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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

Joining a dataspace is supposed to unlock data, not bury participants in decisions. Yet for many organisations the first encounter with a federated environment looks less like an open door and more like a wall of questions. Which modules do I actually need? Are my two dataspaces even compatible for the workflow I have in mind? What does the regulation require of me before I share a single record? And once I have the answers, how do I configure everything correctly without a s

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

In modern dataspaces, interoperability depends not only on standards and agreements, but also on the infrastructure that allows participants to deploy modules, manage services and exchange data reliably. Organisations need a practical environment where DS2 modules can run, connectors can communicate, and data exchange can be managed across cloud, on-premise and edge deployments. This is where the DS2 IDT Broker comes in. What is IDT? IDT is the core enabler of DS2. It is desi

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

The Congress for Sustainable and Viable Agriculture , held on January 29th, 2026, at the JOIST Innovation Park in Larisa, Greece, is a regional flagship event focused on fostering sustainable farming practices, innovation, and resilience. Organized by ELGO Dimitra and the University of Thessaly's NITLab , under the auspices of the Ministry of Rural Development, the congress brought together scientists, researchers, producers, and agricultural professionals around the theme "I

Thanks to the DS2 project, the Municipality of Murska Sobota from Slovenia is turning air quality data into something everyone can actually use. By collecting real‑time measurements of Particulate Matter (PM): PM10* and PM2.5* particles, they are able to translate complex environmental data into a clear and understandable air quality index for the City Municipality of Murska Sobota. This effort helps bridge the gap between raw sensor readings and meaningful insights that can

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 modern dataspaces, data sharing is no longer about connecting systems, it’s about trust, transparency and control. As organizations increase within dataspaces, providers and consumers need better insight into what data is flowing, how much is being exchanged, and weather those exchanges remain complaint over time. This is where DS2 DSHARE comes in. What is DSHARE? DSHARE is a module designed to give both consumers and providers a clear, user oriented view of ongoing and h

The Green & Digital session, held on October 16 during the Transilvania Digital Innovation Summit organized by Transilvania IT Cluster , brought together experts directly involved in building greener and smarter communities. Among the speakers were representatives from technology, energy, agriculture, sustainability initiatives and civic organizations, offering a multidisciplinary perspective. The session opened with a powerful artistic moment by the Extinct theatre group,