As part of the CARPE DIGEM project, funded by the Interreg Europe, a study visit for project partners took place between 22nd to 24th of June, 2022 on Madeira, an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study visit was organized by Instituto de Desenvolvimento Empresarial IDE IP-RAM. More than 30 participants from Slovenia, Spain, Ireland, France, Sweden and Bulgaria participated, with a special focus on the specificities of the island’s ecosystem.
The study visit was introduced by the press conference with speakers Duarte Freitas, Filipa Ferreira, Rui Barreto and Clive Peckham, presenting Carpe Digem project.
The following day, the study visit continued at Regional Agency for Research, Technology and Innovation Development (ARDITI), where the most important projects of the Agency were presented. The special focus was on rural communities, where also Slovenian partners participated and won first place in the presentation of the possible methodology on how to work in rural areas, with more than 30 participants taking part in this particular event.
As part of the work on Digital Innovation Hubs, Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute (M-ITI) and the Oceanic Wood Observatory (OOM) / MARE Madeira presented some of their most important work aspects:
- Maritime Training Lab, laboratory of research and innovation in soccer performance
- Future Industrial Kitchen
- Neuro Reh ab Lab
- Atlantic Drones, developed with partnership with the Armed Forces and Madeira Regional Government
- Company AMS – Sensors Portugal
The second day of visit finished with stunning ocean views, underlining the unique geographical position of the Madeira island.
The last day started by visiting Madeira Wine producer and exporter company “Henriques & Henriques“, concretely in Wolfs Chamber as a fine example of the use of the digital transformation and innovation in the food and beverage sector. The visit was later accompanied by the wine tasting event and continued to Madeira’s library, where leading partner presented their work on the food supply chain, only to be followed by planning of the project’s final conference.
The concluding visit was to Ponta do Sol, a small village of about 8,200 inhabitants, where the good practice of the Digital Nomads, was presented with enormous potential of replicability to other countries/regions of Europe. On site, the partners visited the co-working space and exchanged experiences with remote workers and digital nomads. The project manager, Micaela Vieira presented the results achieved, including their impact on the local economy. Finally, a workshop was held on remote work strategies, services, and standards, connected to remote work strategies. The village strives to holistic tackling of digital transformation, offering versatile activities such as a gym and yoga teacher, a scooter renting company, a rental agency.
The study visit ended in high spirits, with aspiration to continue working with established partnership and great anticipation of the concluding project’s phase.
