategies and innovative business models, laying solid foundations for sustainable and successful growth.

Target audience: service addressed to healthcare providers, research institutes and universities, start-ups, and technology companies in the clinical-health sector.

2. LEF supports the creation of scalability plans with structured phases to accelerate development and market expansion. It also analyzes strategic partnerships to create opportunities for funding and growth.

Target audience: service addressed to healthcare providers, research institutes and universities, start-ups, and technology companies in the clinical-health sector.

B.2 Training for healthcare innovation management

LEF supports the development of skills in the design and implementation of Proof of Concepts using design thinking and techniques to identify strategic areas for validation and evaluation of business ideas. The focus is on data analysis, emerging technologies, and innovative practices to improve efficiency and quality of healthcare services.

Target audience: service addressed to hospitals and clinics, research institutes, regional or national healthcare system administrators, start-ups, and technology companies in the clinical-health sector.

To request a service, companies will have to submit their expression of interest according to the instructions of the public notice, which will be available soon.

Duration: mid-2023 – 30.04.2026

LEF is a partner in the TechMOlogy project “New technologies and cross-border networks for mobility” funded by the Interreg V-A Italy-Slovenia Cooperation Program 2014-2020.

The project aims to strengthen the mobility supply chain in the cross-border region, with a focus on businesses that are failing to meet the digital challenge: micro and small firms and craft businesses. The key enabling technologies (KETs) of Industry 4.0, on the other hand, can bring about a strategic and organizational change useful to stimulate, even in these firms, the development of new products and services.

The goal of TechMOlogy is to close the gap between industry leaders and their suppliers, making the latter more robust, better organized and capable of positioning themselves as partners in innovation projects.

To achieve this goal, TechMOlogy deploys the following main activities:

• • 4 demonstration events, to present applications of 4.0 technologies in the automotive sector;
  • 3 events dedicated to craft businesses and professionals for service innovation with the design thinking approach;
  • industrial challenges, in which large companies operating in the mobility sectors stimulate the community of craft businesses, professionals and suppliers to identify answers to real problems through original applications of Industry 4.0 technologies, using the laboratories provided by the partners.

Role of LEF

LEF will be responsible for communicating the project outcomes and will organize events to disseminate the results achieved to the public and to involve all stakeholders in the activities – such as craft businesses, professionals, and trade associations.

Project Partners

Lead Partner: Friuli Innovazione scarl
PP2: ACS Automotive Cluster of Slovenia
PP3: ECIPA scarl
PP4: SIEVA d.o.o.
PP5: LEF scarl

AIPRESTO is one of the winners of the first call (cascade funding) of the H2020 project “AI REGIO” dedicate to Industry 5.0 and collaborative intelligence solutions based on artificial intelligence.

The project is developed by three partners: Intermek srl (project leader), Video Systems srl and LEF, as the Digital Innovation Hub Alto Adriatico.

Objective of the project

The goal of AIPRESTO is to develop an automatic visual inspection system applied on Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) machine tools.

This project will allow Intermek to discover the full potential of artificial intelligence by working together with an experienced provider of machine vision, artificial intelligence and robotics technologies – Video Systems – and testing new services in the laboratories of DIH Alto Adriatico – LEF.

The project will develop all the phases for developing a new visual inspection system, from the design of the model to prototype development, testing and field experimentation.

Role of LEF

LEF will make its laboratories available to Intermek and Video Systems, which will conduct the testing and experimentation. In addition, it is leading the communication and dissemination activities.

AI REGIO is funded by the EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (Grant Agreement No. 952003) and involves Comet clusters.

Duration: 8 months (01.06.2022- 31.01.2023)

IP4FVG – EDIH was established as an evolution and scale-up of the regional digital innovation hub IP4FVG, active since 2018. Through a new set of highly specialized support services, it aims to foster the adoption of digital and green technologies by SMEs and Public Administrations.

Funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU, the project received the European Commission’s “Seal of Excellence” recognition, which enabled access to national funding for Digital Hubs under the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (Ministerial Decree of March 10, 2023 – PNRR funds, Mission: 4 – Component: 2 – Investment: 2.3).

As a project partner, LEF will deliver services worth approximately €1 million to SMEs and Public Administrations in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, supporting Lean and Digital transformation initiatives aimed at achieving operational excellence.

Project Objectives

IP4FVG – EDIH builds an ecosystem for digital innovation stakeholders. It provides services to assess digital maturity and test technologies before investment, supports access to funding, and offers training and upskilling programs on digital capabilities. It also promotes collaboration, enabling SMEs and Public Administrations both within and outside the region to access the services and infrastructures of the European EDIH network.

Thanks to a partnership that includes the main regional players of the quadruple helix ecosystem, IP4FVG – EDIH guarantees expertise and services to drive the twin transition — digital and green transformation.

The services are dedicated to companies in the Manufacturing, Agrobiotech, Energy, and Environment sectors, as well as to Public Administrations, with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, High-Performance Computing, and Cybersecurity.

Services

• Technical Audits to assess technology maturity (Assessment)
• Test Before Invest, enabling technology trials at IP4FVG demonstrators and within experimental programs developed with regional universities
• Skills & Training, offering education programs on technologies and their applications
• Access to Finance, providing guidance on funding opportunities for investments
• Consulting on process and product innovation, supporting the adoption of digital and green technologies

Companies interested in accessing these services must submit an expression of interest following the guidelines of the public notice.

Expected Results

The project aims to achieve the following outcomes:

• Strengthen digital transformation processes in SMEs through high-value, specialized services
• Enhance the impact of previous IP4FVG investments and further develop EDIH’s ability to support companies with knowledge transfer, digitalization approaches, training, and workforce skill development
• Consolidate the IP4FVG ecosystem through stronger interaction and engagement with regional SMEs and Public Administrations
• Foster cooperation with other Digital Innovation Hubs and integration within the European EDIH Network

Duration: March 10, 2023 – April 30, 2026