InnoValor becomes a partner of EIT Digitals pan-European ecosystem in which approximately 130 other European companies, universities and research institutes take part. “This partnership will accelerate our time to market of new products and our growth rate”, says Wil Janssen, Managing Partner InnoValor. “We need new talent fast”.
Due to a change in policy at EIT Digital it is since 2017 easier for SME companies to become a partner. InnoValor took that chance immediately, says Janssen. “EIT Digital has a strong European ecosystem and offers great instruments that strengthen our strategic product development. We can fully commit to strategic innovation activities and we hope to double our size in the next two years. In addition, we hope to gain access to the pool of young talents within EIT Digital.”
EIT Digital has a strong European ecosystem and offers great instruments that strengthen our strategic product development. – Wil Janssen, managing partner InnoValor
Patrick Essers, director Netherlands of EIT Digital is excited to have InnoValor as a new partner, of which the history in ICT-related research and research-based advice goes back to 1991. “The predecessor of InnoValor, Telematica Instituut/Novay, was one of the founding fathers of EIT Digital. Ever since, InnoValor had, through subcontracting with EIT Digital partners, a valuable contribution to the innovation activities of EIT Digital. As a full-fledged partner, InnoValor can submit own innovation activities to the Call for Proposals.”
Innovation activities are one of EIT Digitals strategies to make Europe into a vanguard player of the digital economy. Partners of EIT Digital can participate in or lead an international consortium that develops new services, products or start-ups based on European research. According to Janssen, EIT Digital pan-European ecosystem offers easy access to interesting parties for collaborative knowledge- and product development. “Normally it is not easy to get in touch with these parties. As a company, you cannot be leading in everything. You need partners for complementary technologies.”
Besides, the method of EIT Digital leads to a financial advantage and a shortened time to market, says Janssen. “Innovation means investing. EIT Digital multiplies our own investments. Within a year, you must show that you have reached something. EIT Digital shortens the time to market considerably. This results in an acceleration of our product development and growth of our advisory branch. Because of what we want to reach with EIT Digital we created multiple job openings.”
One of the products that InnoValor want to further develop in the EIT Digital ecosystem is ReadID, software to verify identity documents with NFC on a smartphone. ReadID is used, among others, by the Dutch police. “Such a product is in fintech important for the onboarding of new customers. Within EIT Digital we want to make in collaboration with European partners better identification products for mobile platforms.”
About EIT Digital
EIT Digital is a European innovation and education organisation. The goal is to improve the economical growth and the quality of life in Europe through digital technological innovation and education. This is reached through the integration of education, research, entrepreneurship, and a pan-European collaboration with 130 European companies, SMEs, start-ups, universities and research institutes. Dutch partner companies represented in the pan-European network are among others Bosch Security Systems, Bright Cape, NXP, Océ, Philips, CWI, IMEC/Holst Centre, TNO, the technical universities in Delft, Twente and Eindhoven, and High Tech NL. Because of this EIT Digital brings ground-breaking digital innovations to the market. EIT Digital is a Knowledge and Innovation Community of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.