Ireland could be a key player in the creation of a new data ecosystem

A new academic and industry research programme, designed to future-proof EU data flows and drive innovation in data protection internationally has been launched at Maynooth University. The €10 million Empower programme will develop systems to protect citizens and while streamlining data exchange in the European business ecosystem.

The programme will focus on data platforms, data governance and ecosystems, and will involve researchers from four Science Foundation Ireland Research Centres: Lero, the programme lead, Insight, Adapt and FutureNeuro, co-ordinated by Empower director Prof Markus Helfert, based at Maynooth University.

According to Prof Helfert, the research will focus on developing a data ecosystem that benefits all users while defining and safeguarding the rights of data sharers. “Data ecosystems, such as smart cities or connected health networks, present new challenges that require a fundamental reconsideration of how we manage and use data. While an effective data ecosystem can empower the exchange of knowledge from organisations and individuals, data movement can also give rise to risks that need to be managed from a socio-ethical perspective,” he says.

“It is crucial that organisations offer individuals transparency and accountability of their user data to ensure they are truly empowered by data flows in new systems such as smart homes and smart cities,” Helfert adds. “Empower will explore how we design and implement intelligent systems that leverage ‘shared’ data within the data ecosystems. Solutions need to respect the rights and freedoms of users while turning personal data into an asset for the population and society.”

Irish advantage

There is also a strong industry dimension, and Empower's academic researchers will work together with a number of companies including Meta, Siemens, Huawei, Truata, Trilateral Research, Genesys, P4ML, RedZinc Services and Analog Devices to develop innovations in data governance that will have the potential to benefit individuals and companies.

"We are pleased to be supporting Empower, which brings together leading expertise from four SFI Research Centres with industry," says SF director general Prof Mark Ferguson. "Empower provides significant opportunities for Ireland both in terms of research reputation and economic impact. Empower will enable Ireland to take advantage of new opportunities provided by advances in data management and governance across multiple sectors."

The new programme will create new opportunities for business and society by making data shareable in a trusted and safe way, according to Helfert. “Empower is a fantastic initiative for Ireland with a European and international scope,” he says. “It is the first time four research centres have come together in a project like this. It’s very exciting. We have five research strands, with technology in the middle. Privacy technology can be used to anonymise data sets in a way that retains their value. An interesting example would be Covid-related data. How can it be shared best without compromising people’s privacy?”

It will also look at data markets and the value of data. “What can we do with data? Are there new business opportunities in doing things like combining health and mobility data.”

Data quality standards will be another area of focus. “Standards are important to make it shareable,” Helfert explains. “Ethics are also important from a social science and citizen perspective. How much regulation do we need to allow innovation at the same time as safeguarding people’s rights? Ireland has a huge opportunity here. We have the major multinational players, we have the researchers, and we are the right size. What is the right mix of regulations? We will use a regulatory sandbox to understand the impact of regulation in relation to both people and innovation.”

New ecosystem

The programme has the potential to place Ireland at the forefront of the creation of a new data ecosystem. “That will be important for business opportunities as well as from a citizen perspective. We want to make sure data sharing can happen in a safe, transparent way which doesn’t compromise privacy.”

The aim is to shape the ecosystem so that data can be used in ways that serve society as well as business. Helfert points to the challenge of sustainability. “We need data to tackle that but we need to share it safely. A lot of data in organisations is unshareable. Sometimes the technology is not there, sometimes there are value sharing issues. That brings in the concept of data sovereignty, the data owner – the person who creates it, needs to share in its value in a fair way.”

He believes Empower can have a significant impact on a range of areas including agriculture, healthcare and smart cities. “Farmers could share data on environmental impacts, for example. That would help farmers around the world become more sustainable, but there is a need to reward and incentivise them for doing that. We need to recognise the value of the data and pay them for it. Health has a similar value chain, but the data is extremely private. These are application domains where Empower can make a huge contribution by making data shareable in a safe way.”