The Belgian Data Spaces Alliance invites the Belgian data spaces community to the Belgian Data Spaces Day 2026. The event brings together Belgian and international experts to discuss European policy developments, practical data space initiatives and the conditions needed to make data spaces successful.
Practical information
| When | 18 September 2026, 12:00–16:00 |
|---|---|
| Where | Digitaal Vlaanderen, Hendrik Consciencegebouw, Bd Roi Albert II 15, Brussels |
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.
Speaker
- Bjoern Juretzki, Head of Unit for Data Policy and Innovation, 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.
Speakers
- Ulrich Ahle, CEO, Gaia-X
- Peter Kraemer, Director Data Sovereignty Solutions, Capgemini / Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC)
- Pieter Colpaert, Professor of Interoperability and Trusted Data Flows, imec
- Leander Stähler, Postdoctoral Researcher, KU Leuven CiTiP
International speakers
Bjoern Juretzki
Head of Unit, Data Policy and Innovation — DG CONNECT, European Commission
Björn Juretzki serves as Head of Unit for Data Policy and Innovation at the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT). The unit plays a pivotal role in nurturing the European data economy by driving policy initiatives such as 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 Ahle is an executive in the IT sector and was formerly Vice President and leader of the Manufacturing and Industrie 4.0 System Integration business at Atos in Germany. He is a founder and board member of the International Data Spaces Association in Germany and served on the board of the prostep IVIP organisation for 16 years, until April 2018. From January 2017 until the end of 2023, he was Chief Executive Officer of the FIWARE Foundation in Berlin. In November 2023, he became CEO of the Gaia-X Association in Brussels.
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), of which Capgemini has been a core consortium member since the initiative was founded in October 2022. His work focuses on helping organisations understand and adopt data spaces, bridging strategic frameworks with real-world implementation.
Organised by the Belgian Data Spaces Alliance
The Belgian Data Spaces Alliance is a coalition of 10 organisations building data spaces in Belgium.