Each month, we will be asking one of the project partners about what they do in i3-MARKET, why they are excited by the project and what they think the benefits of the project research will be. This month, the Athens University of Economics and Business!

How do you view your company’s/organisation’s role in i3-MARKET?

AUEB is mainly engaged with the project’s business exploitation, its business models, and the legal and privacy related issues that arise from such and endeavor within the scope of GDPR. More specifically, AUEB is working towards formulating viable and sustainable business models for i3-MARKET as part of a broader project commercialization strategy. Furthermore, this work requires an in-depth research of the complex regulatory and legislative framework to ensure accordance with EU law, privacy, and data protection by-design.

Why do you participate in the project? How can i3-MARKET have a long-term impact on your work?

As AUEB is an academic institution we are very excited for this role as it has opened up the possibility to research business models and their legal and business nuances in the new and evolving sector of data marketplaces. For us, i3-MARKET offers a unique window to research innovative data-driven business models in a complex real-life scenario. This research can allow us to enhance our academic understanding through high-impact publications and transfer this new knowledge to our students.

What do you think will be the main benefits of the i3-MARKET to the end-users?

i3-MARKET can have a very positive effect on its addressed audience. First it can help towards further connecting the highly segmented data sector in Europe by providing tools and knowledge. Its positioning as a backplane for marketplaces can allow actors to try and experiment with different tools such as smart contracts and enhance their value offering.

In your opinion, what’s the most exciting and inspiring thing about the i3-MARKET?

In i3-MARKET we do cutting-edge technology, business and law research that has human rights and human values at its core. To us “the missing link between Europe’s data marketplaces” is more than technology. Hence, we do not merely seek to revolutionize data sharing and data sharing technologies, but also humanize data sharing means and methods, embedding human rights such as privacy, and values such as trust into the design characteristics and data sharing procedures. Within the rapidly evolving and expanding sector of data sharing, filled with challenges and open questions, it is both inspiring and refreshing being part of a multicultural, interdisciplinary team that is devoted in ethical research and value-sensitive innovation. Finally, it is exciting and at the same time rewarding, that, focusing on privacy and open source, we strive to make a point about how innovation and value creation is by no means incompatible with fundamental rights, and community contribution.