Our recent participation at EBDVF 2025 offered a timely opportunity to observe how the broader data and AI community is evolving, and to reflect on where the AI-PRISM initiative currently stands. Hosted between 12–14 November in Copenhagen, this year’s forum gathered more than 470 participants, 53 partners and sponsors, 43 sessions, and 24 exhibition booths — numbers that illustrate both the scale and the diversity of Europe’s AI and data ecosystem.
As always, EBDVF brought together a rich mix of stakeholders: industry professionals, researchers, developers, policy-makers, and representatives from European institutions. Organised by BDVA in cooperation with the European Commission, DTU – Technical University of Denmark, and SDU – University of Southern Denmark, the event remains the flagship meeting point for the European Big Data Value and Industrial AI Research and Innovation community. Its programme continues to mirror the shifting landscape of Data and AI, creating space for policy, industrial needs, and scientific progress to align.
We were present in Copenhagen to represent AI-PRISM and to promote the AI-PRISM Open-Access Alliance — a European network designed to connect companies and research centres interested in the practical and responsible application of artificial intelligence. Over the course of the event, we engaged in numerous conversations at our booth, and these exchanges revealed a recurring theme: the landscape is becoming increasingly crowded with initiatives offering platforms, alliances, or services similar to our own. Some of them are well-established and already occupy strong positions in the ecosystem, which naturally affects how prospective partners perceive the added value of joining a newer initiative such as AI-PRISM.
Even so, the experience helped clarify what organisations genuinely appreciate about AI-PRISM. Two elements stood out consistently in our discussions — both at EBDVF and in previous engagements:
- The opportunity to connect with existing AI-PRISM partners.
- Many organisations see real value in joining a network that can facilitate future collaborative research and development activities, particularly with upcoming EU funding calls in mind. Access to a community of relevant actors remains a strong incentive.
- Interest in the components and datasets developed through our pilots.
There is clear demand for resources that can support applied research and experimentation. The practical outputs emerging from the pilots — including tools, components, and real-world datasets — are recognised as valuable assets for organisations looking to advance or validate their own research agendas.
EBDVF 2025 also highlighted the profile of the community we are engaging with: 32% of participants came from academia, while 22.1% represented research and innovation organisations, alongside industry, SMEs, public bodies, and European institutions . This diversity reinforces the importance of initiatives like AI-PRISM that sit at the intersection of research excellence, industrial relevance, and responsible technology deployment.
Overall, our presence at the forum strengthened our understanding of AI-PRISM’s position within the European ecosystem and reaffirmed the value of fostering an open, collaborative, and trustworthy approach to AI development. As Europe moves forward in shaping the future of data and AI, AI-PRISM remains committed to contributing resources, expertise, and a strong network to support meaningful, practical and responsible innovation.