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That Was the Final Conference – SMERALD Wrap-Up On 21 October 2025 at 16:30 CEST, the ⁠SMERALD project reached its milestone moment: the Final Conference & Award Ceremony. Held online, this event brought together partners, SMEs, VET professionals, and stakeholders to reflect on how artificial intelligence, data analysis and digital tools are driving transformation across Europe’s SMEs. A Moment of Reflection & Forward Motion The session opened with a bold statement: “The future of SMEs is digital – are you…

The SMERALD Effect: 3 Key Findings Driving Sustainable AI Adoption As the SMERALD project nears completion, one question becomes central:What actually works when helping SMEs and professionals adopt AI in a meaningful, sustainable way? The newly released Implementation Strategy Report brings together lessons from all piloting activities across Europe. From local companies to training organisations, from hands-on experimentation to competence-based reflection, the results reveal clear patterns of what truly helps SMEs move forward with AI. Here are the three most…

Join Us for the SMERALD Final Conference We are pleased to invite you to the online Final Conference and Award Ceremony of the SMERALD project, taking place on Tuesday, 21 October 2025 at 16:30 (CEST).The event marks the conclusion of two years of collaboration focused on strengthening AI and data competences for SMEs and VET professionals. What You Can Expect The programme offers a compact overview of our results, combined with expert insights and a final exchange among partners. Project…

SMERALD Datathon in Palermo – Exploring Data and AI Through Real Challenges On 13–14 June 2025, the SMERALD partnership hosted its first Datathon in Palermo – a hands-on event designed to help SMEs, nonprofits, public authorities, and educators experience the practical use of digital data, data analysis, and AI. The Datathon followed a hybrid format: participants joined both on-site in Palermo and online from across Europe. After two days of intense work, all teams presented their results during an online…

Exploring AI Together When we invited Kanal4 to join the SMERALD piloting, their starting point was typical for many SMEs: AI was clearly relevant, but there had never been enough time, structure, or confidence to explore it properly. It wasn’t a lack of interest—it was simply the reality of daily business. For them, AI was something you should look into, but never quite got around to. Opening the door: from uncertainty to orientation Our first goal at blinc was simple:…

AI becomes a strategic topic The European Union’s latest initiative to establish AI factories is a significant step towards improving Europe’s artificial intelligence capabilities. These factories are designed as dynamic ecosystems that combine supercomputing power, data resources, and top talent to develop innovative generative AI models. By fostering collaboration between universities, supercomputing centers, industry, and financial players, AI Factories are expected to drive innovation in various sectors, including health, manufacturing, climate, and finance. This strategic move is closely aligned with…

From Training to Transformation In December 2024, the creative team from Kanal4 joined our international SMERALD CPD training in Palermo, where they explored how Artificial Intelligence could support digital data workflows and client communication. To build on the momentum, we met again for two focused follow-up sessions in January and February 2025. These meetings offered space to further refine ideas and develop a prototype AI assistant—a tool designed to support client interaction by enabling quick, tailored visualisations during the early…

SMERALD in Palermo: The CPD In December 2024, Palermo became the meeting point for the SMERALD Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course, which brought together 27 participants from 7 different companies and project partners. The event was designed to enhance digital competences in AI, data analytics and open data, and to foster collaboration and innovation across different sectors. What happened in Palermo? The training course was carefully structured to ensure a balance between theory and practice. Participants navigated through sessions covering…