Hungary has five European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). The European Union and the Hungarian state fund them jointly, so small and medium-sized businesses can use digital and AI-related services free of charge: advice, training, testing solutions, and partner matching. If you're just starting to think about AI or digitalisation, an EDIH is a good, free way to begin. But it won't implement the system for you. That takes a separate supplier. I'll show you what an EDIH is good for, where its role ends, and when you need a partner to implement business management software (ERP), such as Odoo, or an AI solution instead.
What is an EDIH, and why is it free?
An EDIH helps you work out where to start with digital tools, rather than going in blind. It assesses, free of charge, where you stand today, what's worth trying, and what funding might apply. The network runs on joint funding from the EU's Digital Europe programme and the member state. That's exactly why you don't pay for it: as an SME, you can use the services for free.
This isn't just a Hungarian initiative: EDIHs operate across Europe, with more than a hundred centres, five of them in Hungary. The goal is similar across the network: help smaller companies start digitalising or testing AI tools safely, in areas where getting started alone would be hard.
How can an SME benefit?
Because it lowers the risk of your first steps. You can test a technology before spending a single forint on it. You can talk to an expert who isn't trying to sell you anything right away. Your team can get training. And all of this without setting aside a large budget.
For a small business, that matters a lot. There's a lot of noise around digitalisation and AI, and it's easy to jump in the wrong way and pay dearly for it. An EDIH helps at the stage where you don't want to spend millions of forints yet, you just want clarity: what you actually need, what could pay off, and what would be unnecessary for your company.
But it's important to be clear about one thing. The EDIH makes the assessment and the testing free: this is the stage where most companies feel unsure. The actual implementation, when the system goes live in your business, is a supplier's job. So the EDIH doesn't replace the implementation partner: it gives you a sound basis for deciding where to spend your money.
So the question isn't whether it's worth turning to an EDIH. In many cases, it is. The real question is who turns the assessment into a working system afterwards: an ERP system, a business process set up in Odoo, automation, or an AI solution.
The five Hungarian EDIHs: what does each one offer?
It matters which EDIH you go to. In short:
- MI-EDIH (Artificial Intelligence): focuses specifically on AI adoption. If you want to know where and how AI could help your company (say, in processing invoices or forecasting demand), this is the one to start with.
- DigitalTech EDIH: general digitalisation, cybersecurity, business processes. A good entry point if you don't yet know exactly where to start.
- Data-EDIH (Data): worth considering if your company collects a lot of customer, sales, or operational data, but nothing useful comes out of it yet in the form of reports, forecasts, or automation.
- HPC-EDIH HU (High-Performance Computing): access to supercomputers for projects that need a lot of computing power. Most traditional SMEs rarely need this; it's more useful for research and development, engineering, or simulation work.
- AEDIH (Agriculture): specialises in digitalisation for the food industry and agriculture, tailoring its services to the sector's specific processes.
For most SMEs, MI-EDIH or DigitalTech EDIH will be the best starting point. If you're not sure which one fits your company, the official EDIH catalogue will help you find the right one in a few minutes.
What services do you get for free?
Most EDIHs can help with four things:
1. Testing before you invest. You can try out a technology or solution before buying it. The EDIH provides the expertise and test environment to show you what a new tool can actually do in your company's processes. This is the most valuable part: you're not buying software on a gut feeling, you're testing it first.
2. Training and skills development. Your team can learn to use digital tools and AI, or pick up the basics of cybersecurity. Getting people to actually use the system is half the battle. It doesn't matter how good the software is if the team can't use it. Training addresses exactly that problem.
3. Help finding funding. The EDIH points you toward the grant or funding source that fits what you're planning. They don't hand out the money themselves, but they show you where to look. This saves a lot of time and helps you avoid spending time on an unsuitable grant application or planning a solution that doesn't fit your needs.
4. Innovation network and partner matching. You can connect with companies, experts, and research institutions that have already worked on problems like yours. For a small business, this is often worth more than yet another piece of software: you don't have to figure out the first step alone.
All of this is free because the services aimed at SMEs are funded from EU and state sources. In return, all you need to do is set aside time for the assessment, the conversations, and, where relevant, the training.
And specifically, what about AI?
If you're still just getting familiar with artificial intelligence, an EDIH (especially MI-EDIH) helps exactly with those first steps. You can assess where your company stands today, and where AI could bring real savings or faster operations. This is where it becomes clear which process can actually save you money: invoice data entry, quoting, inventory management, customer communication, or reporting. And you can try out a solution before committing money to it.
This matters because there are a lot of overblown promises around AI. In an EDIH assessment, you get an objective picture of what's genuinely worth it for a company your size in your industry, and what isn't, at least for now.
This is also where the most common misunderstanding surfaces: often you don't even need an "AI project." If, for example, manually entering incoming supplier invoices eats up your time every week, an EDIH assessment might show that a well-designed business process in Odoo (automatic invoice processing, approval, preparing invoices for bookkeeping) solves more problems than a flashy AI project would. And you can test this before spending a single forint on it.
How do you access it?
- Choose the EDIH that fits you. The European Commission's official EDIH catalogue lists the Hungarian centres and their areas of expertise.
- Get in touch. You can register your interest on the chosen centre's website. You don't need to write a lengthy application here.
- Discuss your business needs. You discuss where your company stands and what you need. This shows which free service fits you.
- Try it before you spend on it. By the end, you're no longer deciding on a gut feeling: you can see which direction pays off, which doesn't, and what's worth finding a supplier for.
A realistic expectation: the EDIH assesses, advises, tests, and trains. The actual implementation, though, is a separate supplier's job. It's worth knowing this in advance, so you don't stop after the assessment.
How does this play out at an SME?
A trading company with 10-20 employees tracks part of its inventory in Excel, invoices through a separate system, and enters invoices by hand. They feel they're falling behind on digitalisation, but have no idea where to start. First, they contact the EDIH that fits their profile and request a free assessment.
In the assessment, it quickly turns out that "artificial intelligence" isn't the main issue: it's that they enter the same data by hand three times over. The EDIH helps them test a solution and points them toward a grant that could fund the implementation. From here, they know what they need and where the funding will come from. Then they look for an implementation partner who will actually set up the chosen system and get it running in their business.
EDIH, grant, supplier: how do they connect?
Let's clear up a common misunderstanding about how these three different things fit together:
- The EDIH assesses, advises, and tests for free: it shows you what you need.
- The grant (for example, funding through the Hungarian DIMOP programme) funds the actual implementation: it provides the money to make it happen.
- The supplier delivers it: they set up the system and get it running in your business.
The right order is this: clarify the direction at the EDIH, fund it through a grant, implement it with a supplier. If the third step is weak, the first two won't turn into a working system.
One important detail: the EDIH is independent of manufacturers and suppliers by design, and doesn't commit to any single company. That also means choosing the right supplier is your decision, and this choice determines whether the assessment turns into a system that actually works. That's why it's important to choose a partner with proven expertise in the system you're implementing.
This is where I come in, as the owner of Glazer-Innovation Kft. I'm not replacing an EDIH; I do the work that comes after it: Odoo implementation, automation, AI solutions, integrations. Here's what that looked like in practice for an Odoo implementation funded through a DIMOP grant: I designed the process, configured Odoo, connected the necessary systems, and got it running in the business. I laid out the whole process, step by step, in my article on the DIMOP implementation .
Frequently asked questions
Are the EDIH services really free?
Yes, the services aimed at SMEs are free because they're funded from EU and state sources.
Do you need to apply for a grant to use it?
No, you don't need a complicated application to use the service. It's enough to contact the right centre. The grant (such as DIMOP) is a separate thing: that's about funding the actual implementation.
Which EDIH should I turn to?
It depends on your company's activity and needs. For AI, MI-EDIH is the obvious starting point; for general digitalisation, DigitalTech EDIH. For agricultural, data-handling, or supercomputing needs, turn to the specialised centres.
What's the difference between an EDIH and a grant?
The EDIH can tell you which direction to take. The grant can help pay for it. The supplier turns it into a working system.
Will the EDIH implement the system for me?
No. The EDIH assesses, tests, advises, and trains; the actual implementation is carried out by a supplier.
Start with an assessment or a conversation
If you're still just gathering information, start with an EDIH: it's a free way into digitalisation and AI. If you already know you need an ERP, Odoo, or AI solution, don't stop at the assessment. That's where the work begins.
- If you're still just gathering information, and you're also wondering what to watch out for legally before you start using AI: download my free checklist for the EU's AI Act, which walks through what AI features you might have, and what to watch for in your first steps.
- If you're already thinking about a specific project: book a free, 30-minute consultation. This is where the real work starts.
I'm an official Odoo Learning Partner and an accredited supplier (an information and communication technology supplier accredited by the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK), verifiable on the vallalkozzdigitalisan.mkik.hu portal). After the EDIH, I can help when you no longer need advice, but a working system.
Book a free consultation with me. During the consultation, I'll go through the following with you:
1. Where you stand now: which processes need digitalisation or AI?
2. What will pay back fastest: which Odoo module or AI feature brings the most value to your company?
3. How it connects to the EDIH and the grant: what's worth getting assessed for free, and what funding might be available?
4. Cost estimate: what the actual implementation will cost.
The consultation is free and without obligation.