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The new technologies sector in Europe

The Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) is a new EU funding programme focused on bringing new or digital technologies to businesses, citizens and public administrations.

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Europe’s digital transformation

Making Europe greener and more impactful with new technologies are the two challenges for our generation, and our success in meeting them will define our future. The European Commission has started to look towards a greener Europe through the lens of the European Green Pact. At the same time, it is opening discussions on the move to a more digital world: the digital transition.

New technologies, i.e. digital technology and infrastructure, play a fundamental role in our private lives and business environments. We rely on them to communicate, to work, to advance science and to respond to today’s environmental problems. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted not only how much we depend on our technology to be available to us, but also how important it is that Europe is not dependent on systems and solutions from other regions of the world. The DIGITAL programme paves the way to achieve this goal.

The Digital Europe programme will provide strategic funding to respond to these challenges, supporting projects in five areas of new technologies in supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills and ensuring the wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society, including through digital innovation centres. With an expected overall budget of €7.5 billion (at current prices), it aims to accelerate economic recovery and shape the digital transformation of Europe’s society and economy, bringing benefits to all, but in particular to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Objectives of the

Digital Decade in Europe


In her 2020 State of the Union address, Ursula Von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, declared that this will be Europe’s“digital decade ’, the decade of new technologies. To achieve this goal, the European Commission has launched the Digital Compass for Europe project, which sets out Europe’s objectives up to 2030:

The target for 2030 is that at least 80% of all adults should have basic digital skills and there should be 20 million ICT specialists in the EU, with more women in these positions.

All EU households should have gigabit connectivity and all populated areas should be served by 5G networks; sustainable state-of-the-art semiconductor production in Europe should account for 20% of global production; ten thousand highly secure and climate-neutral edge nodes should be deployed in the EU; and Europe should have its first quantum computer.

Three out of four companies should use cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence services; more than 90% of SMEs should reach at least a basic level of digital intensity; and the number of unicorns (start-ups worth more than $1 billion) in the EU should double.

All key public services should be available online; all citizens should have access to their electronic health records; and 80% of citizens should use an e-ID solution.

Measuring digitalisation: 8 KPIs

To measure digital transformation and the evolution of new technologies, the OECD has identified eight KPIs: access, usage, innovation, jobs, society, trust and market openness [1].

Access to infrastructure and services is key to digital transformation, as a reliable, efficient and accessible communications network is the basis for an open and distributed Internet that enables the flow of data on a global scale. Therefore, both broadband penetration and broadband access have been taken into account in the creation of the variable.

While many organisations make use of digital tools, very few exploit them to their full potential. Not only businesses need to increase their use of technologies, a growing gap has been identified between citizens using basic internet services and those contributing to the creation of digital content. The public sector can also benefit from these technologies, replacing the term e-government with digital government, where digital technologies are not only used to digitise processes but also to reorganise them in such a way that they are digital from the start.

Digital innovation is one of the key factors in digital transformation and in the creation of the digital ecosystem. The variables used to measure innovation are ICT patents, R&D investment and the number of start-ups.

Digital transformation is revolutionising the labour market, accelerating the cycles of emergence and disappearance of jobs, especially with the advent of automation and Industry 4.0. One of the main challenges will be the acquisition of digital skills by professionals to meet the new requirements arising from the implementation of new technologies.

The digital transformation also has a strong impact on people, bringing the world of data closer through the Internet, increasing social circles, etc. One of the objectives of the European Union is for this transformation to take place on an equal basis, not only in terms of gender but also in terms of age.

Another pillar of the European Union is privacy and the protection of citizens’ rights, as can be seen in the new legislative proposals under development. Trust in digital technologies is necessary for individuals to benefit from all the advantages offered by the digital transformation.

Digital technologies are changing the environment in which companies compete and interact. The opening of markets allows for the creation of a digital innovation ecosystem in which the level playing field and competitiveness is ensured. Each of these KPIs is divided into variables.

5 leading tech industries thriving in Europe right now

Fintech stands for financial technology and refers to software, mobile apps and other technologies that automate and enhance the delivery of traditional forms of finance. For example, opening a bank account online or using a smartphone to monitor and pay for transactions are all examples of financial technology. So is using your smartphone as a digital wallet to pay for goods and services.

Fintech is a strong market in Europe. Some of the continent’s most prized start-ups are techno-financial companies. These include Klarna, Checkout.com and Revolut.

In addition, Europe accounts for more than 25 percent of all technofinancial unicorns globally. 

Edtech refers to digital technology dedicated to the development and application of software and hardware tools that will promote education. EdTech aims to make learning easier, cost-effective and accessible to students, regardless of learning differences. Another goal of educational technology is to innovate educational institutions and, at the same time, reduce the costs of doing so.

Why is educational technology important?

Edtech does not mean adding technological devices to the classroom, such as helping students with laptops or iPads. Edtech aims to use technology to facilitate and deliver a new way of learning. This allows personalised learning for students based on their individual needs.

HR technology relates to the software and associated hardware that automates the human resources function in an enterprise. It includes:

  • Payroll and employee compensation
  • Talent acquisition and management
  • Workforce analysis
  • Performance management
  • Benefits administration

HR technology helps companies make better and faster hiring decisions. HR software can include an applicant tracking system to manage the hiring process and create a database of qualified resumes that companies can search and call when a position opens up. According to the AIHR report, HR technology trends in 2022 aim to improve employee sentiment by developing a two-way communication strategy to help build future communications based on the information gathered.

Climate technology is defined as technologies focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing global warming. Climate technology aims to improve existing markets by replacing the way they operate with greener, more sustainable alternatives. These may include the development of:

  • Nature conservation
  • Renewables
  • Alternative protein
  • Engineered carbon sequestration
  • Natural-based carbon removal
  • Water recycling

Digital health uses information and communication technology to manage diseases and health risks, and promote wellbeing. This can include everything from Fitbit devices to electronic health records and meditation apps. Digital technologies improve health in a number of ways.

For example, electronic health records support clinical trials and provide comprehensive observational data.

What is the size of the digital health market? The European digital health market was estimated at USD 1. 39.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 47.6 billion by 2022. The advancement of technology, combined with the shortage of medical professionals in Europe to deal with common health problems such as chronic diseases and ageing populations, is a significant driver of the growth of the digital health market.mercado.

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