INAIR: Enhancing the Uptake of AI in European Retail - A Horizon Europe Project

Press Release

Brussels, 23 February 2024 – Technological advancements and changes in consumer behaviours after the COVID-19 pandemic have urged retailers to accelerate their digital transformation to provide differentiated consumer experiences and interactions. Nevertheless, according to the latest Digital Economy and Society Index, the adoption rate of key digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises remains significantly low in Europe, positioning the Union far from the Digital Decade target of 75%+ European companies adopting AI technologies by 2030. The European wholesale and retail trade sector is the third to last in the EU regarding the adoption rate of AI technologies. A lack of a skilled workforce to embrace the integration of AI in the retail sector hinders not only market expansion within the EU, but also poses a significant risk to European SMEs of falling behind their global competitors and missing out on significant opportunities for growth and efficiency, as well as making businesses greener. The Increasing the Uptake of AI in Retail (INAIR) project was born in this context. Funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe Programme, the project seeks to contribute to bridging the AI skills gap across European MSMEs in the retail sector. The project consortium, bringing together six partners from Italy, Romania, Poland, Germany, and Cyprus, is set to enhance the competitiveness of European retail businesses through AI, supporting them to capitalise on the potential of AI for optimising their processes and greening their businesses, thus contributing to Europe’s Digital Decade ambitions of a 75% AI adoption rate by 2030.

Enhancing Competencies for the Resilience of the Sector

INAIR is committed to strengthening the retail landscape by addressing the industry's critical need for AI skills among micro, small, and medium-sized companies. From January 2024 to June 2026 the consortium will map out the AI skills landscape within the retail sector across Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Romania, design and implement a comprehensive, hybrid AI skills development program tailored for retail MSMEs, as well as supporting continuous vocational education and training providers targeting the current and future workforce of the sector with resources to integrate the project’s training and learning resources into their programs.

An International, Multi-Stakeholder Initiative

The INAIR project consortium integrated diverse expertise from six partner organizations:

• The Italian Innovative SME Lascò, project coordinator;
• The Digital Economy Lab of the University of Warsaw;
• The Romanian non-profit organisation Asociatia TEAM 4 Excellence;
• The Italian Chamber of Commerce for Germany (ITKAM);
• The Italian Design Studio BSD;
• The Software Engineering Lab of the University of Cyprus.

Towards a Greener, More Competitive Retail Sector

By the project's end, INAIR aims to deliver groundbreaking results, including a comprehensive analysis of the AI skills needs of retail MSMEs, an AI Core Curriculum, an AI Skills Assessment Tool, a collection of Open Educational Resources, and a Practical Guide for Facilitators. These outputs are designed to empower retail MSMEs with the knowledge and tools necessary for leveraging AI for growth, competitiveness, and sustainability.

About Horizon Europe

Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding program for research and innovation, aiming to drive European scientific excellence, tackle climate change, contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boost the EU’s competitiveness and growth. The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. It supports the creation and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies. It creates jobs, fully engages the EU’s talent pool, boosts economic growth, promotes industrial competitiveness and optimises investment impact within a strengthened European Research Area.

More Information

For more information about the INAIR project and its contributions to a digital and green transformation in retail, visit https://www.ai4retail.eu/en/contact.