European Digital Innovation Hubs and the Agri-Food Sector: A Scoping Review of Current Knowledge and Sectoral Gaps

Irina Toma-Constantin, Ioan Sebastian Brumă, Oana Coca () and Gavril Ștefan
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Irina Toma-Constantin: Faculty of Agriculture, Agroeconomy Department, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Ioan Sebastian Brumă: Faculty of Agriculture, Agroeconomy Department, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Oana Coca: Faculty of Agriculture, Agroeconomy Department, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Gavril Ștefan: Faculty of Agriculture, Agroeconomy Department, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, Romania

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-40

Abstract: The European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) network represents the EU’s first program for accelerating digital technology adoption by SMEs and public organizations. However, academic literature on EDIHs remains fragmented with notable sectoral imbalances—particularly underrepresentation of the agri-food sector. This scoping review systematically examines existing EDIH publications to identify knowledge gaps and propose a research agenda. Searches were conducted in Web of Science, Google Scholar, and MDPI databases (Jan–May 2025), complemented by snowballing techniques, identifying 84 publications categorized by methodology, interaction levels, and sectoral relevance. Results reveal uneven distribution across four EDIH interaction levels, with ecosystem-level research dominating while internal dynamics and European network-level coordination remain understudied. Only 1.7% of EDIH beneficiaries receiving services by September 2024 originate from agriculture, confirming the sector’s marginal participation. Most contributions lack empirical validation, relying on theoretical frameworks or isolated case studies with limited geographic scope. As the first comprehensive review addressing EDIHs in agri-food contexts, this study provides timely insights at the end of the first EDIH implementation cycle and outlines priorities for future research to support equitable and evidence-based digital transformation.

Keywords: agriculture; agro-food; agri-food; digitalization; digital transformation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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