International Conference on Digital Sovereignty (ICDS) 2024

Detailed Program is available for download here.

08:00 - 08:10: Conference Opening Day Two

Biography:  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. After an apprenticeship as toolmaker at Hella KG, he studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Paderborn. In his career, Ahle held several positions as development engineer, Director of PLM services, sales director and Vice President. He has been part of Nixdorf Computer AG, Siemens and Atos. 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.

Title of the Talk : European Data Spaces and Data-driven Innovation

2. Marco Schuldt, Regierungsdirektor, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), Germany

Biography: Marco Schuldt brings a wealth of expertise and leadership in digitalization and industrial innovation. Currently serving as the Deputy Head of Section for Industrie 4.0 and Digitalization at the BMWK, he is also the coordinator of the Important Project of Common European Interest on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI-CIS). In addition, Marco chairs the “Digital” Workgroup under the Joint-European Forum for IPCEI at the European Commission. His extensive experience and strategic insight make him exceptionally well-suited to provide a comprehensive perspective on pivotal projects shaping Europe’s digital and industrial future.

Title of the Talk: Europe on the Path to the Cloud Infrastructure of the Future

Abstract : He will share insights and a strategic outlook into the major European effort in creating the cloud-edge infrastructure of the future: the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). Next-Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services. With 12 participating member states and a volume of several billion euros, this IPCEI is Europe’s push to build a high-performance cloud-edge infrastructure to ensure European competitiveness in the digital environment in the long term. To achieve this goal, a particular focus is placed on interoperability, sustainability, cybersecurity and standardisation. Look forward to an inspiring talk giving the “big picture” of Europe’s strategic aim in this crucially important space.

3. Sokratis Katsikas, Professor and Director of SFI - NORCICS, Norwegian University of Science and Technolog (NTNU), Norway.

Biography: Sokratis K. Katsikas is the Director of the Norwegian Centre for Cybersecurity in Critical Sectors and Professor with the Department of Information Security and Communication Technology, NTNU. He is also Professor Emeritus of the Department of Digital Systems, University of Piraeus, Greece. In 2019 he was awarded a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Department of Production and Management Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece. In May-June 2023 he served as Minister of Digital Governance in the interim (caretaking) government of the Hellenic Republic. In 2023 he was listed in the Stanford University list of the top 2% most cited scientists worldwide and in 2024 he was listed in the ScholarGPS Top Scholars list of the top 0.5% of all scholars worldwide. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 journal papers, book chapters and conference proceedings papers. He is serving on the editorial board of several scientific journals, he has co-authored/edited 52 books and conference proceedings and has served on/chaired the technical programme committee of more than 900 international scientific conferences. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the ESORICS Conference (chair 2017-2023) and he is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Information Security (Springer).

Title of the Talk: Towards a cybersecurity-oriented research agenda for digital sovereignty

Abstract: The notion of “digital sovereignty” has emerged as a means of promoting the notion of leadership and strategic autonomy in the digital field. Digital sovereignty refers to a nation’s or a group of nations’ ability to act independently in the digital world and should be understood in terms of both protective mechanisms and offensive tools to foster digital innovation. This understanding underpins the intrinsic relationship between digital sovereignty and cybersecurity. Even though policy, political and legislative aspects of digital sovereignty are in the forefront of public discourse and the research literature on these issues is increasing, cybersecurity-oriented research on digital sovereignty is only starting. In this talk we will discuss the relationship between selected fields of research in cybersecurity, such as Digital Trust, Privacy, Cyber Resilience, Digital Supply Chain Security on one hand, and Digital Sovereignty on the other, in an attempt to outline a possible cybersecurity-oriented research agenda for digital sovereignty through innovation. 

4. Chandra Challagonda, CEO, FIWARE Foundation, Switzerland

Biography: Chandra Challagonda is a tech executive with over two decades of experience in digital ecosystems, smart cities, and AI governance. As the CEO of FIWARE Foundation and its former VP of Business Development, he has been instrumental in expanding its global network and ecosystem, emphasizing sustainable strategies and partnerships. His expertise in data space development has shaped key EU projects like DSSC, DS4SSCC, and OpenDEI, focusing on data-sharing frameworks, security, and GDPR compliance. Chandra’s entrepreneurial journey includes founding multiple companies, one acquired by Microsoft and another based on FIWARE technologies. His work with OpenDEI and DS4SSCC emphasizes data spaces for smart cities and ethical AI. Additionally, he contributes to forums such as AI for Developing Countries at the UN, advocating for responsible and inclusive AI. Recognized for driving sustainable development and innovation, Chandra has been co-founder, board member, CEO, and CTO, strongly focusing on customer-centric strategies.

Title of the Talk: Digital Sovereignty Provenanced Data, Interoperability, and Open Standards

Call for Papers

We have four tracks in ICDS 2024. Papers in any of these areas, especially with the following keywords covering and related to Digital Sovereignty, are welcome to be submitted. The accepted papers will be published in Elsevier Procedia Computer Science(Confirmed) which is indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals(Level 1) and in many international indexing.