Call for pilot projects on data sharing applications

Sharing data between companies creates innovations and services. Sitra is issuing a call for funding applications to collect experiences and lessons learned on data sharing. The call, aimed at businesses and other organisations, also investigates the functioning and practical business benefits of the European Gaia-X network model focusing on data sharing.

• Participants: parties with the potential and willingness to pilot new or existing solutions or services based on sharing data. 
• Aim: The pilot project should focus on creating business value by sharing data, either within existing ecosystems or industries, between different ecosystems or industries, or across geographical borders.  
• Data sharing: The aim is to identify and obtain business benefits enabled by sharing data. These pursued benefits should be scalable to other ecosystems, industries or regions.  
• Interoperability: Where possible, the pilot project should comply with principles and reference architectures that support the Gaia-X model.  
• Experiences: The pilot project will collect lessons learned and experiences from the parties and stakeholders involved in different roles.  

Sitra is issuing a funding applications call to collect experiences and lessons learned on data sharing between businesses. They are looking for companies that want to pilot data sharing based on the European Gaia-X model. The aim is also to find out how different solutions for data sharing can work together smoothly and how data sharing can create new value and business. For more information on the Gaia-X model and how to create compatible solutions based on it, see the Gaia-X Trust Framework publication.

In its data strategy, the European Commission estimates that the value of the European data economy will increase to EUR 829 billion by 2025. We believe that this is only possible by sharing data across organisational and national boundaries. It requires an infrastructure that enables the reliable data sharing between different parties and supports the interoperability of different solutions. We also need common rules and standards and smart regulation. Above all, however, there must be mutual trust between those that share and use data, as well as trust in the solutions chosen.

Gaia-X is a pan-European project that aims to create models for trustworthy and interoperable data sharing across Europe. It is aligned with the objectives of the European strategy for data and the EU’s new data legislation. In particular, it represents the voice of parties in building European data spaces. Sitra is the co-ordinator of the Finnish Gaia-X-network.

Gaia-X aims to define rules for digital identity management, creation of trust and data exchange, as well as to build a European cloud architecture that complies with these rule structures.

Sitra’s call for funding offers consortiums of multiple applicants an opportunity to experiment and learn data sharing and value creation in line with the principles of the fair data economy. We are looking for partners to find out what kind of data sharing use cases would benefit from the principles underpinning Gaia-X’s work. We also want to explore what it means to build an interoperable solution based on these principles means in practice. For more information about the principles of data sharing, which are at the core of the Gaia-X work, see the international Gaia-X association’s website.

The aim is to also strengthen the capacity of businesses and ecosystems to participate in building European data spaces and obtain related international funding. Sitra will publish the lessons learned from the projects, which will be freely available for use in Finland and abroad.

Who can apply? 

The call for funding is open to consortiums of companies and other parties that want to share data between several companies and have use cases where data sharing supports their business or provides them with business benefits.  

The call is open to consortiums advanced in data sharing and consortiums that are new to data sharing. Applicant consortiums with a minimum of two and maximum of seven members are expected to take part in the pilot project call. The applicant consortiums may include companies alone or companies, ecosystem co-ordinators and/or research institutions. The applicant consortiums must always include companies that use and share data in their business and a minimum of one Finnish company.  

The applicant consortium is liable for the accuracy of the information provided to Sitra and their non-infringement of the rights of any third parties. For more detailed instructions, please read the attached additional information on the data sharing applications call for funding (PDF). 

The funding applications will be evaluated on a first come, first served basis and applicants will be contacted within 20 working days. In addition, information has been added stating that pilots awarded EUR 50,000 of funding may apply for additional funding of EUR 100,000 later if the project reaches a higher level of maturity.

Sitra can cover up to 70 per cent of the costs and expenses incurred in developing a working prototype, experiment or concept. The maximum amount of funding is either EUR 50,000 or EUR 150,000 per applicant consortium, depending on the data sharing capabilities of the companies in the consortium taking part in the pilot and the objectives of the pilot project. The sum will be distributed between the members of the applicant consortium.  

Pilots that receive EUR 50,000 in funding can apply for additional funding of EUR 100,000 if the project maturity level rises. In this case they could receive a total up to EUR 150,000 of funding from Sitra. However, applicants who have received EUR 50,000 in funding will not have priority over new applicants if they apply for additional funding. Applications for EUR 100,000 additional funding must follow the same application deadline as mentioned above.