There are plenty of use cases for data spaces. What is still missing is proof that they work in everyday practice, especially when scaling to more partners and entire value networks. Data spaces are meant to simplify carbon accounting, make supply chains more transparent, and connect business models. The technology is there. But when governance, liability or fairness come into play, things get complicated and many projects stay stuck at the pilot stage.
This is exactly where the work of ScaleTrust and the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) comes together, with a shared goal: enabling data spaces that are both effective and trustworthy.
Data needs rules, not just infrastructure
At the heart of ScaleTrust is a clear idea: data sharing only works if all parties can rely on binding rules. Secure transmission is important, but it is not enough. There has to be a model that ensures trust and confidentiality.
This role is taken on by the data trustee. In the ScaleTrust approach, the trustee acts as a neutral intermediary between data provider and data user. This does not mean that data must pass through the trustee. It means the trustee ensures that usage terms are respected, contracts are enforceable and sensitive business data is not exposed without control. In an international context this role is often called Data Space Governance Authority. Depending on the use case it may also act as a data intermediary if it provides additional services for the data provider. This is not a theoretical construct. It is already being tested in practice, for example in the Green Deal Dataspace, where supply chain, emissions and resilience data need to be exchanged across sectors.
Reporting, carbon costs, and supply chain laws are forcing change
The pressure is increasing. New European rules on sustainability reporting, carbon costs on imports, and supply chain laws are pushing companies to show where their raw materials come from, how much they emit, and how they handle risks. The data needed for this is usually spread across many actors. Without a trusted model for data sharing, processes remain manual or opaque. That drives up costs and prevents scale.
Making data spaces compatible, not isolated
IDSA has laid important foundations with its Reference Architecture Model. It defines roles such as data provider and data consumer and sets out principles for federated data spaces. But here too the same point applies: technology alone is not enough. What is missing is the operational layer. That includes contracts, compliance and day-to-day control.
The Dataspace Protocol addresses this gap. It makes sure that data offerings can be discovered in a standardized way, contracts can be negotiated fairly and the agreed data can be shared through the data plane of choice. This allows different data spaces to be compatible with each other. The aim is to avoid isolated solutions and to establish a shared understanding of how data spaces function.
ScaleTrust complements this work by adding the role of the data trustee. This role does not replace existing ones. It adds an intermediary that creates trust through legally defined neutrality. For data providers, this means they retain control. For data users, it means clarity about rights and obligations without the need to negotiate new contracts every single time.
How it works on the ground
Take an example. A company wants to collect the carbon footprint of its supply chain for a sustainability report. Many suppliers are hesitant to share production data. A data trustee can receive, process and aggregate the data on their behalf. Confidentiality is maintained, while the necessary information is still delivered.
Or consider a geopolitical crisis in which a key supplier drops out. Data spaces can help companies identify alternatives quickly. But only if the data from other suppliers is made available in a transparent and legally secure way.
This is exactly where the goals of ScaleTrust and IDSA converge. They work on standardizing not just technical interfaces, but also roles and governance models that make data spaces practical at scale.
What needs to happen next
If data spaces are to scale, technical interoperability is not enough. Shared rules are needed that work across sectors and borders. ScaleTrust is developing these rules in the form of a practical trustee model. Not in isolation, but in combination with IDSA assets such as the Dataspace Protocol and the IDSA Rulebook, which can serve as the basis for governance.
The foundations are there. What is needed now are concrete applications. Companies, associations, and public bodies are invited to use these models, refine them, and actively shape the way forward.
