Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering
Content
The MIND research project examines how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can be better integrated into data space initiatives. Although SMEs possess valuable data, technical, economic, legal, and organizational barriers often prevent their participation. Based on expert interviews from the logistics industry, key requirements and barriers were identified, including unclear economic benefits, limited resources, and a lack of trust among competitors.
As a result, the project developed a structured 14-step onboarding reference process that enables companies to participate in a transparent and informed manner. In addition, industry-specific transformation pathways and a catalog of incentives featuring financial, knowledge-based, and risk-reducing measures were developed. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of a data trustee as a neutral intermediary who builds trust, simplifies processes, and supports SMEs in participating in data spaces. The results are also transferable to other data space initiatives.
Authors
- Marius Hupperz (Fraunhofer ISST)
- Maik Mannsfeld (Fraunhofer ISST)
- Julian Zerbin (Universität Paderborn)
- Bernhard Teller (Universität Paderborn)
- Leonie Happe (Universität Paderborn)
- Estelle Duparc (Technische Universität Dortmund)
- Julia Kunert (Technische Universität Dortmund)
Partners
- Heinz Nixdorf Institut, Fachgruppe Advanced Systems Engineering, Universität Paderborn
- Lehrstuhl für Industrielles Informationsmanagement, Technische Universität Dortmund