BDVA and EIT Digital are joining forces to advance European Big Data Economy

EIT Digital and the Big Data Value Association (BDVA) signed on June 17 a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) to join forces to support the advancement of European Big Data Economy. The signing, in the context of the first Summit of the Big Data Value Association in Madrid (June 17-19), was done in Madrid via video links to Berlin and Brussels by Willem Jonker, CEO EIT Digital and Jürgen Müller, Head of SAP Innovation Center Network and BDVA president. All in the presence of Giuseppe Abbamonte, Director of Media & Content Directorate, DG Connect, European Commission.

The Big Data Value Association AISBL is a fully self-financed non–for-profit organization, with around 100 members today from large and SME industry as well as academic and research. As an industry-led contractual counterpart to the European Commission for the implementation of the Big Data Value Public Private Partnership (BDV PPP), the goal is to maintain and fulfil a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for Big Data Value domain and contribute to the Horizon 2020 work programmes and calls for proposals.

EIT Digital is a leading European open innovation organisation and one of five Knowledge and Innovation Communities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Its mission is to foster digital technology innovation and entrepreneurial talent for economic growth and quality of life in Europe. EIT Digital bring together entrepreneurs from a partnership of over 130 top European corporations, SMEs, start-ups, universities and research institutes. The goal is to accelerate the market uptake of research-based digital technologies and bring entrepreneurial talent and leadership to Europe.

“The collaboration between BDVA and EIT Digital is important and timely. We share partners and topics with BDVA, while we also bring complementary elements like our entrepreneurial education. Timely because, Europe has to strengthen its position in Big Data: Jointly BDVA and EIT Digital will contribute to driving the European Data Economy", says Willem Jonker, CEO EIT Digital.

By combining their resources and assets, the cooperation will target the crucial aspects that will enable the creation of a strong European Big Data Economy: technology-driven Innovation around Big Data technologies and applications; Entrepreneurial Education for the new talents and skills Big Data economy requires; the creation of an innovation ecosystem for the European Big Data economy to flourish within.

“Through this collaboration, we aim to help our partners to realise the benefits expected from the Big Data Value Public Private Partnership and to exploit its results more efficiently, to develop skills and competencies in Big Data, leading to a flourishing innovation ecosystem for the European Big Data economy”, explains Jürgen Müller, Head of SAP Innovation Center Network and BDVA president.

For more information about BDVA and the Summit go to www.bdva.eu.