Our Foundation
We are an international non-profit organisation responsible for the development and maintenance of the iSHARE Trust Framework, its technical specifications, the Change Management process, and its global adoption. The Foundation plays a crucial role in safeguarding trust across the network of data spaces.
Our goal is simple: to deliver widely accepted technology standards and specifications that stand the test of time.By focusing on long-term sustainability and wider adoption of the Trust Framework, we help organisations build data-sharing ecosystems that are secure, interoperable, and built to scale.
The history of the Foundation
The origin of our organisation lies in the mobility sector in The Netherlands. Looking to set up a neutral and reliable ICT-infrastructure for data sharing across various logistics chains; iSHARE was proposed in 2016 to facilitate the authorisation and identification parts of this goal. Initiated by the Neutral Logistics Information Platform (NLIP), the foundation has expanded its uses since, and proven to be adoptable to other sectors and use cases.
Sustaining European Data Spaces
iSHARE deepened its collaboration with the second phase of the Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC) to provide open tools across Europe. Building on previous Dutch Metropolitan Innovations (DMI) work, it also joined the LDT4SSC project to support smart and sustainable urban communities.
Trust in Digital Wallets
iSHARE joined the WE BUILD Consortium of 200+ organisations in 30 countries to pilot digital business identities. It also launched Trust Framework v3.0, introducing Verifiable Credential (VC) support to align with W3C standards and the broader European Digital Identity ecosystem.
Accelerating Dutch Ecosystems
iSHARE Trust Framework was used as the base layer for Dutch Metropolitan Innovations (DMI), a federated ecosystem supporting smart, sustainable urbanisation and mobility across Dutch municipalities, where over 100 organisations now actively exchange data through the PDX platform.
Sectoral Expansion
iSHARE expanded into European Data Spaces, joining the Green Deal Data Space (GDDS) to link fragmented datasets. It also joined the Common European Agricultural Data Space (CEADS) to connect farmers, businesses and researchers across Europe under shared governance rules.
Enhancing Excellence
The iSHARE Foundation attained the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Certification, offering a resilient framework for the establishment and governance of Data Ecosystems. With the release of the data space template based on the DSSC model and the 2.0 version of the Developer Portal, the Foundation is undeterred in driving the adoption of the iSHARE Trust Framework.
Adoption
Fast-forwarding, an agreement was formalised between the Dutch Enterprise Agency (RVO), a division of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the iSHARE Foundation to identify, benchmark, and exchange energy consumption data among participating buildings (non-residential).Â
Federation
The iSHARE Distributed Ledger and Satellite Nodes enable independent data spaces. Initiators can now onboard participants, collaborate across spaces, and drive growth. The federated Scheme is now the iSHARE Trust Framework—the foundational trust standard for data spaces.
Launch of Data Spaces
Through i4Trust (with FIWARE & FundingBox), iSHARE Foundation secured funding from the European Commission under EC HORIZON funding to launch 32 data spaces in 3 years. Meanwhile, the iSHARE Scheme gained major traction in sectors like energy, construction, horticulture, smart cities, and mobility.
Operationalising the Framework
iSHARE became accessible to any party interested to follow the agreements established and the iSHARE Scheme gained widespread adoption across diverse industries. Business development efforts continue to target service providers in new market sectors.
Governing Foundation
The organisations involved in iSHARE focused on maintaining the integrity and sustainability of the Scheme. In pursuit of this objective, an organisation was established with the responsibility of safeguarding the integrity of the Scheme, resulting in the establishment of the iSHARE Foundation.
Launch of iSHARE Scheme
The first version of the iSHARE Scheme v1.0 (later versions 1.2 and 1.5) was developed by participating organisations that collaborated in Functional, Technical, Operational, and Legal working groups. Proofs of Concept were implemented to verify the functional and technical aspects of the Scheme.
Collaborating on iSHARE
Government and business organisations were invited to join iSHARE. This led to the establishment of the ‘iSHARE Scheme v0.1.’ This outlined the initial parameters of the iSHARE Scheme, addressing the challenges and practical applications identified by participating organisations.
Foundation Structure
The Executive Board is responsible for the strategic
direction and day-to-day management of the
iSHARE Foundation.
Regular and transparent communication
between the Supervisory and Executive Boards
ensures flawless
decision-making and the smooth functioning of the Foundation.
The Supervisory Board oversees the Foundation’s policies, ensuring the iSHARE Foundation’s
governance and strategic direction align with its defined mission.
Council of Participants comprising data spaces, implementation partners, and other
stakeholders, along with a Change Advisory Board that provides practical advice to the
Foundation regarding the further development of the Trust Framework
The Change Advisory Board consists of subject matter experts
(legal/ operational/ functional/
technical) delegated by the Participants
and Data Space Governance Bodies.
It advises the Scheme Owner on
changes to the specifications
of the iSHARE Trust Framework.
The iSHARE Foundation can receive funding from government and (semi-)public
organisations that wish to support the realisation of the goals of the Foundation.
Upon request of such an organisation, the Supervisory Board can decide to grant
them the status of Sponsor of the iSHARE Foundation.
Organisations maintain the status of Sponsor for the duration that it provides
funding to the iSHARE Foundation.
Supervisory board
The Supervisory Board guides the direction of the iSHARE Foundation. Appointed by the Council of Participants, it meets every two months to review our finances, performance, and plans.
The Board also appoints and oversees the Executive Board, keeping our work aligned with our mission. It’s made up of a chairman and three members, all committed to clear oversight and accountability.
Perry van der Weyden
Marco Witschge
Ute Burkhardt
Frits Bisschop
Executive board
The Executive Board runs the day-to-day operations and strategic work of the iSHARE Foundation, guided by the Supervisory Board.
Key decisions go through the Executive Board, with approval from the Supervisory Board to keep things on track. Regular updates between the two boards keep our work transparent and collaborative.
Drs. Eng. G.C. van der Hoeven
Executive Director
Rajiv Rajani
Chief Technology Officer
Frits Bisschop
Chief Financial Officer
Foundation's Manifesto
The iSHARE Foundation exists to put data rights holders in control. We believe you should always decide who accesses your data, on what terms, and where it shares.
Through secure digital credentials, we are building a trusted global network. We help you turn private data into safe, compliant, and measurable value—for your business, for AI, and for the future.
Want to see how we are shaping the future of the data economy?
