FEB 29 2024
Beyond Values & Variables: Data Science & Big Data - The impact of the exhibition of the Digital Nervous System Testbed by Ubiwhere
On the 27th of February, the event ’’Beyond Values & Variables: Data Science & Big Data’’ was organised by the Proef and CCG/ZGDV Institute, promoters of the AI-Center Testbed. This initiative took place at the University of Minho, in Guimarães, and was attended by representatives of the National Testbed Network: Ubiwhere was one of the entities taking part in this event, where it showcased the Digital Nervous System Testbed.
The Proef Group and the CCG/ZGDV Institute presented an innovation programme for startups and SMEs who attended the event to support developing and testing new products and services with a strong digital component. The opening session of the event included speeches by the representatives of AI-Center Testbed, Engineer Ricardo J. Machado, President of the CCG/ZGDV Institute and Miguel Barbosa, Managing Director of NEXT Innovation & Ventures at Proef, as well as Dr Domingos Bragança, Mayor of Guimarães and Professor Eugénio Campos Ferreira, Vice-Rector of the University of Minho, who highlighted the relevance and importance of the topic for national companies. Once the reception was over, the themed workshop began, followed by the Showroom dedicated to demonstrating the services and pilot products of the 28 Testbeds involved: the Digital Nervous System Testbed was one of them!
The Thematic Workshop, led by Prof Paulo Cortez, Scientific Coordinator of Machine Learning at the CCG/ZGDV, was a session that discussed the main challenges faced by startups and SMEs, such as resource constraints, lack of experience in data analysis and the implementation of big data solutions. The Test Beds Showroom was an innovation space where the digital solutions of the Testbeds that are part of the National Network were presented. The Digital Nervous System Testbed by Ubiwhere was one of the testbeds exhibited in this space as an innovative digital transition solution that can support the technological advancement of other companies.
During the event, Ubiwhere hosted a session that brought together representatives from 28 of the 31 Testbeds supported by the PRR to discuss technical, administrative and financial project management issues and define the next joint actions of the Partners of the National Network of Testbeds.
According to Sandra Barnabé, Innovation Manager at Ubiwhere, this Digital Nervous System Testbed demonstration experience "was a great opportunity to show the startups and SMEs present how the DNS Testbed can support them in practice, showing the pilot products under development in various sectors, including mobility and smart cities. In addition, the participation of Ubiwhere’s DNS Testbed in the Showroom with other testbeds fosters networking opportunities, maximising synergies between the parts."
Regarding future projections for this participation, Sandra Barnabé explained: "DNS Testbed has ambitious goals: by September 2025, we will have to present more than 100 pilot products developed and tested by Portuguese startups and SMEs. By providing more than 20 edge-to-cloud services in various sectors and a highly qualified team, we can accelerate the placement of products and services on the market, reducing companies’ costs."
The Digital Nervous System Testbed by Ubiwhere is a campus for startups and SMEs to develop and test innovative product and service ideas using computing continuum, 5G, IoT-edge-to-cloud and zero-touch automation technologies. If you’d like to learn more about one of the testbeds highlighted during "Beyond Values & Variables: Data Science & Big Data", visit the official DNS Testbed website here.
