On a yearly basis, candidates from all over Europe are invited to apply for this label. A set of criteria is evaluated through an online survey to collect the relevant information. After an automatic scoring based on quantitative indicators, a review committee appointed by the BDVA Board of Directors (BoD) carefully examines individual candidates and recommends the appropriate quality ranking (incubated, bronze, silver, gold and platinum) to the BoD, which ultimately grants the label.
Through this labelling process, the BDVA recognises the quality of existing data and AI experimentation and innovation hubs in Europe and guarantees that the innovation environments provided by those initiatives meet the necessary requirements to boost data-driven and AI-based innovation at local level, but also the collaboration with similar initiatives to foster the adoption at European level. These activities have led to the establishment of a Federation of i-Spaces that ensure easy access for industrial partners to foster the development and testing of pre-competitive solutions on high-quality platforms offering certified services and training.
The label is a well-recognised brand, offers a quality reference and provides visibility to national initiatives on Data and Artificial Intelligence. Being recognised as an i-Space also provides an opportunity to further increase the visibility of the offered trainings and services through the common catalogue. Discover the i-Spaces and their services in Federated Catalogue here.
Apply for the BDVA i-Spaces 2026 label here!
Deadline: 26 August 2026
Hubs applying for the i-Space designation are subjected to a comprehensive evaluation. Through this process, BDVA assesses the hubs’ infrastructure, services, projects, applications, impact, business strategy and ethics. Hubs are later assigned a score in each domain between 0 and 5, resulting in classifying into one of five label categories: starter, bronze, silver, gold or platinum.
The application process is open to both BDVA and non-BDVA members. Find out more about the newly-opened BDVA call for i-Space labels HERE.
Application is free of charge for BDVA members. Non-BDVA members will have to pay an administrative fee of 500 €.
The i-Space label applicant is responsible for ensuring that all information supplied to BDVA gives a realistic representation of a verifiable status of the i-Space.
We request all applicants to provide the qualitative information (text based responses) with enough quality so the provided text can be used for publishing purposes if required (and agreed)
The applicant might be requested to provide some additional information/evidence during the evaluation process. If the applicant does not provide the requested evidence or the information provided reveals substantial discrepancies with the reported status, any ongoing procedure may be stopped and prior granted labels may be revoked at any time on the sole authority of the Review Committee after agreement with the BDVA Secretary General.
Members of the review committee will be selected from relevant experts through an open call that will address people expert in the different dimensions covered by the i-Spaces.
Grant of the BDVA i-Space label does not imply grant of the BDVA membership.
The 2026 open call is the 11th edition of the i-Spaces labelling. The label has evolved since the 1st edition to reflect technological advancements. Currently, the i-Spaces community consists of 33 recognised hubs (as of now). Learn more about the Federation of i-Spaces here.
The label is a well-recognised brand, offers a quality reference and provides visibility to national initiatives on Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.