Data Sharing

Data Sharing

Following the publication of my recent peer-reviewed paper, “Models vs infrastructures? On the role of digital twins’ hype in anticipating the governance of the UK energy industry”, I have developed an engagement programme to communicate my research findings in the light of recent UK policy announcements, like the National Data Library or the NESO-coordinated Data Sharing Infrastructure.

Over Spring 2025, I worked with Alexander Kopsch, a PhD researcher based at the University of Bristol on conducting a rapid review of critical social science research on interoperability and data sharing.

In July 2025, I had an opportunity to share some early thinking on interoperability for the UK policy during an event convened by the Connected Places Catapult. Here, I’d like to share my slides

…and here is the Tl;DR:

  • a lot of people across academic, tech and policy spaces are signalling the need for interoperability.
  • but: there is little clarity what current interoperability initiatives entail. For example, we are yet to see the details of the proposed architecture and governance of the National Data Library.
  • this is not a new problem! In tech policy spaces, practitioners use the ambiguity in strategic terms of generate enthusiam and broad coalition of stakeholder. However, without clearer definitions, there is a risk that we end up with hype, i.e., where high level promises are circulated at the expense of discussing material properties of technologies and policies.
  • academic papers across domains like biobanks, border security, higher education, digital construction, enterprise IT and many others analysed previous projects pitched in terms of interoperability. Findings point out to significant divergences between visions vs realities as well as multiple co-existing versions of interoperability.
  • Wihout a careful consideration of the lessons from the past, we risk that the UK policy will not enable robust interoperability across the whole system/market. Rather, we might be heading into a system enabling merely interoperability with incumbent and proprietary players.
  • call for action: All stakeholders in the interoperability space ought to keep each other accountable by demanding more precise definitions from te governments, developers and researchers.

What’s next?

  • With colleagues at Bristol University and Imperial College London, we’re working on the Cyber Growth Action Plan for DSIT. We’re hoping to tie our recommendations for the growth of the cyber security industry with the recent policy ambitions to develop secure data sharing environments.
  • I’m currently writing a blog for an industry partner, watch this space! I’ve been thinking about the long and ardous history of the ‘barriers’ to sharing - how come this is such a persistent challenge?
  • I’m also developing a major grant proposal for the ERC Starting Grant, where I plan to develop this work further.

If you’d like to collaborate on interoperability, whether as a practitioner or a researcher, drop me a line :) !