DSSC Blueprint 3.0 marks a shift from describing what a data space is to showing how one is designed and operated. The iSHARE Trust Framework remains the foundation; the Data Space Template is the vehicle that translates it into concrete design choices—now realigned with Blueprint 3.0 and Trust Framework 3.0, in step with the wider European ecosystem.
What was updated
The template was updated across both blocks, making explicit where iSHARE provides a ready baseline and where data space creators make their own choices. The following components were revised for alignment:
- Business/Organisational Block: Clearer relationships between models, use cases, offerings, and the role of intermediaries and operators.
- Governance: introduction of layered governance (data space, participant, use case), clearer rules, and operational processes (onboarding, operation, scaling, offboarding)
- Legal: clearer guidance on regulatory triggers and continuous compliance
- Technical Building Block:
- Data Interoperability: Concrete guidance on consistent description, agreed exchange protocols, provenance, and observability.
- Data Data Sovereignty & Trust: Stronger role for Verifiable Credentials, DCP, and OID4VC/VP — connecting identity, authorisation, delegation, and licenses.
- Data Value Creation: Clearer description, publication, and discovery of offerings; optional value-creation services framed by context.
What it means in practice
Offering descriptions now connect cleanly to publication and discovery; identity connects to trust and policy enforcement; and enforcement connects to structured delegations, licenses, and machine-readable conditions. The result is a template that is less abstract, more operational — and easier to apply.
- Sharpened building blocks → reduced ambiguity
Clearer relationships between identity, policy, and data exchange reduce interpretation effort and accelerate implementation.
- Updated trust mechanisms → lower integration risk
Alignment with current iSHARE capabilities (e.g. Verifiable Credentials) enables interoperable identity and authorisation across participants.
- Layered governance → faster onboarding and compliance
Separation of governance levels improves auditability and supports scalable participation (relevant for SAGE, CEADS, WE BUILD).
iSHARE in the DSSC ecosystem
DSSC describes what a dataspace needs. iSHARE helps operationalise the trust-related parts. The two are complementary: DSSC provides the blueprint, while iSHARE delivers a reusable trust and interoperability layer that reduces duplication and keeps decisions consistent across participants—ready to support DSSC 2 as it evolves.
