DIVA: Atlantic France selected to foster data & AI excellence with a European Digital Innovation Hub

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© Arnaud Dréan

A consortium led by Atlanpole and EMC2 has been selected by the European Digital Innovation Hub call for tenders, which aims to support the digitisation of companies. The project is called DIVA and plans to support up to 3,000 companies in Atlantic France.

This is big news for the Atlantic France digital sector! The DIVA project is one of the 10 French European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) which have been selected and funded by the European Commission as part of the “Digital Europe” investment programme.

Promote human-centric vision for AI and data innovation

DIVA stands for Digital Innovation Value Accelerator and aims to increase the adoption of digital technologies by companies. In Atlantic France, the choice has been made to develop a human-centered, ethical and ecological vision for the development of artificial intelligence, and to promote values such as transparency, respect for privacy and sharing of knowledge.

The support program will enable businesses to identify and seize the many opportunities offered by digital technologies. Supported companies will benefit from a tailor-made accompaniment composed of different stages:

  • An initial sensitisation and diagnosis phase on the use of data
  • Technical support with easy access to platforms
  • Testing and experimentation
  • Dedicated data & AI training offer
  • Simplified access to financing tools
  • An opening to Europe via technical & commercial collaborations with other European EDIHs

The support of DIVA is targeted at SMEs and mid-size companies, in particular those in key sectors such as healthcare, aeronautics, shipbuilding, energy, agriculture, mobility, etc. The project has been funded by the EU for 3 years, and within this period DIVA aims to support 3,000 companies in Atlantic France.

A consortium of key digital players in Atlantic France

DIVA was initiated in 2020 by a consortium of 11 partners from Atlantic France. The project is led by Atlanpole, a recognised player in supporting startups and innovative deeptech SMEs, in collaboration with the EMC2 competitiveness cluster. Our economic development agency Solutions&co is part of the members, alongside the Atlantic France Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the business clusters ADN Ouest and Images et réseaux, the innovation centres Laval Mayenne Technopole, Angers Technopole and Le Mans Innovation, and the academic players IMT Atlantique and Nantes University. In addition to EU funds, the project is supported by the Atlantic France regional council. 

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