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Foundation History

The history of iSHARE can be traced back to the Dutch logistics industry. Companies require a method to handle their data effectively, surpassing roles and focusing on specific details. This revelation guided iSHARE through different stages, where we collaborated with partners from a wide range of backgrounds, including large and small businesses, the public and private sectors, and many more. These partners have significantly contributed to the development of the iSHARE Trust Framework, making it incredibly beneficial to all.

Building Trust with iSHARE: The Launch (June 2016 – Jan 2017)

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.

Developing the iSHARE Trust Framework: First Steps (Jan 2017 – Dec 2017)

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. During this stage, a comprehensive set of agreements was also created to enhance conditions for data exchange. Proofs of Concept were implemented to verify the functional and technical aspects of the Scheme.

Sustaining Integrity: Ensuring Trust in iSHARE (Jan 2018 – June 2018)

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.

Opening: iSHARE goes Live (Jul 2018 – Jul 2019)

iSHARE became accessible to any party interested and willing to adhere to the agreements established by participating organisations. 

Accelerating iSHARE Adoption (Jul 2019 – Oct 2020)

iSHARE Scheme gained widespread recognition and adoption by multiple companies across diverse market segments. Business development activities continued to target service providers in new market segments.

Breaking Boundaries: iSHARE’s Global Expansion (Oct 2020 – Oct 2023)

Through collaboration with FIWARE and FundingBox in the i4Trust programme, the iSHARE Foundation secured funding from the European Commission under HORIZON. This three-year initiative aimed to establish a total of 32 new data spaces. Concurrently, the iSHARE Scheme acquired significant attention across sectors including energy, construction, horticulture, as well as smart cities and mobility.

Launching of the iSHARE Participant Registry and Federation of the iSHARE Scheme (November 2020 – November 2021)

The final step in the evolution of data spaces was to allow them to operate independently from the foundation. With the launch of the iSHARE Distributed Ledger and iSHARE Satellite Nodes, data space initiators are now able to take a leading role in onboarding participants and driving the growth of the iSHARE network. They also acquired the capacity for cross-data space collaboration. The iSHARE Scheme was federated and is now known as the iSHARE Trust Framework, the base layer and standard for trust for data spaces. 

Building Collaboration: Enabling Sector-Specific Sharing (2023)

Fast-forwarding to 2023, 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). 

Enhancing Excellence: Evolving iSHARE  (2024) 

The iSHARE Foundation has attained the ISO/IEC 27001 Certification, offering a resilient framework for the establishment and governance of an Information Security Management System (ISMS). 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. 

For further insight into how the iSHARE Trust Framework empowers Data Owners to maintain control over their data and to explore implementation possibilities