From Test to Field: Connecting AI, Robotics and Digital Services for Agri-Food SMEs
One ecosystem, one journey: validate with Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs), deploy with European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), and scale with the Digital Europe Programme (DEP).
From innovation to adoption: why this event matters
Across Europe, agriculture and food systems are undergoing rapid digital transformation. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and data-driven solutions are increasingly within reach, backed by major investments through the Digital Europe Programme.
Yet for many SMEs, technology providers, and public actors, the real challenge is not whether solutions exist, but how to access them, test them, and turn experimentation into operational deployment.
TEFs, EDIHs, data spaces, and advanced digital skills initiatives each support this journey. Too often, however, they are experienced as separate entry points rather than a single pathway, leaving potential users unsure where to start, which services are relevant, and how initiatives connect.
A single journey through the DIGITAL agri-food ecosystem
The core message is that adoption accelerates when services are connected and easy to navigate.
Testing and Experimentation Facilities provide shared infrastructures where technologies can be validated in real or realistic agri-food environments, helping solutions move closer to market readiness. European Digital Innovation Hubs, in turn, serve as trusted local entry points for SMEs and public organisations, offering “test before invest”, expertise, and deployment support that enables real adoption and scaling.
Combined with data spaces and digital skills initiatives, these elements form a complete service pipeline. Strengthening the links between them reduces duplication, accelerates uptake, and maximises the impact of public investment (by making the pipeline visible, understandable, and usable).
TEF ↔ EDIH connection as the practical bridge between validation and adoption, supported by data and skills initiatives.
What the event will explore
Two-hour online session combining practical insight with active collaboration.
Part 1 | Open webinar
what is available, who can use it, how to access it, and how it connects). The emphasis is on clarity and usability, not project promotion.
Part 2 | Interactive workshop
Project representatives and ecosystem actors will work through guided prompts to surface uptake barriers, identify alignment “quick wins”, and co-create actionable recommendations for policy makers and implementing bodies.
Who should join
This event is for stakeholders directly involved in the development, deployment, and uptake of digital solutions in agriculture and food.
It is particularly relevant for SMEs and innovation managers exploring AI, robotics, or data-driven tools; technology providers seeking validation and deployment pathways; DIGITAL Programme beneficiaries working on TEFs, EDIHs, data spaces, skills, or deployment projects; and public administrations and agencies involved in agri-food, sustainability, and rural development. Policy stakeholders and implementing bodies focused on uptake and impact are also encouraged to participate.
What participants will gain
By the end of the event, participants will have a clearer picture of how the Digital Europe agri-food ecosystem supports the full journey from testing to adoption, what services exist, how to access them, and how initiatives complement one another.
Project representatives will also gain practical opportunities to connect across silos, align messaging and service pathways, and contribute to policy-relevant recommendations aimed at making DIGITAL services more accessible, discoverable, and impactful for end users.