Starting on 10th May 2021, € 500,000 will be available for technology companies in the region of Zuid-Holland to test their 5G innovations in collaboration with Do IoT Fieldlab. This offers SMEs the opportunity to experiment now with the latest generation of communication technology, which will only become commercially available in a few years time.
Via the SME funding scheme ‘Do IoT Vouchers for 5G innovation’ in the ERDF programme Kansen voor West, companies may receive between € 10,000 and € 50,000 to carry out their innovation project in one of the participating field labs.
Click here for more information about the Do IoT Vouchers
Unique ‘operator neutral’ 5G infrastructure
The field labs where companies can use the voucher to experiment with 5G are The Green Village on the TU Delft Campus, Unmanned Valley in Katwijk and the mobile setup of Do IoT Fieldlab may be used on other sites. These field labs work with the so-called “operator neutral” 5G infrastructure of Do IoT Fieldlab, allowing participating companies to experiment without being tied to a particular provider.
5G is essential in addressing social challenges
“Whether it concerns the energy transition, accessible healthcare or smarter use of raw materials and fuels: digitalisation plays an essential role in all these social challenges. Reliable and fast mobile connections are therefore indispensable ”, says Lenneke de Voogd, programme manager of Do IoT Fieldlab. “Many large companies are already preparing for the arrival of 5G, often together with one of the providers of 5G infrastructure. This is more difficult for SMEs. Thanks to this funding scheme, they can now also get started with this. ”
Golden opportunity
Meindert Stolk (province of Zuid-Holland) calls the funding scheme “a golden opportunity” for companies who want experiment with technology that will only become available in a few years’ time. Some 50 SMEs have already expressed interest in using the vouchers.
Accelerate innovation
The large-scale rollout of 5G by telecom companies is expected to generate an increase of € 46 billion in GDP and 970,000 extra jobs in the Netherlands by 2025, as reported in a recent report by Accenture Strategy. Do IoT Fieldlab accelerates innovations in Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G by facilitating research, by bringing the right parties together for innovation questions, and by supporting companies in the realisation of new and better products and services.