Digital sovereignty

IFE provides applied research services that empower organisations to achieve greater control, autonomy, self-determination, and governance of data and technology. Our work focuses on complex digital ecosystems and value chains, supporting public, private and industrial sectors in strengthening their digital sovereignty. 

The Importance of Digital Sovereignty 

Digital sovereignty for critical infrastructure is vital for national security, economic stability and public trust. It ensures that a nation retains control and resilience in its essential services (e.g. energy, finance, supply chain, research, transport, healthcare, defence) against foreign interference, cyberattacks, or supply-chain shocks, thereby preventing disruptions, maintaining data privacy, and securing independence in a world of concentrated tech power. 

Scientific foundation 

IFE has taken an international position in building the body of knowledge on digital sovereignty, first and foremost, by hosting the annual International Conference on Digital Sovereignty (ICDS) and the International Journal of Digital Sovereignty and Global Data Governance (Emerald Publishing). 

Key Competencies

• Knowledge in European digital strategies, high-impact programs and projects, laws and regulations. 

• Development of technology stacks tailored to digital sovereignty needs 

• Design and implementation of data space technologies and architectures 

• Data space connectors/agents and protocols 

• Creation of data governance frameworks and supporting technologies 

• Competence in sovereign use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

• Integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Operational Technology (OT) 

• Implementation of cybersecurity measures, including zero-trust architectures 

• Support for safety-critical systems 

• Recognition of data as both an asset and a meta-utility for society 

• Advanced access control and policy enforcement 

• Identity and attestation management 

• Establishment of trust frameworks 

• Development and use of data models, ontologies, and semantics 

Research Areas

• Digital trust and capabilities for safeguarding digital sovereignty 

• Distributed and autonomous architectures 

• Privacy-preserving technologies 

• Data governance and technology governance 

• Legal, organisational, semantic, and technical interoperability 

• Digital ecosystems and value chains (dataspaces) 

Research Labs