Belgian Data Spaces Day

After a year of absence, the Belgian Data Spaces Alliance is pleased to invite you to the 3rd Belgian Data Spaces Day. 

This event will be a great opportunity to get up to speed on the data spaces evolutions, network with peers and experts from different fields, and to learn from leading projects and experts in the area of Data Spaces.

The Belgian Data Spaces Day is organized by the Belgian Data Spaces Alliance, a coalition of parties building Data Spaces in Belgium.

Date & location

• 18 September 2026, 12-00 - 4:00 p.m.
  Lunch included, offered by the Get Rehdy Coock project
• Digitaal Vlaanderen, Hendrik Consience building
  Bd Roi Albert II 15, 1210 Saint-Josse-ten-Noode 

Programme

The Belgian Data Spaces Day 2026 will provide an update on the latest European policy developments and their impact on data sharing and data spaces. The opening keynote will explore the state of play of the European data economy and the evolution of Common European Data Spaces.

Keynote speaker

Bjoern Juretzki, Head of Unit Data, European Commission

The programme will then showcase concrete data space initiatives and use cases from Belgium and its regions. Through examples from different sectors, participants will gain practical insights into how data spaces are being implemented and creating value in practice.

Speakers

• Dorien Bauwens, Lead Unit Ecosystems, athumi
• Tom Van Gulck, Chairman, OpenLDES Ecosystem
• Daniele Spajić, Postdoctoral Researcher, KU Leuven CITIP
• Rani Van Gompel, Researcher, ILVO
• Maël Arlain, Senior Expert DeepTech, Agence du Numérique

The event will conclude with a panel discussion on the key enablers for successful data spaces, covering technical, legal, governance and business perspectives. Experts will reflect on the current state of data spaces and the challenges and opportunities for their future development.

Panel discussion

• Ulrich Ahle, CEO, Gaia-X
• Peter Kraemer, Director Data Sovereignty Solutions, Capgemini / DSSC
• Pieter Colpaert, Professor interoperability and trusted data flows, imec
• Leander Stähler, Postdoctoral Researcher, KU Leuven CITIP

Exhibition Booths

Would you like to showcase your organisation and what you are doing on this topic at the Belgian Data Spaces Day? Tables will be available in the lunch and coffee break area for organisations wishing to set up a banner or display materials.

Please note the following conditions:

   ✔ Tables provided in the lunch and coffee break area

   ✔ Banners and printed materials welcome

   ✘ No screens or electricity provided

   € Free of charge

To request a booth, please contact jelle.hoedemaekers@agoria.be.

International speakers

Bjoern Juretzki

• Head of Unit, Data Policy and Innovation — DG CONNECT
• European Commission

Björn Juretzki serves as the Head of Unit for Data Policy and Innovation at the Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT). This unit plays a pivotal role in nurturing the European data economy by driving policy initiatives like the Data Act and the Data Governance Act. It also coordinates Common European Data Spaces and spearheads the strategic research and innovation agenda in the sector.

Ulrich Ahle

• Chief Executive Officer
• Gaia-X Association for Data and Cloud (AISBL)

Ulrich is a reputed executive in the IT sector, formerly Vice President and leader of the Manufacturing and Industrie 4.0 System Integration business at Atos in Germany. He is also founder and member of the Board of the International Data Spaces Association in Germany and served 16 years in the Board of the prostep IVIP organization until April 2018. From January 2017 until the end of 2023 Ulrich Ahle was Chief Executive Officer of the FIWARE Foundation headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Starting from November 2023, Ulrich became CEO of the Gaia-X Association headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

Peter Kraemer

• Director, Data Sovereignty Solutions
• Capgemini / Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC)

Peter Kraemer is Capgemini's Director for Data Sovereignty Solutions and a central figure in the EU-funded Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC), where Capgemini has been a core consortium member since the initiative's founding in October 2022. His work focuses on helping organisations understand and adopt data spaces, bridging strategic frameworks with real-world implementation.