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Cities are increasingly relying on data to design policies, monitor progress and improve public services. In Cluj-Napoca, Romania, data already plays an important role in areas such as sustainable mobility, energy efficiency, environmental monitoring and climate action. The DS2 project offers an opportunity to strengthen the local digital ecosystem by exploring the concept of data spaces and by testing new approaches for secure and trusted data sharing. Through the DS2 projec

As governments, enterprises, and research organizations generate unprecedented volumes of information, one of the greatest challenges of the digital age is not collecting data, it is finding, understanding, and sharing the right information across languages, cultures, and organizational boundaries. This challenge lies at the heart of the European vision for interoperable data spaces. While significant progress has been made in data governance, privacy, and information sharing

Cluj-Napoca (Romania) is one of the 100 European cities selected under the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. Achieving climate neutrality by 2030 requires informed decisions, close collaboration among stakeholders and, most importantly, access to reliable and interoperable data. The municipality already collects and manages significant amounts of data related to mobility, energy, environment, public services and urban planning. However, these datasets are often

Smart cities are built on more than technology. They are built on data. Every day, cities generate vast amounts of information, from traffic and public transport to energy consumption, air quality and public services. When this data is managed effectively, it becomes a powerful resource for improving urban life. However, data alone has limited value. To support better decision-making, it needs to be organised, shared and transformed into practical solutions. This is where dat

In modern dataspaces, data from disparate sources often remains siloed, requiring manual curation, format conversion, and complex programming to extract meaningful insights. Organizations need a practical way to query federated data sources without understanding database schemas, SQL syntax, or data format differences. This is where the DS2 CUR module comes in. What is CUR? CUR (Data Curation) is a DS2 module that enables automatic curation and federation of data through mach

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, organizations face an unprecedented challenge: How to harness the transformative power of artificial intelligence while maintaining strict compliance with European data protection regulations? As AI systems become increasingly sophisticated and data-hungry, the tension between innovation and regulation has never been more pronounced. Enter Data Spaces: a groundbreaking solution that bridges the gap between AI advancement an

In modern dataspaces, accessing and using data from providers should be straightforward, but technical barriers often prevent non-technical users from taking full advantage of available data. Data consumers face challenges in composing complex REST calls with specific parameter formatting requirements, and retrieved data may not match their expected schema or format. This is where the DS2 RET (Data Retrieval) module comes in. What is RET? RET is an intelligent data retrieval

How do you get farmers, processors, public institutions, and environmental agencies to share data, when competitive sensitivity, power asymmetries, and data sovereignty concerns stand in the way? In Slovenia's Pomurje region, the DIH AGRIFOOD Data Space (DADS) has been answering that question in practice, as part of the Horizon Europe DATA4FOOD project and in direct collaboration with the DS2 project. The Slovenian use case within DS2 focuses on air quality monitoring across

Sharing data effectively is not a technical challenge, it’s a socio-technical challenge that requires blending human trust, legal frameworks, and digital architecture. Over the years, the drive to securely and fairly share data among organizations and individuals has led to the creation of several distinct inter-organisational data sharing models. Below is presented the current data economy landscape, the pros and cons, and why one model is rising to the top. Data Trusts act

In modern dataspaces, trust does not start when data is exchanged. It starts much earlier, with the ability to know who is participating, which organisations are recognised members, and whether a company can prove its identity and role in a secure and verifiable way. As dataspaces become more interconnected, identity management becomes a foundation for collaboration, access control and trustworthy data sharing. This is where the DS2 Identity Manager, or IDM, comes in. What is

London, UK, June 08, 2026 – The DS2 project announces a strategic understanding with NESSI (the Networked European Software and Services Initiative) to maximize the impact of research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) across Europe's digital landscape. The newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishes a framework for ongoing cooperation in the ICT and data-sharing fields. The DS2 project envisions the creation of a European, modular, and platform-neutral env

The DS2 Containerisation (CONT) module is designed to simplify how applications are packaged and deployed by Dataspace participants in the IDT Kubernetes environment. Instead of dealing with complex Kubernetes configurations, developers only need to provide a simplified Helm Chart descriptor. CONT then automatically combines this with standard templates from the DS2 Portal Marketplace to generate a complete Helm Chart and deploy it. As a core component of the IDT Broker, CONT

The world we live in is one of connectivity, and dataspaces are no exception. As organisations expand, this connectivity becomes ever more so important as dataspaces facilitate data between partners. When organisations create data, other organisations will need that data- and when the mismatch of what an organisation needs vs what data is available? That’s when the DS2 Orchestration Module (ORC) comes in. What is ORC? The Orchestration Module, also known as ORC, is a BPMN pro

Thessaly is Greece's breadbasket, a region where millions of hectares of farmland produce cotton, wheat, and vegetables that feed the country. Yet farmers here still make critical decisions about irrigation, pest control, and harvesting with incomplete information, relying on intuition or fragmented data spread across incompatible systems. The DS2 project is changing that. By connecting the DigiAgro dataspace, operated by the University of Thessaly, with the AgroScience datas

ITC – Innovation Technology Cluster - organised the DIH AGRIFOOD annual event at Tourist Farm in Pomurje region, bringing together stakeholders from across the agri-food value chain to discuss how digitalisation can improve efficiency, sustainability, and collaboration in the sector. The event focused on digital transformation in agriculture and food production, showcasing practical digital tools, applications, and approaches developed through DIH AGRIFOOD . Discussions hig

In today's interconnected business environment, organisations face a persistent challenge: How to share data with partners, suppliers, and stakeholders while maintaining and retaining ownership over that data? Traditional approaches, emailing files, uploading to shared drives, or creating data warehouses, often compromise either security, efficiency, or data ownership. Enter Data Spaces: an innovative solution that's transforming how European organisations deal with trustwor

European Big Data Value Forum (EBDVF25) was once again the main gathering for Europe’s big data community. DS2 was proud to be present for the second year in a row, hosting the workshop “ Connecting the Dots: Interoperability and Policy in European Data Spaces ,” moderated by Gabriella Laatikainen of VTT . Despite being scheduled late in the day, the session gathered an engaged audience, eager to explore how interoperability and policy can shape the future of European data s

On September 23, 2025, Stavanger, Norway became the epicenter of digital transformation as five pioneering projects—DS2, CyclOps, NOUS, Pliades and CEDAR —joined forces at the AI, Data, Robotics Forum to host a dynamic workshop. This wasn’t a typical workshop. Delivered in a Pecha Kucha-style format, the workshop was full of energy, creativity, and bold ideas. Rapid-fire presentations and cross-disciplinary exchanges challenged conventional thinking and sparked new visions fo

The Municipality of Murska Sobota (MOMS) and ITC - Innovation Technology Cluster Murska Sobota , hosted the DS2 project plenary meeting in between 4th and 6th of November 2025. One of DS2's main objectives is to develop a system that will enable more efficient connection, sharing and use of data to address the challenges of modern cities. The Municipality of Murska Sobota joined the DS2 project through its active approach to data use and the development of smart solutions. I

At this year’s European Big Data Value Forum (EBDVF25), the DS2 project returns for the second year in a row to host a dynamic workshop entitled “ Connecting the Dots: Interoperability and Policy in European Data Spaces ,” scheduled for November 14, 2025, from 11:00 to 12:00 CET. As Europe continues to advance its digital transformation, the need for secure, interoperable, and policy-compliant data ecosystems has become increasingly urgent. This session will explore the evol