The European Commission has once again endorsed Sopra Steria’s expertise in the areas of data and the cloud by awarding us an important new contract as leader of the InfrateX Consortium. More specifically, we are supporting the Commission’s key objective to create common European data spaces through our participation in Simpl, the new middleware that will revolutionise European data.
Data has become an essential resource for economic growth, competitiveness, innovation, job creation and societal progress in general. I’m sure we can all agree on that. That’s why the creation of common European data spaces is so important – downright critical even – since it will lead to more data becoming available for use in our digital economy and society while keeping the companies and individuals who generate the data in control.
European Cloud Federation
Common European data spaces are part of the EU’s data strategy, which aims to create a single market for data that will ensure Europe’s global competitiveness and data sovereignty. Basically, these data spaces guarantee the free and secure flow of data across all countries and sectors (e.g., healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, energy, etc.) in the European Union.
To address the needs of the different data spaces and prepare the ground for a European federation of cloud infrastructure and services, the so-called European Cloud Federation, a smart European middleware platform must be developed. Simpl is the name of that new middleware. It will enable and, as the name suggests, simplify cloud-to-edge federations and data spaces. The Simpl platform will support not only the common European data spaces but all major data initiatives funded by the European Commission.
Four-year framework contract
The Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content, and Technology of the European Commission, better known as Connect, has awarded a major four-year framework contract for Simpl to the InfrateX Consortium. This consortium is led by Sopra Steria, together with another IT services provider, NTT DATA. Needless to say, we are proud to be a part of this important journey as one of only two contractors heading this major multiple-framework contract.
Simpl will be a large-scale modular and open-source middleware platform that will facilitate the integration of data infrastructure and result in interoperability between heterogeneous data services. To achieve that objective, the consortium will adopt an open, pragmatic, and collective approach, echoing the open-source philosophy of the European Commission.
United in diversity
Aligned with the European motto “United in diversity”, our consortium is built around a pan-European ecosystem of diverse but carefully selected companies, all of which will make a unique contribution to the successful implementation of Simpl. This unprecedented collaboration brings together no fewer than 26 partners from 14 European countries, including data space technology providers, digital service providers, editors, cloud providers, academics, professional associations, certification service providers, and startups/SMEs, covering a broad operational spectrum.
To quote our deputy CEO Laurent Giovachini, “We take pride in bringing together a European ecosystem in collaboration with other public and private stakeholders, in order to create cutting-edge data management solutions and support our continent’s innovation and competitiveness.”
By helping to build a reliable, integrated and sovereign infrastructure for Europe, Sopra Steria is also building a better European digital economy. To find out more about our work in the public sector, and the EU institutions in particular, check out our website. Or better yet, contact us directly for a free initial consultation.