European Data Spaces - Scientific Insights into Data Sharing and Utilisation at Scale

This report distils technical and organisational lessons learned from the scientific work of the JRC that can inform the scoping and implementation of common European data spaces as envisioned by the European Strategy for data. Those lessons stem from JRC’s long term commitment and relevant research. The audience targeted by this report comprises policy officers and domain experts that are currently working on or expect to work on the scoping and implementation of common European data spaces. The report introduces the policy context, and positions JRC’s evidence as an instrument for translating policy conceptualisations and theoretical understandings of data spaces into a practical framework for implementation. This is followed by a synthesis of the requirements for common European data spaces derived from relevant policy documents. A set of data sharing how-to guides is provided in addition to a description of a dedicated knowledge base that corresponds to the functional and non-functional requirements of data spaces. In the investigation of the technical and governance aspects of data spaces, there is no single approach that can be applied for their setup. Therefore, a community-based approach through co-creation of data spaces that considers the domain-specific context is the only feasible way forward that would ensure buy-in by a broad spectrum of stakeholders. Finally, scientific evidence should continue to play a central role in the conceptualisation and implementation of European data spaces.