Digitization competition (Wettbewerb Digitalisierung)

Since 2012 the Senate Department for Culture and Europe, in cooperation with the Senate Department for Economics, Technology and Public Enterprises, has provided funding for projects in the areas of digitization, automation and IT services in libraries, archives, museums and other institutions holding cultural assets through its “Digitization and IT Applications for Information Resource Administration” competition.

Projects selected for funding through this competition reflect the Digital Agenda of the Europe 2020 Initiative of the European Union, which promotes the digitization and digital preservation of cultural assets by EU Member States. Together with other investments in this sector, the modernization of technologies used by information services institutions has the capacity to bolster innovation in Europe as a result of its wide-ranging impacts across education, the economy and society. The projects will also help to build regional expertise in the field of digitization through the introduction of new capabilities. The Service Center for Digitization Berlin (digiS) at the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) has been tasked with bundling expertise acquired through this initiative and coordinating the subsequent transfer of knowledge.

Ten pilot projects were nominated by an independent jury of experts for funding through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the implementation of Berlin’s innovation development policy, which provides a framework for the funding of projects selected in open competitions to pioneer innovations.