Romania has launched a new European Digital Innovation Hub with an expanded focus on artificial intelligence: FIT EDIH 2.0 – Accelerating AI-Driven Digital Transformation in Romania’s Centru Region. The initiative, funded through the EU’s Digital Europe Programme, brings together 15 organisations from Romania and Spain and will run for 36 months, until April 2029.

FIT EDIH 2.0 aims to support the digital transformation of more than 140 beneficiaries, including SMEs and public sector organisations in the Centru Region and Bucharest-Ilfov. The hub covers the counties of Alba, Brasov, Covasna, Harghita, Mures and Sibiu, while Bucharest-Ilfov is included for large public institutions. The project is coordinated by Iceberg Plus SRL of Brasov.

The new hub builds on the earlier FIT EDIH 1.0, one of the first European Digital Innovation Hubs identified by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in 2017. After five years of activity supporting digitalisation in the Centru Region, the new phase expands both the depth and scope of services, placing a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence and on tailoring support to each beneficiary.

A cross-sector study conducted by the FIT consortium – based on responses from more than 600 organisations – confirmed that although digitalisation is widely recognized as necessary, implementation remains uneven, particularly among small businesses and local administrations. FIT EDIH 2.0 is designed to address this gap.

The project follows four interconnected objectives aligned with the Digital Europe Programme and the EU’s strategy to strengthen the EDIH network with an AI focus. These include accelerating the adoption of AI, high-performance computing (HPC) and cybersecurity through testing environments, sandbox pilots and technical assessments; increasing preparedness for generative AI and emerging technologies through training, consultancy and demonstrations; enabling practical experimentation with European and local AI innovations – including open-source LLMs such as Mistral, BLOOM and OpenLLM-Ro (developed in Romania by Politehnica Bucharest, the University of Bucharest and ILDS) – as well as voice technologies; and improving access to European AI infrastructures such as the AI-on-Demand platform and AI Factories.

FIT EDIH 2.0 activities are structured around the four core service pillars of a European Digital Innovation Hub: Test Before Invest, offering AI validation, experimentation and demonstrative pilots using European technologies; Skills & Training – including modular curricula, green AI modules, reskilling programmes and the training of more than 20 regional “AI Champions”; Access to Finance – supporting beneficiaries in securing over EUR 4.7 million in public and private investment; and Innovation Ecosystem Building – including community activation, technology matchmaking, open innovation hackathons and more than 20 cross-border collaborations.

The project also introduces new elements such as the AI for Good Challenge, AI Champions Awards, monthly AI Café sessions, Digital Breakfasts, an Open Innovation Bootcamp, and a dedicated AI Help Desk, designed as the first point of contact for organisations seeking to adopt AI responsibly.

By April 2029, FIT EDIH 2.0 will support more than 140 direct beneficiaries – around 80 SMEs and 60 public sector organisations – across sectors including manufacturing, smart cities and villages, digital health, creative industries, energy and clean tech, and digital public services.

The consortium includes universities, technology leaders, SME support organisations, national innovation stakeholders and European partners: Iceberg Plus SRL, George Emil Palade University of Targu Mures, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Brasov Metropolitan Agency, Covasna SME Association, Ropardo SRL, National SME Employers’ Association, Alba Iulia Intercommunity Development Association, Cluster Association for Innovation and Technology, General Secretariat of the Government, ICI Bucharest, Edge Institute, Romanian Digital Innovation Hubs Association, Universidad de Navarra (Spain) and Grama Proiect SRL.

    The Digital Europe Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for deploying digital technologies across society, with strategic investments in AI, HPC, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, and the rollout of digital solutions through the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs.