Location Innovation Hub

The Location Innovation Hub (LIH) is a 36-month European digital innovation project that supports the digital and green transition of SMEs and public sector organisations. The project strengthens the European Digital Innovation Hub operating in Finland and expands its impact across Europe. LIH’s areas of expertise include geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI), location intelligence, digital twins, data spaces, data analytics and visualisation. These solutions are applied in areas such as smart cities, health and wellbeing services, logistics, the bioeconomy, biodiversity monitoring and defence.

The project provides four service areas: testing technologies before investment, developing skills and competencies, strengthening access to finance and investment readiness, and building innovation networks. Companies and public sector organisations can test their solutions in research and experimentation environments, access expert support through the Borrow-a-Researcher service, and participate in training, challenge camps and co-creation activities. The training strengthens competencies related particularly to GeoAI, data spaces, interoperability and application programming interfaces. Clients are also supported in identifying funding opportunities, developing intellectual property rights and commercialising new services.

LIH promotes the responsible and secure adoption of artificial intelligence by providing guidance on the EU AI Act, cybersecurity and data governance. The project connects clients with European AI Factories, testing environments and high-performance computing services while promoting interoperable solutions based on European values. Its aim is to reduce the risks associated with adopting new technologies, strengthen organisations’ digital capabilities and create scalable, sustainable and data-driven services. In this way, LIH enhances business competitiveness, improves the efficiency of public services, and strengthens the digital sovereignty.

Digitalisation, artificial intelligence and the data economy offer SMEs and public sector organisations opportunities to improve productivity, services and sustainability. GeoAI, digital twins and data spaces can transform areas such as cities, logistics, health and wellbeing services, and the bioeconomy. However, many organisations face difficulties in adopting these technologies. Key barriers include limited expertise and practical use cases, investment risks, access to finance and fragmented support services.

The development of GeoAI solutions is also hindered by the quality, availability and interoperability of geospatial data and the computing capacity required for large datasets. Organisations need support with cybersecurity, data governance, intellectual property rights and compliance with the EU AI Act. Without accessible experimentation environments and expert services, SMEs in particular may have to make investment decisions based on insufficient information or postpone innovation. In the public sector, these challenges slow the development of interoperable, data-driven services.

The Location Innovation Hub addresses this service and skills gap as part of the European Digital Innovation Hub network. During its first operational period, LIH served more than 450 companies and public sector organisations and established its services, testing environments, training platforms and partner network. The continuation project is needed to consolidate these activities, expand the services and help clients move from individual experiments towards wider technology adoption. It will also strengthen Finnish organisations’ connections to European AI Factories, testing environments, high-performance computing and data spaces. The project contributes to Europe’s digital and green transition, technological sovereignty and regional competitiveness by ensuring that advanced technologies are also accessible to SMEs and public sector organisations.

The project aims to change how SMEs and public organisations use geospatial data, artificial intelligence, digital twins and data spaces by moving from isolated experiments to systematic and secure adoption. Target groups will learn to identify relevant use cases, assess their digital maturity and make investment decisions based on tested evidence. Test Before Invest services enable solutions to be trialled in research and testing environments before major investments, reducing risks and accelerating the adoption of effective solutions.

The project strengthens staff competencies in GeoAI, data use, interoperability, APIs, cybersecurity and compliance with the EU AI Act. Through training, online courses, challenge camps and co-creation, participants will apply new knowledge in their work and develop data-driven products and services. The Borrow-a-Researcher service brings research expertise directly into organisational development and helps solve technical challenges for which organisations lack internal resources.

The project will develop and expand testing and experimentation services, GeoAI training, customer-oriented service pathways, technical trials, co-creation events, and funding, IPR and commercialisation advice. Clients will also be connected with European AI Factories, high-performance computing services, testing environments, funders and innovation networks. As a concrete result, companies will improve their investment readiness, technological capabilities and ability to commercialise new solutions. Public organisations will become better equipped to develop efficient, secure and interoperable services. In the longer term, the project will improve business competitiveness, create new partnerships and strengthen the capacity of regional innovation ecosystems to use European digital solutions.

The project’s intended impact is to enable SMEs and public organisations to use geospatial data, artificial intelligence, digital twins and data spaces more systematically, securely and extensively. Testing technologies before investment reduces risks and helps direct resources towards proven solutions. This accelerates technology adoption and strengthens organisations’ capacity for renewal.

At the individual level, the project increases employees’ digital competencies, confidence in using new technologies and ability to make evidence-based decisions. Participants learn to identify suitable use cases and address data governance, interoperability, cybersecurity and the requirements of the EU AI Act. New knowledge is applied directly to work tasks, service development and internal operating practices.

For companies, the intended change is reflected in greater investment readiness, new products and services, more efficient processes, and stronger competitiveness and internationalisation capacity. Public organisations will provide higher-quality, safer and more interoperable services and use data more effectively in decision-making and resource allocation. Access to research and expert knowledge also strengthens a culture of continuous experimentation and co-creation.

At the ecosystem level, LIH connects Finnish stakeholders with European AI Factories, testing environments, funders and innovation networks. This generates new partnerships, research and development projects, and cross-border services. In the long term, the project strengthens regional vitality, Europe’s digital and green transition, technological sovereignty and resilience. Its lasting impact is based on ensuring that the services, competencies and networks developed through the project remain in active use after the funding period.

Horizon Europe

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