Huawei hosted the 2024 “Europe Innovation Day” in Paris, an event where European tech leaders, business representatives, and innovation experts explored opportunities for cross-border and cross-industry collaboration. Under this year’s theme of “Unleashing the Potential of European Innovation,” the event addressed critical challenges in Europe’s digital transformation, offering strategies to strengthen regional ecosystems and enhance global competitiveness.

Driving Europe’s digital progress through cooperation

Jesus Contreras, Chief Operations and Financial Officer of EIT Digital, stated: “Innovation is never a solo endeavor; it relies on collaboration and exchange among all parties.” He emphasized that digital innovation flourishes when global partners and customers with diverse perspectives unite, bringing energy and momentum to collaborative efforts.

Nicola Caputo, Regional Minister of Campania (Italy) and Member of the European Committee of the Regions, highlighted the challenges Europe faces in its digital transformation, such as insufficient digital literacy, lagging commercial adoption, and uneven 5G coverage. He called for governments to strengthen cross-border cooperation to boost Europe’s global competitiveness in the digital economy.

Ximo Puig, Spain’s Permanent Representative to the OECD, stated: “Innovation is essentially a framework. Governments, businesses, and society must leverage this framework to collectively foster long-term development and build a fully connected world.”

Laurent Lafforgue, a renowned mathematician at Huawei Technologies France, said: “The rapid advancement of technological innovation relies on solid foundational theories. Robust theoretical research is essential to achieving sustainable and long-term technological progress.”

Huawei’s commitment to long-term investment

“Innovation is a long-term process,” remarked Yu Liang, Vice President of Huawei Cloud Global Ecosystem. He affirmed Huawei’s dedication to fostering open collaboration that drives both societal and commercial value. Yu further announced Huawei’s partnership with Station F to launch a sustainability-focused incubation program, aiming to support 10 startups in sectors like retail, automotive, and industrial manufacturing, enabling them to achieve rapid growth within a seven-month incubation period.

Advancing digital transformation and building Europe’s future

At the “Driving Digital Transformation for Europe’s Emerging Innovators” forum, co-hosted by Euronews and Huawei, participants underscored the necessity of cross-sector collaboration and open ecosystems. Key speakers included Horst Heitz, Chair of SME Connect Steering Committee; Ana Paula Nishio de Sousa, Director of Digital Transformation & AI at the UN Industrial Development Organization; Alexander Pisemskiy, CEO of Zenpulsar; and Gaurav Tripathi, CTO of Partex NV. They emphasized the need for open data-sharing platforms and collaborative ecosystems to cultivate a more inclusive and adaptable innovation environment.

“Huawei Cloud will continue to invest in Europe by delivering stable and reliable cloud infrastructure, working with government agencies and universities to cultivate digital talent, and supporting startups to scale across regions,” said Zhu Xiaoming, Vice President of Huawei Cloud Global Industry Development. He noted that Europe’s digital transformation is advancing slower than the targets outlined in the Europe Digital Decade 2030 plan, particularly in areas such as data and artificial intelligence.

Promoting inclusivity and women innovators

Berta Herrero, Head of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion at Huawei Europe, moderated a panel discussion on empowering women innovators. Panelists included Rebeca de Sancho Mayoral, Senior Adviser on EU Innovation & Access to Finance at the European Commission; Egle Ciuoderiene, Founder of Duevo; Iva Tasheva, Co-Founder and Cybersecurity Lead at CyEn; and Gaia Verzelli, an alumna of Huawei’s Women Leadership School. They shared insights into EU funding and policy initiatives designed to support women entrepreneurs and called for greater female participation in the tech innovation ecosystem to foster an inclusive and diverse environment.

A call to action

Closing the event, Tony Yong Jin, Director of Business Environment Affairs of the European Region at Huawei, called on all parties to take decisive action to drive digital innovation and build a more connected, inclusive, and sustainable Europe. He stated, “Today, I call on all of us to embrace digital innovation—not just because of its promises, but because of its profound impact on every individual, family, and community.”