Envisioning Health Data Space 2040. Insights and Outcomes from the First VELES Visioning Pilot Workshop

VELES T6.3 Workshop 1 Report - February 2025

Scope of the report

This report presents the process and results of the visioning co-creation workshop for the Health Data Space (HDS), organized under the VELES Excellence Hub project on 12 February 2025. The workshop represented the first phase of a foresight-inspired backcasting process exploring how a mature and inclusive HDS could function by the year 2040.
The report is structured in two main parts. The first section provides the context of the workshop, outlining its objectives, participant composition, and methodological approach. The second section presents the consolidated results, including the validated and enriched use cases for each stakeholder category and the emerging visions of the future Health Data Space derived from these discussions.
The outcomes serve as qualitative input for the continuation of Task 6.3, supporting the formulation of the Joint R&I and Investment Strategic Agenda and Action Plan (D6.3) and the development of a shared vision for a trusted, interoperable, and citizen-centered Health Data Space.

Context

This workshop was conducted within the framework of the VELES Excellence Hub project – Strengthening the South-East Europe Smart Health Regional Excellence and Boosting the Innovation Potential, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. The activities form part of Task 6.3 – Long-term Common R&I and Investment Strategic Agenda and Action Plan, which aims to define a long-term strategic vision and coordinated roadmap for health data-driven innovation in the region.
Workshop Objectives
The visioning workshop marked the starting point of the co-creation process within Task 6.3. Its goal was to engage project partners in a collective exploration of the desirable future for a Health Data Space in 2040. Rather than focusing on current barriers or implementation details, the exercise aimed to identify what the HDS should ideally enable — for individuals, healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers — and to outline key directions of transformation that can guide future policy and investment actions.