Sitra is looking for pioneering solutions for a new list of the Most Interesting Data Economy Solutions

Has your organisation developed a product or service that makes use of data in an inventive and impactful way? Has the solution been a tangible benefit more widely? These benefits could be in the company’s supply chain management, the work of a municipality or well-being services county, energy optimisation in buildings or other innovations. 

Take part in the Most Interesting Data Economy Solutions call for applications!

We are looking for pioneering solutions that comply with the principles of the fair data economy – products, services and approaches that use data in an impactful and fair way. 

“The data economy can help Finnish companies make the green transition and offer business opportunities worth billions of euros. However, the data economy and the opportunities offered by data sharing are complex topics. We want to find pioneering solutions and share them to inspire others to develop new data-based business and launch experiments,” says Laura Halenius, Project Director at Sitra. 

Sitra has previously compiled the highly popular lists of the most interesting companies in the circular economy, which have helped various parties to understand circular economy businesses, the business sector and its potential opportunities. This is the first time that the list of data economy solutions has been compiled. 

Highlighting the benefits of data

Data is a rapidly growing raw material that provides opportunities to transform the economy and society. Our good data resources should be harnessed so that data and knowledge derived from it can boost Finland’s economy, business competitiveness, service development, improved well-being and solve the sustainability crisis.

Sitra wants to boost the on-going data economy development in Finland by compiling a list of solutions that showcases the benefits of data. Solutions to be included in the list will be evaluated according to their interestingness, novelty, impact and scalability, among other factors. 

The list will highlight the types of interesting data-driven product and service solutions and approaches that already exist in Finland, the insightful ways in which they use data and the benefits the new solutions have brought. 

“We are especially looking for solutions that use data and combine it in new ways, such as across organisational and industry boundaries. These pioneering companies and other trailblazers will inspire the further expansion of the fair data economy. We want to challenge Finnish companies and organisations to develop their own data-driven solutions,” says Halenius.  

List to be published late this year

Organisations can apply for their solutions to be included in the list by 12 June using an online application form. You can also send Sitra ideas on interesting solutions.  

Sitra and its evaluation panel will select about 20–30 solutions to be included on the list, which will be published in late 2023.  

The aim is for the list to benefit business and public sector developers, organisations working in the data economy, educational institutions, investors, job seekers and journalists. 

Projects included in the list will be selected by a panel of experts comprising data economy specialists from Sitra and other independent parties.  

The Most Interesting Data Economy Solutions list is part of Sitra’s Roadmap for a Fair Data Economy project, which brings together different stakeholders to identify opportunities in the future data-driven economy. Sitra is guiding the national data economy roadmap effort, which will provide insights into the development of data-driven business models and using data to develop society and the economy.

Principles of a fair data economy

The solution should reflect, where applicable, the trustworthiness, accessibility, human-centricity, value creation, skills development or sharing of data use. 

Trustworthiness: A trustworthy operator collects and uses data transparently and has ethical guidelines for the development and use of algorithms and AI. 
Accessibility: A fair operator provides its stakeholders and partners with access to the data it collects about them plus effective tools for managing that data.
Human-centric approach: Human-centricity is reflected in respecting the rights of individuals and organisations and using people’s real needs and life situations as the basis for service development.
Value creation: A fair operator creates value from data not only for their own activities but also for their stakeholders and society.
Competence: Continuous skills development and a culture of experimentation are an important part of management.
Sharing: Fair data economy practices can be realised within a single organisation, but collaboration and data sharing with others will create new opportunities for growth.