Government studies show that although a relatively new player within Malta’s economy, this sector has grown to become an important contributor to the country’s GVA at 6.9% in 2015. The development of the sector is evident from the export figure of over EUR 200 M in 2015 when compared to just over EUR 46 M in 2004. Currently the industry is represented by more than 250 companies, employing over 6,000 persons. The success registered so far suggests favourable prospects for investment by other operators within this sector.
The Malta Digital Cluster groups the key stakeholders in the sector, focusing its membership on ambitious and high-growth companies of the territory looking for access-to-market and access-to-funding opportunities
The Malta Digital Cluster was founded by Paragon Europe and the Digital Hub of Malta Life Sciences Park. Members of the Malta Digital Cluster will gain the opportunity to join the European ecosystem of digital economy to network, share best practices, find new markets and most importantly access private investors and research and innovation funding opportunities
(Left) Paragon Europe Chairman Edwin Ward with Life Sciences Park CEO Joseph Sammut (right)
Some of the larger EU-funding programmes such as Horizon2020 (H2020) have a wide variety of funds available for digital projects such as ICT, IoT, cybersecurity, big-data, cloud and storage programmes. Significant funds are also available for applications development and ICT projects. Within Big-Data alone more than €2.5BN has just been released via H2020 to cover data visualisation software and devices, data analysis infrastructure, data processing infrastructure, data storage infrastructure as well as transport and network infrastructure. A further €2.5BN has just been made available for Research Infrastructures under the Excellent Science programme.
The Malta Digital Cluster will be networked with international partners from blue-chip digital companies, leading universities and digital clusters elsewhere in the EU and beyond. There are many international donors, the EU, NATO, the World Bank, for example, who require service provision. The Malta Digital Cluster will represent and introduce Malta's platform to these donors on service provision in tenders and contracts.
Under the ICT-16 programme the Malta Digital Cluster and its members can undertake research addressing the main technology challenges of the data economy. More than €40M is available until 25th April 2017 to improve technology, methods, standards and processes while additional funding and opportunities are available via the EU Open Data Portal, the Galileo programme and Copernicus, amongst others.
Software developers will have access to concrete projects and training, access to key actors and innovation actions, which can be further exploited for commercial purposes, such as future internet. Many EU funding programmes are addressing machine-learning as well as novel technical advances in robotics, and to this end it is a stated ambition of the Malta Digital Cluster to join SPARC, the Partnership for Robotics in Europe as well as EU Robotics.
Please contact the Cluster Manager at projects@paragoneurope.eu for further information.
Edwin Ward, Chairman, Paragon Europe
Ing. Joseph Sammut, CEO, Malta Life Sciences Park
We invite you to explore this diverse cluster community through the Malta Digital Cluster, identify your potential cooperation partners and show the world what you are good at.
183, Constitution Street,
Mosta, MST 9054, Malta
T : +356 2141 8756
E : projects@paragoneurope.eu
Rond Point Schuman 6,
B-1040 Brussels, Belgium
T : +32 2234 7791
E : projects@paragoneurope.eu
Mon to Fri 8:30 AM to 5 PM
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