Dr. Adelheid Holl (p), Prof. Ruth Rama

This paper examines the role of advanced human capital and digitalization in shaping firms’ innovation resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, with particular attention to regional heterogeneity. Using firm-level microdata from the 2020 Spanish Innovation Survey, which includes a dedicated COVID-19 module, we analyse three dimensions of crisis-induced innovation behaviour: engagement in unplanned innovation activities, COVID-19-related R&D, and increases in R&D expenditure triggered by the pandemic. We focus on two analytically distinct yet complementary firm-level resources: the presence of PhD-trained employees engaged in R&D and innovation activities, and firms’ digitalization efforts, proxied by investment in software and databases.
The results indicate a robust positive association between both advanced human capital and digitalization and firms’ innovation resilience during the crisis, particularly for adaptive and opportunity-driven innovation responses. Firms employing PhD-level innovation personnel are significantly more likely to initiate new or reoriented innovation activities under crisis conditions, highlighting the importance of highly specialised and adaptable knowledge for coping with unexpected shocks. Similarly, firms that invested in digital technologies exhibit higher probabilities of engaging in COVID-19-related R&D and increasing innovation expenditure, underscoring the role of digital capabilities in enabling rapid reorganization of innovation processes.
We further explore regional heterogeneity by examining interaction effects between firm-level resources and regional context. While the relationship between PhD innovation employees and innovation resilience varies only modestly across regions, the marginal contribution of digitalization is more context-dependent. In particular, digital investments display weaker marginal effects in industrial core regions, suggesting diminishing short-run returns to digitalization where pre-existing capabilities are already well developed. The findings highlight the multilevel and context-sensitive nature of innovation resilience and provide insights for regionally differentiated innovation and digitalization policies in times of crisis.

Sandra T. Silva, Mr José Manuel Amoedo Meijide (p)

Dr. Brigida Marovelli (p), Dr Carlo Giua, Dr Michele Moretti

Digitalisation is a central driver of regional transformation and a key dimension of the twin transition affecting European rural areas. Despite ambitious EU strategies, persistent digital divides remain: rural regions continue to lag behind urban areas not only in infrastructure provision but also in digital skills attainment and effective technology uptake. While DigComp has become the main institutional reference framework for digital competence development at EU level, limited empirical attention has been devoted to how such frameworks are operationalised within territorially embedded innovation processes. This paper asks: how can digital skills and competence development be operationalised across diverse EU rural contexts by combining DigComp as a non-prescriptive framework with participatory and context-sensitive approaches? We adopt DigComp 3.0 as a conceptual starting point and interpret it as a boundary object that provides a shared vocabulary for competence development. The study examines six rural Multi-Actor Pilots (MAPs) within the Horizon Europe project FUTURAL, which prototypes community-led Smart Solutions addressing local societal, environmental, and economic challenges. The MAPs function as territorially embedded innovation platforms where digital competence development is linked to technological deployment through co-created training strategies. Methodologically, the research applies a multi-sited comparative design based on mixed methods, combining structured post-workshop surveys with qualitative data from workshops, pilot documentation, and MAP leaders’ reflections. A harmonised capacity-building framework has been used to ensure comparability, while training design remains context-sensitive, incorporating literacy adaptation, accessibility measures, multilingual materials, and differentiated competence levels. Preliminary findings indicate that competence building strategies are calibrated to the intended user base of each Smart Solution, ranging from specialised stakeholders to broader community groups. The results illustrate how participatory approaches grounded in DigComp can support territorially embedded human capital formation, reinforcing the role of capacity building as a driver of rural digital transition.

Dr. Alejandro Sanchez-Zarate (p), PhD Candidate Karina Garcia Morales

This study examines digital literacy among children and youth in Mexico, emphasizing the role of household composition in shaping inequalities in computer skills. Using data from the 2024 National Survey on the Availability and Use of Information Technologies in Households (ENDUTIH). It is built a Computer Literacy Index (CLI) for individuals aged 6 to 24. The index synthesizes a range of competencies—from basic tasks such as email use and file management to more advanced abilities including database management and programming—through Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). The resulting standardized measure (0–100 scale) captures 50% of the total variance in digital skills.
Descriptive results show that approximately 49% of the population aged 6–24 uses a computer, indicating broad yet incomplete access. Gender differences in digital literacy are minimal once access is achieved, suggesting a narrowing digital gender gap. In contrast, age displays a strong and consistent gradient: children aged 6–11 exhibit very low average skill levels, adolescents show substantial improvement, and young adults aged 18–24 reach the highest scores. This pattern reflects cumulative learning processes linked to schooling, cognitive development, and increasing autonomy in technology use.
Socioeconomic status emerges as a key axis of inequality. The CLI increases systematically with household economic position, highlighting persistent structural barriers in the development of digital competencies. Beyond these classical demographic variables, household structure introduces additional differentiation. Youth living in single-parent households exhibit slightly higher digital literacy levels than those in two-parent or extended households. However, disaggregation by sex of the household head reveals that internal household dynamics—particularly resource allocation and educational prioritization—may be more consequential than structural composition alone.
Territorially, Mexico City and Tlaxcala record the highest levels of digital literacy, with a broader Central–Bajío–Northern Border corridor displaying relatively strong performance. Southern and coastal states show lower averages, reflecting enduring regional disparities.
Overall, the findings suggest that digital inequality in Mexico is shaped primarily by age and socioeconomic stratification, while household organization moderates opportunities for digital skill development. Policies aimed at digital inclusion should therefore move beyond expanding connectivity and prioritize early skill formation within structurally disadvantaged contexts.