On 30 March, Stratos Baloutsos, from I3-Market partner ACEI (the Athens Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, part of the Athens University of Economics and Business) will be joining the Data Forum, organised by the fellow EU project EUHubs4Data, to discuss the business challenges that start-ups and SMEs face in accessing and exploiting the European data market. The panel will be moderated by Justina Bieliauskaite, Projects Director at the European DIGITAL SME Alliance and will also feature Marin Iuga, CEO of Intertechnica.

The panel discussion will cover topics such as the lack of support for SMEs and start-ups beginning cross-border activities, the lack of knowledge and visibility for opportunities to do so and data monetisation and business models.

This is the first time that the Data Forum is being held, and it is expected to become an annual event to raise awareness, share results and recommendations and discuss the strategies and policies from the European Commission regarding data and data use. The Forum will focus on four challenges:

1. Legal and Ethical challenges, such as legal constraints regarding liability and data protection
2. Technical challenges, including the availability of trusted data sharing mechanisms
3. Policy challenges, including the establishment of innovation friendly policies and the identification of the right policy incentives
4. Business challenges, as mentioned above.

The webinar will feature speakers from the European Commission, from the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) and the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS), who will discuss the policy issues arising from their respective areas, and participation from the BDVA/DAIRO.

For more information, including the full agenda and registration, you can visit the event website here.