Luxinnovation, supported by the economy ministry, is in fact co-organising the 26-27 January EDIH conference with the European Commission and DIHnet project. It's the first concrete step to more clearly define strategy for EDIH candidates as part of the Digital Europe plan, for which €9b has been earmarked. 

As was announced on Monday, prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) and economy minister Franz Fayot (LSAP) will represent the grand duchy at the event, along with over 3,000 participants from across Europe. 

Front and centre in the grand duchy’s initiative is Arnaud Lambert, who has been at the helm of the Luxembourg DIH since 4 January as it applies to become the official innovation hub for the grand duchy to the broader EDIH network.

The former Champ Cargosystems CEO, who left the role in September 2020, is already well-versed in the Luxembourg innovation ecosystem, even if he calls the career change a “radical” move. 

It’s a change that sees him now based in Belval, with a new set of colleagues, as well as transitioning from a commercial structure to one with a national outlook closely aligned with the ministry of economy. 

Recalling his former role, “I was very happy with what I was doing in the environment,” he says. “I think the aircraft industry is exciting, especially in these times of covid, but at the same time…after many years, I wanted to travel a bit less, I wanted to have a balance between something local but also still with an international reach.”

He adds with a smile, “I feel like a new kid basically going from primary school to secondary school, in a completely new world.”

New, perhaps, but one which in he has already hit the ground running. On 26-27 January, Lambert will help represent Luxembourg DIH as one of some 200 similar hubs across Europe during the EDIH conference. 

Just less than one month into his role, he has quite an ambitious agenda.

Gaining competencies from other EU partners

The Luxembourg DIH, launched in September 2019, aims to connect supply and demand and facilitate contacts for digitalisation in the industry 4.0 plan, with a special focus on the digital transformation of SMEs. Managed by Luxinnovation, the hub brings together other key players, including the economy ministry, Fedil, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Industry (List), the Chamber of Commerce, University of Luxembourg and the National Research Fund (FNR). 

Already a hub in its own right, Lambert sees it aligning well to the wider European strategy to accelerate digitalisation. This can mean not just acceleration at the local level, but “leveraging competencies you have in Europe… the purpose of the E-DIH is that in Europe, you have a network of digital innovation hubs that will therefore interact between each other.”

As the director points out, the grand duchy has strong competencies in areas like HPC--with the deployment of the Meluxina supercomputer as just one case in point--cybersecurity and AI. But, on the other hand, “[if] we need an expert in [for example] IoT, and we don’t have the competencies in Luxembourg, I can reach out to additional innovation hubs in Spain, Portgual, Greece, you name it.”

And while similar hubs already exist, not just in Luxembourg but in other member states, the real value of the E-DIH, Lambert says, “is about restructuring so you can leverage that power, in the synergies of the pooling at the European level, and then of course you can reach out further.”

The Luxembourg DIH “is the only one for Luxembourg that has been qualified by the state to my knowledge,” according to Lambert, who adds that one of the key strengths is that “different actors have decided to pull together into one”.

Among Lambert’s remits is to get the Luxembourg DIH accredited through the European network so it can “bring the best of those competencies in Luxembourg [not only] to deliver to Luxembourg, but also the European network.”

Once the two days of the conference are over, Lambert says, “we should have a horizon for the official [submission] process,” although he has currently been operating with the understanding that this timeframe will be by end-April. 

But things are looking promising. As the government added in a press communiqué on Monday, "the fact that the European Commission has chosen Luxembourg to host this event shows the extent to which the skills and know-how of the grand duchy in this area are recognised."

It looks like Lambert will have his work cut out for him.