At a recent event in Brussels, four think tanks from Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal came together to examine the EU's Data Strategy with a focus on the health care sectors relationship with data. The event was planned to coincide with the release of a new paper by the think tank network PremethEUs. Those in attendance agreed that data skills are an area where these four countries must improve upon the most.
According to a paper published by the network of think tanks, the lack of adequate skills required “risks becoming an important barrier to data industry development and the adoption of data-driven innovation in the European Union”. With the attendees agreeing that a significant skills gap exists in Europe regarding the populations digital readiness and the specialized skills of professionals in the workforce. One of the key points made is that the skills gap is growing among data professionals with a big difference between the supply and demand of these capabilities. Many of the speakers highlighted that it is important to foster trust in data sharing in order to encourage uptake and participation in the data economy.
Initiatives such as the funding and creation of 'data spaces' would allow more people to access data and unlock its potential, with the idea being that an environment of trust is created where data can be shared. This would then encourage small business to make the most of data access and empower the EU's digital economy. However a key point that was agreed upon is that it is not all about systems and infrastructure, data skills must be improved in order to sustain the path to innovation and give people opportunities in the digital world. Read more about the event by following this link.
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