The Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service launches the call for grants for the creation of Sectoral Data Spaces

15/04/2024

● The aim of the grants is to promote the creation of demonstration centres and the implementation of data space use cases. ● The aid is aimed at entities in any sector of activity, excluding the Tourism sector, for which there are specific calls. ● The call for proposals aims to mobilise up to EUR 150 million in grants. ● Applications may be submitted until 16 May.

Madrid, April 15, 2024. The Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function, through its Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, published in the last January through the Official State Gazette The regulatory bases that articulate the call for grants for the creation of demonstration centres and cases of use of sectoral data spaces, whose deadline for the submission of applications is open from this month of April to 16 May.

The Data Spaces Programme, which forms part of this call, aims to promote the development of data space projects in strategic sectors of the economy. This initiative is aligned with the European Data Strategy, the European Data and Data Governance Regulations and the achievement of the Single Data Market.

Data has become an essential resource for economic growth, job creation and social progress, being a key element in the digitisation of society and companies. Data analysis facilitates the optimization of processes and decisions, innovation and the prediction of future events. This global trend has huge potential in several fields, from health, the environment, food security, climate and resource efficiency, to energy and transport systems and smart cities.

The European Commission (EC), in the Communication on Building a European Data Economy, published in January 2017, characterizes the data economy as an ecosystem of different types of market players, such as manufacturers, researchers and infrastructure providers, collaborate to ensure that data is accessible and usable. This allows such agents to extract value from this data by creating a variety of applications with great potential to improve people’s daily lives.

The value of the European Union’s (EU) data economy was estimated at EUR 434,030 million in 2020 and is estimated to reach EUR 659 billion in 2025 and up to EUR 851.5 billion in 2030.

Characteristics and requirements of the call

The objective of the call is to promote, through grants, the creation of demonstration centers and the implementation and exploitation of cases of use of data spaces in the strategic sectors of the economy. These projects should provide solutions to business challenges through data sharing. The objectives pursued by this action are:

  • Build ecosystems for data exchange between companies in the strategic sectors.
  • Remove barriers to entry for data exchange.
  • Creation of the necessary infrastructures and organization of the operators of the data spaces.
  • Develop new data-driven business models.

The call funds projects of “experimental development”, grouped in two lines for two types of differentiated projects:

  • Line 1. Demonstration centers: development of technological platforms of data spaces in the strategic sectors for pilot experimentation and development and concept tests.
  • Line 2. Use cases: development of productive use cases to promote the promotion of strategic sectors.

The main features of this call are as follows:

  • It is aimed at companies (public or private), business associations and agencies for communication and dissemination of knowledge. • It has been designed under the single-beneficiary modality.
  • It is open to any sector of activity, except for Tourism, which has its specific calls.
  • It has a total budget of EUR 150 million, of which EUR 40 million is earmarked for line 1 and EUR 110 million for line 2.
  • The maximum aid is EUR 5 million per project and the minimum is EUR 300,000.
  • It will be granted in competitive competition.
  • The beneficiaries must have a tax domicile in the EU and, in addition, an establishment or branch located in Spanish territory.
  • The intensity of the aid will depend on the typology and size of the entity.
  • Projects must be completed by 31 December 2025.

For more information on the call for proposals and the submission of projects:

In addition, next Thursday, April 18 will take place an information session on the initiative open to all those interested in presenting themselves. All the details about the meeting and forms of registration, can be consulted here.

Press release