Sectoral Hubs
Driving applied AI innovation across key sectors
The BSC AI Factory Sectoral Hubs connect AI innovation with real-world challenges across six key economic sectors. They work with stakeholders to identify where AI can create value, support collaboration, and help turn ideas into concrete use cases with direct industry relevance.
The Hubs do this in three ways:
- Bridging AI and industry: Hubs connect organisations within their sector to the AI ecosystem, including research expertise, infrastructure, and innovation initiatives within the AI Factory.
- Identifying opportunities: They work with stakeholders to identify challenges and opportunities where AI can deliver tangible value.
- Enabling collaboration: Hubs bring together SMEs, startups, researchers, and public organisations to develop collaborations around concrete AI use cases.
Through shared experimentation, peer collaboration, and sector-specific expertise, they close the gap between research and the market. The Hubs also serve as a bridge between national ecosystems and the broader BSC AI Factory, ensuring that sector-specific needs and opportunities are connected to European AI capabilities and infrastructure.
The six sectors
Health, Biotech & Pharma
AI has the potential to transform healthcare, pharmaceutical research, and biotechnology by accelerating innovation, improving patient outcomes, and supporting more efficient decision-making. However, organisations in these sectors must navigate complex challenges related to data quality, privacy, security, regulation, and trust. The Health, Pharma & Biotech Hub provides a collaborative space where stakeholders can explore AI applications, access advanced computing resources, and exchange knowledge on responsible and effective AI adoption.
Agriculture, Climate & Blue Economy
The agriculture, climate, and blue economy sectors are under increasing pressure to improve productivity and resilience while responding to climate change and sustainability challenges. AI can support better decision-making, optimise resource use, and improve traceability across complex environmental and production systems. The Agriculture, Climate & Blue Economy Hub brings together stakeholders to explore innovative AI solutions, share expertise, and accelerate the digital transformation of these sectors.
Energy
The energy sector is undergoing a profound transformation driven by decarbonisation, electrification, and the growing integration of renewable energy sources. At the same time, operators must manage increasingly complex systems, ageing infrastructure, evolving regulations, and new security challenges. The Energy Hub supports stakeholders in adopting AI solutions that improve forecasting, optimise operations, strengthen resilience, and support the transition to a more sustainable energy system.
Legal & Finance
Finance and legal services are highly information-intensive sectors where organisations must process large volumes of complex documentation while operating in heavily regulated environments. AI offers significant opportunities to improve efficiency, strengthen decision-making, and support risk management, but its adoption also raises challenges related to accuracy, transparency, compliance, and trust. The Finance & Legal Hub provides a forum for collaboration and knowledge exchange to help organisations implement AI responsibly and effectively.
Communication & Media
The communications and media sector is undergoing a profound transformation driven by artificial intelligence. AI is reshaping how content is created, edited, distributed, monetised, preserved, and consumed, while opening new opportunities for personalisation, automation, audience intelligence, and innovation in products, services, and business models.
At the same time, AI adoption raises strategic challenges related to intellectual property, copyright, misinformation, accessibility, transparency, ethics, governance, trust, and the future role of creative and media professionals.
Public Sector
AI is already transforming public services – how they are designed, delivered, and governed. The public sector hub removes these barriers by providing public sector stakeholders with supercomputing infrastructure, specialized knowledge, and a trusted space to collaborate and exchange best practices.
See how each country is implementing its Sectoral Hubs
Spain
In Spain, the Hubs are financed by the Secretary of State for AI and Digitalisation
Portugal
In Portugal, Hub activities are delivered in partnership by FCT and CNCA.
Türkiye
In Türkiye, the Sectoral AI Hub is jointly governed by TUBITAK ULAKBIM and TUBITAK BİLGEM AI Institut
Romania
Hub activities are led by ICI Bucharest and draws on an existing network of EDIHs, digital innovation hubs, and industry clusters.
How the Hubs work:
- Bridging AI and industry
Hubs connect organisations within their sector to the AI ecosystem, including research expertise, infrastructure, and innovation initiatives within the AI Factory.
- Identifying opportunities
They work with stakeholders to identify challenges and opportunities where AI can deliver tangible value.
- Enabling collaboration
Hubs bring together SMEs, startups, researchers, and public organisations to develop collaborations around concrete AI use cases.
The Hubs serve as a bridge between national ecosystems and the broader BSC AI Factory, ensuring that sector-specific needs and opportunities are connected to European AI capabilities and infrastructure.