This year the Big Data Value Association celebrated its tenth year. The Association provides a European community platform that supports collaboration between large and small enterprises, researchers, academics and NGOs. Prof Edward Curry, director of Insight at University of Galway, was a founder and elected vice-president of the Big Data Value Association (BDVA), an industry-led association with over 220 companies and research institutions.  Members tackle technical and non-technical multidisciplinary issues, including skills, education, privacy and legal matters. BDVA is the private counterpart to the European Commission in the Big Data Value PPP programme, a €2.5B public-private investment.

Prof Curry co-authored a seminal position paper with a holistic vision to bring the industrial and scientific communities of AI and data closer within Horizon Europe. This initial position developed into the AI, Data and Robotics Association (Adra), bringing together AI, data, and robotics disciplines within a single initiative. Prof. Curry is a founding Board Member and Vice-President of Adra, which signed the €2.6B European Partnership on AI, Data and Robotics with the EC as part of Horizon Europe. The vision is to lead the world in researching, developing, and deploying value-driven, trustworthy AI, Data, and Robotics based on fundamental European rights, principles and values.

The BDVA and Adra are at the heart of the European data and AI ecosystem today. They are transforming our society through the digital transition of European industry and government. The partnerships have stimulated over €5bn of private investment directly supporting knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship, new data and AI products and services, new business models and job creation across Europe. The work has positioned Ireland at the forefront of the European data and AI ecosystem, enabling Irish organisations to secure significant funding from H2020, Horizon Europe, and the Digital Europe Programme.