Funded Projects 2014-2020

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Project Digi2Market

Project Acronym Digi2Market
Project Title Digital Access to Markets for Sustainable Rural Business.
Project subsite

Summary

The project develops Innovative Immersive Digital Technologies Tools for SMEs.  

It will create B2B Collaborative Digital Platform (Digital City) with the functions:

  • Host Immersive technologies (Augmnented & Virtual Reality) Toolkits, adapted for SMEs
  • Host Marketing and Sales Toolkits adapted for SMEs
  • A platform for small SMEs to collaborate and achieve synergies of scale (and/or product offering) to enter new markets
  • Provide Interactive collaboration facilities for Digital Hubs, Business Parks, SMEs and Knowledge Providers
  • Provide Knowledge Centre on Green Standards for SME adoption
  • Provide a Research and Marketing Platform for SMEs.


Immersive technologies are a vehicle through which Storytelling based marketing solutions are developed for SMEs and Clusters. Its focus is on sectors using natural biological resources and supplying industries.  It will develop Regional and Transnational SME Clusters in Agri Enterprises (Food & Biomass), Marine Enterprises (Food & Health Products) and Engineering Entreprises (Fabrication & Agri/Marine) to increase market reach.

Immersive technologies and digial communication form the most resource efficient means of marketing and sales for the enterprises.  50 enterprises will be introduced to and use immersive technologies in marketing activities.  

The project will develop at least three themed clusters of SMEs in Green related sectors, where complementary marketing and sales can be developed through immersive technologies.  

The enterprises will also be assisted in digitally supported environmental good practices in resource uses (taking into account supplies and deliveries).  The project will produce a good practice guide on Green Standards in Marketing and Sales  for SMEs andthe facilitation of their adoption by SMEs.

Objectives

Involve 100 enterprises in awareness raising activities about markets beyond their local areas.
Meetings will be held and networks developed to identify and contact SMEs with potential for gaining access to markets beyond their local areas.  These enterprises will form a reservoir for more active developments in marketing and sales.

Assist 50 enterprises in developing immersive technology applications to enhance their marketing platforms.
50 enterprises will benefit from actual immersive technology development, which will be linked to their marketing story and designed to enhance their web presence at an international level.

Three or more high end applications will be developed using immersive technologies for market story telling.
From the 50 enterprises benefiting above, clusters of enterprises will be selected to have high end applications.  These will focus on a market theme, which enables stories to be developed benefiting enterprises in different regions.

Impacts

Intangible

Raising awareness:

Entrepreneurs in peripheral areas face challenges such as isolation and long-distances to markets. The Digi2Market project explored how immersive technologies such as virtual or augmented reality, can help local entrepreneurs better market their products and reach wider markets. Various SMEs in fields such as tourism, agriculture, health, or clothing tested how virtual 360° tours can help in retaining and attracting customers.

 
Building institutional capacity:

Cooperating with IT specialists has broadened SMEs´ horizons about how digital technology can be used to reach wider markets. Entrepreneurs have also gained more confidence in using digital technology and learnt how to better specify their requests towards VR/AR developers. Similarly, innovative marketing approaches were shared and exchanged among entrepreneurs across Finland, Iceland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. Lastly, through the Marketing Assessment Toolbox and Green Business Model Framework, business support organisations are now better equipped in providing marketing support based on immersive technologies.

 
Changing attitude and behaviour:

Digi2Market has engaged with more than 150 enterprises. 50 of these were assisted in developing their marketing through the application of immersive technologies and presented their experience in case studies. The project has prepared a Model of storytelling, and organized regional events that introduced immersive technologies and their use in marketing to SMEs.

 

Lead Partner

Partners

Project Info

Theme
Business development, trade, marketing
Priority
2 Entrepreneurship
Objective
2.2 Greater market reach
Project duration
01-09-18 to 31-08-21
Total budget
1 606 442 EUR
NPA co-financing
1 044 187 EUR
Target groups
local public authority
regional public authority
sectoral agency
higher education and research
enterprise, including SME
business support organisation