WRO4diglTal and UPWr for Digital Europe

• Researchers from UPWr offer the implementation of their own business analytics system integrated with elements of the spatial information system (openGIS) with access to open spatial and socio-economic data.
• WRO4digITal EDIH Wrocław is one of the 150 European centers that, by the decision of the European Commission, will support small and medium-sized enterprises as well as public institutions in implementing digital technologies.
• The program involves scientists from the Faculty of Spatial Economy and Landscape Architecture, established in 2023.

The Digital Europe program focuses on the development of three main areas: artificial intelligence, computing using supercomputers, and digital security. But it also includes solutions based on other digital technologies such as cloud computing, big data, blockchain, the Internet of Things, and virtual reality. The goal is to raise the level of digitalization of the economy, increase the competitiveness of local companies, and economic growth in the region, but also increase the availability of a skilled workforce, and improve the quality of life. The project will be implemented over three years – within the national network of EDIHs, but also the pan-European network of digital innovation centers, creating a total of 150 consortia. It is financed with funds from the Digital Europe program and national funds. Thanks to this, Lower Silesian SMEs can benefit from free expert services and modernize their production or service provision in line with current digital trends.

How can UPWr researchers help?

Consortia formed within the EDIH are meant to be centers of comprehensive service – "one-stop shops" – points where a company interested in digital development can get help. In Lower Silesia, the consortium was formed by 22 entities, including the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, the Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency, the Lower Silesian Development Fund, and two special economic zones – Wałbrzych and Legnica. The leader of WRO4diglTal is the Wrocław Technology Park, and the offer for entities seeking support is aimed at SME sector companies, including micro-companies and startups, as well as public administration. It is estimated that 200 entities will benefit from this support.

The Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, specifically the Institute of Spatial Economy along with the Department of Landscape Architecture, within the consortium offers small and medium-sized enterprises advisory and development services – based on spatial data – for building a business decision support system. – This is support for companies interested in implementing their business analytics system integrated with elements of the spatial information system (openGIS) with access to open spatial and socio-economic data. The system will enable them to aggregate, filter, visually assess, and explore large amounts of economic data in a spatial context – explains the director of the Institute of Spatial Economy, Prof. Szymon Szewrański, adding that in practice, the final solutions will allow companies that qualify for the program and choose the offer of scientists from the ISE, among other things, for spatial and temporal market analysis, analysis of the economic environment and competition in a spatial context, "what if?" scenario simulations, strategic, locational, and geomarketing analyses, as well as socio-economic-environmental business efficiency indicators.

– From our side, we provide an overview of the business information resources we have, assess the possibility of their automatic processing and structuring to build a location intelligence system, including the assessment of the potential use of data mining and machine learning methods. Needs analysis is, of course, primarily about defining the expected functionality of the system, but also about assessing the technical possibilities of designing and implementing it in a specific company or public entity based on the guidelines we have developed – says Prof. Szymon Szewrański. Alongside him, the project implemented by the WRO4diglTal consortium involves Prof. Jan Kazak, Dr. Małgorzata Świąder, Prof. Katarzyna Tokarczyk-Dorociak, and Dr. Grzegorz Chrobak.

On the Road to Digital Europe

The consortium has a clear mission – to achieve a networking effect and build an ecosystem of digital innovations for SMEs. The educational and demonstrative actions taken by the institutions creating WRO4diglTal are intended to provide access to specialized knowledge and equipment, and the individual advisory and implementation services offered by them are not only expert support in searching for digital solutions but also support in seeking financing and help in finding suppliers of appropriate technologies or potential business partners. The program funded by the European Union aims to raise the level of digitalization of the SME sector and public institutions.

WRO4diglTal is based on the three main technologies of the Digital Europe program, namely: artificial intelligence (AI), computing with the use of supercomputers (HPC), and cybersecurity, but it also includes modern solutions in the field of automation and robotics as well as additive manufacturing. How to use the services of WRO4digITal EDIH Wrocław? Registration in the digital services ecosystem is required (the user gains an individual guardian who guides them through the entire transformation process). The next step is to fill out a survey that allows assessing the digital maturity of the organization seeking support and consequently offer specific assistance. The formal side is completed by submitting the appropriate documents online. Upon qualification for the program, one gains access to over 50 different services provided by the WRO4digITal consortium partners.

During the opening conference of the program, Dr. Emilia Mazgajczyk, the manager of WRO4digITal, emphasized: –We are a hub of experts, technology providers, and above all, knowledge.

Maciej Potocki, the president of the Wrocław Technology Park, doesn't hide that in the digital world, small and medium-sized Polish enterprises and public institutions, are at the beginning of their journey, hence the importance of the support that the consortium can provide them.

Prof. Szymon Szewrański: – This is an ambitious program, showing that Europe truly understands the challenges hidden under the broadly understood concept of digitization. In the area of implementing new technologies and systemic solutions, it's crucial because, on one hand, it will allow setting standards, but on the other, it will show the directions in which we need to develop and the tools worth reaching for. For me, the importance of the Digital Europe program is comparable to the subsequent editions of the Horizon program, where the European Union recognized that without serious investment in science, research, and implementations, we cannot talk about development and a knowledge-based economy at all.

From Ecosystem Services to Urban Planning

Researchers from the Institute of Spatial Economy at UPWr and the Department of Landscape Architecture conduct research in the area of decision support and resolving spatial conflicts on the environmental-landscape, economic-economic, and social-cultural planes using descriptive, valorization, evaluative, statistical, and prognostic-modeling methods. 

Currently, researchers at the Institute are engaged in, among other things, studying the possibilities of applying fuzzy logic, multi-criteria analysis, and GIS tools in creating scenarios to support the decision-making of urban energy policies; characterizing suburban landscapes in the context of managing ecosystem service conflicts; mapping conflicts and convergences concerning ecosystem services for spatial economy purposes; analyzing the application of ecological footprint and biological capacity to assess environmental capacity; spatial analysis of the potential for energy production from renewable sources; applying an environment-based approach in sustainable spatial management; researching the possibilities of using practical knowledge with the application of fuzzy logic to determine vineyard locations; studying investment activity of cities in the context of their administrative status; analyzing the availability of green spaces in Poland; researching the impact of border opening on services and trade at border crossings; exploring the possibilities of CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) in the Wrocław county; studying the technical infrastructure of municipalities associated with national parks; researching the tourist infrastructure of the Czech-Polish border area; analyzing the use of machine learning methods for processing the textual part of spatial planning documents.

• 

  Appetite-regulating scents: swap sweets for scented blotters

  Dr. Jacek Łyczko's team from the Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis at UPWr is embarking on consumer studies in the final phase of his research on creating a new generation of appetite-regulating agents. The scented prototypes have already been designed: 12 of them to stimulate appetite (e.g., for seniors) and 4 to reduce it, which will interest individuals with obesity. Some of these have already been filed for patent by the university.

• 

  MERIT grant awarded to scientist at UPWr

  Dr. Radosław Zajdel from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences has been awarded a MERIT grant for the project "BIG4," which aims to explore the full potential of GNSS technology for precise geodetic research and monitoring of Earth's changes.