The world is changing at a rapid pace. We are all facing major social challenges: the creation of a sustainable society. All this in the context of the environmental pressure on the earth, the increasing scarcity of raw materials and the growing influence of technology. This calls for a community platform where Limburg entrepreneurs from numerous sectors can find each other and strengthen each other.With shiftLimburg we are focusing on the four transitions: Energy, Circularity, Health & Digitalization. In this way we work together towards a smarter, more sustainable and healthier Limburg.

This article is part of a 4-part series around the four transitions that are central to this platform.

It's a great opportunity to get to know each other better and to get to know each other better.

Digitization touches everything. Every company has to deal with it. Precisely because it is such an all-encompassing term, we try to be clear about where we think opportunities lie for Limburg. The most added value of digitization lies where the domain expertise is the highest. Within Limburg, these are the domains of life sciences & health, agrofood, chemistry & materials, the manufacturing industry and logistics. If you apply digitization in these domains, you will arrive at the application areas that we have characterized as promising within Limburg. These are digital health, agrotech/foodtech, smart manufacturing & supply chain and e-commerce. Within all of these application areas, we look at the potential of technology, whether it be artificial intelligence, virtual (or augmented) reality, blockchain technology or other software-based applications. Ultimately, what matters is the value that lies in the application of the technology on a larger scale.

As a regional development company, LIOF is involved in networks at different impact levels. We are involved both on a national level in working groups on the Dutch digitization agenda and directly as a shareholder at the table of companies in our region that are working on their digitization. For this very reason, LIOF is an ideal party to do a lot of work in an independent way to further support the digitization transition.  With our team we are working along a number of the action lines we have defined, which all touch on what LIOF can actually do. In that sense we are not going to play a different role for entrepreneurs in our network, but more with a clear direction on the four transitions and in our case on digitalization. The action lines we are following for digitalization can be found below.

Digital Network

This action line focuses on raising awareness internally and externally for the transition role that LIOF has to play. Work is being done on propositions, use cases and other content to interpret this role in context. In addition, partnerships, both (inter)regional and (inter)national, are being established with relevant network parties in the field of digitization. Finally, specific activities are being developed around digitization and internationalization. Examples of collaborations around these lines of action include our link with EIT Digital and the Brightlands AI Hub Zuid (part of the Dutch AI Coalition). 

Digital Innovation

Under this action line, there is further research into what is specifically needed to further stimulate digital innovation in Limburg. There is active investment in startups and scale-ups in this domain and specific requirements to stimulate entrepreneurship among (technical) talent are examined. There is specific attention to digitization with a cross-over to one of the other transitions. For example, you can think of digitization in healthcare or innovative (precision) agriculture solutions.

Digitizing SMEs

Themes relevant to the digital transformation of Limburg SMEs are actively addressed. The opportunities and steps to be taken are made clear with relevant scans. There is collaboration with regional partners for demand articulation and the targeted tackling of digitization issues (e.g. Brightlands Digitale Werkplaats MKB) and there is active participation in growth plans that arise from new (digital) business models.

LIOF Digital

This action line includes the further digitalization of LIOF itself. The main focus is to make the work of the LIOF professional more efficient and LIOF as an organization more effective. In addition, digital collaboration with entrepreneurs with whom LIOF is in contact will be addressed. A good example is community platform shiftLimburg. Furthermore, it is being investigated how platforms can be set up on a national level, for example with Techleap and the other ROMs, and how own data can be enriched with relevant external data for additional insights into Limburg's SMEs.