The highly anticipated launch marks a significant step toward shaping the future of business innovation through knowledge sharing, ecosystem leadership, and transformation. The event brought together leading experts from academia, industry pioneers, students, and faculty. The lab’s mission is to foster collaboration and innovation in the rapidly evolving digital transformation landscape.

A transformative event

The afternoon commenced with a warm welcome by professor of Strategy and  Innovation Henk Volberda. As the head of the Innovation and Digital Group at ABS, Volberda introduced the ADTL’s mission to bridge the gap between academic research and industry practices. The lab aims to drive knowledge creation, facilitate ecosystem leadership, and accelerate transformation projects across industries.

The event included insightful talks from key industry leaders:

• ING Chief Analytics Officer Bahadir Yilmaz highlighted the bank’s successful integration of Generative AI and other advanced technologies into its business processes.
• Wipro  head of Data Science & Analytics Reza Dilmaghani shared perspectives on leveraging AI and machine learning in digital transformation.

A lively panel discussion followed, featuring experts from top organisations such as Nestlé, Philips, Wipro, Nemko, Eviden, the municipality of Amsterdam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MinBUZA). Participants explored topics like AI-driven ecosystems, digital adaptation, and the future of analytics.

Highlights: Hackathon and awards ceremony

As part of the lab’s mission to engage students with real-world challenges, a hackathon – Digimpact 2024 – was held in parallel to the main event. Students showcased innovative solutions addressing challenges in transparency in investments and impacts, predictive futures for food systems, and policy mapping for digital and green transitions.

During the awards ceremony, the most impactful solutions were recognised during the awards ceremony. Winning teams demonstrated exceptional creativity, feasibility, and innovation in solving real-world business challenges.

Introducing the ADTL Partner Programme

ADTL also unveiled its Partner Programme, which provides opportunities for organisations to collaborate with the Lab across 4 tiers:

1. Network Partner: access to the Amsterdam Digital Transformation Network and associated benefits.
2. Knowledge Partner: sharing expertise through research and training.
3. Transformation Partner: driving change through joint transformation and innovation projects.
4. Ecosystem Leader: creating long-term impact by fostering partnerships within the digital transformation ecosystem.

The programme already boasts 4 organisations (Wipro, Nemko, Eviden, Seederdeboer) as pioneer partners and is looking forward to rapid expansion and development of a vibrant Amsterdam Digital Transformation Network.

A bright future for collaboration

The Digital Transformation Lab is poised to become a hub for impactful research, industry collaboration, and innovation. It will support businesses in navigating digital disruption while empowering students and researchers to contribute meaningfully to the transformation of industries.
‘The launch of ADTL marks the beginning of a new chapter for digital transformation. Together with our partners, we aim to bridge academia and practice, creating a robust ecosystem to shape the future of business innovation,’ said professor Volberda.