Within the framework of the European Union’s corona virus recovery plan, the European Commission initiated a new support action for interregional partnerships. It aims to mobilise regional and national innovation actors to address the impact of the Covid-19.

To accelerate recovery from Covid-19 challenges, it drew upon the successful experience of similar actions, such as the strategy employed in Trento, Italy. This strategy focused on interregional innovation projects and aimed to create tangible investment projects in specific thematic areas.

Time Machine aims to build on the Big Data of the past, creating a vast distributed digital information system that maps Europe’s social, cultural and geographical evolution over time. This large-scale digitalisation and IT infrastructure will enable Europe to turn its long history, as well as its multilingualism and interculturalism, into a living social and economic resource.

By expanding the frontiers of scientific research in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), Time Machine will have a strong impact on key sectors of the European economy: ICT software, creative industries, and tourism. In addition, it will offer new perspectives in urban planning, land management and smart city development.

The initiative is expected to have strong long-term positive effects on European cohesion, economy and society. It will contribute to the promotion of critical thinking at all levels of decision-making. The structure is also expected to strengthen the sense of European identity. In addition, it will boost competences such as entrepreneurship, employment, and scientific and technological competitiveness across the European Union.

META Group’s Support

META Group supported the Time Machine initiative in the implementation and technical development of business innovation investment cases selected by the Virtual and Smart Digital Tourism partnership. The main role of META Group is to guide and support the partnership in the preparation of a business and investment plan, interacting with case partners to provide strategic advice and guidance in presenting it to potential investors.

Watch the below video and take a tour of the Time Machine website to learn more.