Ventspils High Technology Park (VHTP)

Overview

Ventspils High Technology Park, Foundation is identified among two existing Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) in Latvia. DIH in Ventspils helps regional companies to become more competitive by improving their business processes as well as services and products by means of digital technology. In broad terms, the services available through DIH in Ventspils may be categorised as:

Awareness and Skills Creation
Knowledge and Networks
Co-creation Infrastructure
Collaborative Research
Business Development

The market sectors covered by DIH in Ventspils today include high-tech and mid-tech manufacturing industries (e.g., ICT, machinery and equipment, electrical and optical equipment). We plan to upgrade existing DIH in Ventspils by meeting wider needs of regional economy and setting-up the fully operational DIH in specific ICT competencies (robotics and automation) and Edtech.

A more detailed description of the services available through DIH in Ventspils is available below.

 

Awareness and Skills Creation

Awareness and Skills Creation services include:

Creating awareness around Digital Technologies. We engage within business community to create awareness of the opportunities and benefits of digitisation.
Identifying technologies that enable companies to remain competitive.
Showcasing the best practices and technologies through success stories how companies can digitise their processes, products or business models.
Providing training both to technical specialists and management.
Building local eco-system by networking developers, educational organisations, companies, governmental, municipal and support institutions within region to digitalise industries.

 

Knowledge and Networks

Knowledge and Networks services include:

Assessment of the potential of digital technologies (audits).
Innovation scouting, and access to specialist expertise.
Having identified needs, we work with the client to find solutions for digitisation.

We provide up-to-date knowledge and sector specific expertise, technology expertise and business model expertise. Our innovation experts offer consultations in innovation management, latest technologies, business trends, effective use of digital marketing channels, including social media.

We apply different types of innovation framework of building breakthroughs. Creating new products is only one way to innovate. DIH experts identify new opportunities beyond products and develop viable innovations (profit model, network, service, process, customer engagement, etc.)

Being part of a larger innovation ecosystem, DIH in Ventspils provides access to the services, facilities and expertise of a wide range of partners.  We link-up with other innovation hubs to improve collaboration, reinforce specialization and offer the best possible support for our clients.

 

Co-creation Infrastructure

We provide co-creation infrastructure to support maker culture, maker movement, grassroots digital fabrication and community-based innovations. We provide equipment, instruction, and support and build community for the purposes of enabling community members to design, prototype and create solutions that wouldn’t be possible to create with the resources available to individuals working alone.  We organise and provide:

Instruction to significantly increase community coverage and number of users involved in innovations, technology design and fabrication.
Tools and physical environment where individuals and start-ups can experiment and learn with others through hands-on involvement and self-directed projects.
Access to municipality support and consultations, as well as access to networks, funding and open­-source designs, tutorials, and workshops globally.

 

Collaborative Research

Collaborative Research services include:

Implementation of collaborative research projects in close co-operation with experts from Ventspils University of Applied Sciences and companies within region.
Collaboration with other DIHs in Europe is an essential part of innovation projects.
Help to companies through supporting design and fabrication of new products (e.g. concept validation, prototyping, technology testing and validation, pre-competitive series production).

 

Business Development

Business development services include:

Visioning and Strategy Development for digitisation. Working with the clients to envision their digital future and develop a strategy for delivering this vision.
Brokering/matchmaking.
Business coaching & mentoring.
Access to funding and investments. Helping SMEs and start-ups to access regional, national and/or European funding to make use of new technologies. Assisting SMEs to explain their strategies to banks and private investors.
Investor readiness and growth services.
Digital technologies.