RESEARCH NEWS
Digital transformation for SMEs in Ireland
A major new cross-border initiative designed to accelerate digital transformation for manufacturing SMEs across the island of Ireland, known as DATUM, was launched on 12 February 2026.
DATUM will provide a structured, practical pathway to help small and medium-sized manufacturers move from digital readiness to real implementation. Delivered jointly by the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre( AMIC) at Queen’ s University Belfast and Irish Manufacturing Research( IMR), DATUM is positioned as hands-on support rather than consultancy, offering expert-led guidance throughout the transformation journey.
Support provided by DATUM to SMEs will include the provision of expert partners to work directly alongside business, a seamless crossborder approach with shared oversight and funded access designed to reduce financial risk.
The launch event welcomed several senior government and industry representatives including Mark Lee, Acting Deputy Secretary
for Economic Policy and Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body( SEUPB). The € 8.3m programme is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body( SEUPB).
AMIC, an open-access Research and Technology Organisation led by Queen’ s University Belfast, in partnership with Ulster University and Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, aims to“ strengthen the global competitiveness of Northern Ireland’ s manufacturing sector through world-class innovation capability.”
SEUPB Chief Executive, Gina McIntyre, said:“ By helping SMEs adopt new technologies with confidence, this project will enhance competitiveness, build resilience and open new opportunities for growth.”
The Special EU Programmes Body( SEUPB) is a North South Body with the statutory remit for managing EU funding programmes within Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.
PEACEPLUS is a cross-border funding programme designed to support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. It has a total value of € 1.14 billion for delivery over the next four years. The programme is co-funded by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive. n
www. datumdigital. org
Service-led strategies for financial gains
New research in the UK shows that serviceled strategies are delivering measurable financial gains for businesses. The Economic and Social Research Council-funded project, entitled“ Understanding how Servitisation can Impact UK Economic Productivity and Environmental Performance”, has been carried out by leading academics from Aston Business School, the University of Warwick and Lancaster University.
New research from Aston University reveals the economic benefits of servitisation to UK businesses, amid rising Dr. Andreas Schroeder. competitive pressure and growing sustainability demands. The findings have been published in a report called“ DESIGN, MAKE & SERVE: The Big Business Case for Servitisation” aimed at helping businesses realise the economic and environmental benefits of adopting a serviceled model.
Servitisation is the process of innovating an industrial firm’ s business model to compete through services, rather than relying solely on products. It involves integrating products with services, in various combinations, to provide outcomes to customers.
Making the case
“ The report reveals that service-led, digitally enabled business models not only meet today’ s commercial realities but are also one of the most powerful levers available to deliver the government’ s productivity ambitions set out in its industrial strategy, helping manufacturers raise productivity, strengthen supply chain resilience and compete globally,” said the university.
“ It is also timely because UK manufacturers are under pressure to adapt and, for the first time, business and policy leaders now have rigorous, long-term UK data showing why shifting towards services delivers commercial, productivity and environmental gains,” it continued.
“ The evidence presented in the report confirms that service-led strategies are delivering measurable financial gains for businesses. For every small shift( one percentage-point increase) in the share of revenue earned from services rather than products, firms experience over 2 % total revenue growth, almost 2 % profit growth. It shows that even a modest rise in a company’ s‘ servitisation intensity’, such as shifting just a few per cent of revenue towards services or upgrading a small part
of existing service work into more advanced offerings, is linked to major performance gains,” it added.
Firms making this shift, commented the report,“ typically see almost 8 % higher profits and over 5 % growth in productivity. These improvements come from companies using their people, technology and equipment more effectively as they move towards service-led business models.”
Professor of Digital Strategy and Services Innovation at Lancaster University, Dr. Andreas Schroeder, added:“ High-quality products and specialist industrial expertise are among the UK’ s greatest strengths, but in a product-only market they don’ t always translate into fair reward. Servitisation unlocks that value. It enables manufacturers to wrap services, advice and performance commitments around their products— rewarding quality, driving customer loyalty and creating high-skill jobs in the process.”
The study was based on a UK-wide survey of manufacturing companies in various sectors. Further information can be found at: www. advancedservicesgroup. co. uk / resources / white-papers / the-big-businesscase-for-servitization / n
bit
. ly / 46Uo3Zm
18 | ismr. net | ISMR March 2026