D-FLOW: Digital transformation for a future‑proof SME sector in the border region

Research project

Start date 01 September 2025

Digitalisation and process optimisation are essential for the competitiveness and innovative capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In the northern Dutch–German border region, however, many SMEs have not yet taken this step, or only to a limited extent. A lack of time, knowledge and capacity makes it difficult for companies to address digitalisation in a structural way. As a result, opportunities for efficiency, growth and innovation remain untapped.

The D-FLOW research project responds to this challenge with a practical and cross-border approach. Within this project, employees of SMEs are trained as Digiscouts: internal change agents who identify, develop and implement digitalisation opportunities within their own organisations. By connecting companies, knowledge institutions and experts on both sides of the border, D-FLOW creates a powerful learning environment in which knowledge sharing and collaboration are central. In this way, D-FLOW contributes to a digitally strong, innovative and future-proof SME ecosystem in the region.

The aim of D-FLOW is to strengthen the digital capabilities and resilience of SMEs in the northern Dutch–German border region. The project explores how employees can be effectively trained and supported to initiate and embed digital improvements within their organisations.

In doing so, D-FLOW develops practice-oriented insights into:

digital maturity and development pathways of SMEs;
effective learning and training formats for employees (Lifelong Learning);
the added value of cross-border collaboration for digital innovation.

This knowledge forms the basis for sustainable application in both business practice and education.

The research results are directly applied in practice. SMEs carry out a digital potential assessment and translate the outcomes into concrete improvement plans. The trained Digiscouts implement new processes, tools and ways of working within their own organisations, supported by coaching and expertise from the project.

In addition, the results are embedded through:

Dutch–German tandem collaborations between companies facing similar challenges;
a bilingual best practice database featuring case studies, methodologies and tools;
the integration of developed training modules into education and Lifelong Learning programmes.

Hanze University of Applied Sciences contributes its expertise in digital transformation, online education and instructional design. Practical questions from companies are translated into effective learning interventions and sustainably embedded within education.

D-FLOW generates impact at multiple levels:

Societal: SMEs become more resilient and better prepared for digital and economic change.
Economic: increased efficiency, innovation capacity and competitiveness within the region.
Educational: strengthening Lifelong Learning through accessible, practice-oriented learning pathways for professionals.

The project reaches more than one thousand SMEs, trains one hundred Digiscouts, and builds a lasting cross-border network of companies and knowledge institutions. In this way, D-FLOW contributes to sustainable regional growth that continues beyond the duration of the project.