(Paris, France, November 15, 2023) Huawei today organized Innovation Day 2023 in Paris, under the theme “Innovation in SMEs: Unlocking Europe’s Economic Future”. The event brought together innovators from Europe and beyond to discuss how to work together for SMEs to thrive. During the event, Huawei announced the opening of its Paris Innovation Center, which will serve as a platform for further collaboration between Huawei and its partners.
In her speech, Vicky Zhang, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Huawei, said: “Only by working together can we build a healthy ecosystem that will enable the European economy to thrive. » With its SME partners HD Rain and Ubudu, Huawei then announced the opening of its Paris Innovation Center. Kenneth Fredriksen, Senior Vice President of Huawei Europe, said: “Thirty years ago, Huawei was also a small company. Today, I am proud to announce that Huawei will launch its Paris Innovation Center. Whether you are an established organization or an SME, this is a platform to help all our partners thrive.
Huawei will invest more than 2 million euros per year in the Paris Innovation Center and will open its platform of more than 80 industrial scenarios to its partners. The Center will not only encourage knowledge sharing and joint innovation, but also provide professional resources for integration, verification and go-to-market assistance. With an end-to-end support system for partners in place, this innovation center will be an upgrade to Huawei’s OpenLab in Paris, which has served more than 200 partners since 2018.
From left to right: Kenneth Fredriksen, Senior Vice President of Huawei Europe, Vicky Zhang, Vice President of Corporate Communications, Antonony Gu, Vice President of Huawei IT Product Line, François Mercier-Tigrine, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of HR Rain, and François KRUTA, Co-Founder and CEO of Ubudu attended the launch ceremony of the Paris Innovation Center
The shift to digital was a key topic of discussions. Horst Heitz, Chairman of the Steering Committee of SME Connect, shared his views on the importance of digitalization for SMEs. “The advantage of SMEs and startups lies in their revolutionary ideas and innovative approach to business and technology, but at the same time, to remain competitive, they need to improve their own business structures, internal processes, cyber resilience , etc. . The only way to achieve this is to achieve complete digitalization and adapt to a rapidly changing European market. This is where we can help them grow and support them.”
Several industry leaders have called for more collaborations to help SMEs succeed. Julia Devos, Head of New Champions at the World Economic Forum, said: “SMEs are the backbone of the economy and the key to a sustainable future. Together, we can create a support system to help them prepare for the challenges and opportunities of the future and help them thrive. François Mercier-Tigrine, co-founder and scientific director of HD Rain, echoes his view: “SMEs, especially deep tech, are very important in bridging the gap between when a technology is still in a research laboratory and the time when she is still in the laboratory. industrialized. It is in this phase that new technologies need support in terms of financing and access to markets, for example through partnerships with institutions and large companies. Huawei’s Digital InPulse program is a good example of how large companies can help SMEs find new opportunities in markets where they are still little known.
