Global Data and the (Geo)Politics of Health Data Spaces

Health data space initiatives such as the European Health Data Space (EHDS), alongside comparable developments in other global contexts, are increasingly central to contemporary health and innovation policy. While often framed as technical and regulatory infrastructures, these initiatives also constitute full-fledged political projects that reshape relations between citizens, public institutions, and commercial actors.

This conference foregrounds key STS and policy themes raised by health data spaces, including questions of social license, public accountability, democratic legitimacy, and public value. It further situates these developments within broader (geo)political dynamics concerning data sovereignty, strategic autonomy, and global power asymmetries. By adopting a comparative and conceptual lens, this panel invites critical reflection on the governance, imaginaries, and broader socio-political dynamics underpinning emerging health data ecosystems.

14:30-14:40 Institutional greetings, Prof. Gianluca Vago, Prof. Massimo Locati (University of Milan)

Welcome and introduction, Prof. Luca Marelli (University of Milan, Scientific Coordinator POLHIS).

Panel 1: Data governance across contexts

• 14:40 Dr. Joseph Donia (University of Milan)
• 15:00 Prof. Aaro Tupasela (University of Helsinki)

15:30-16:00 Coffee Break

Panel 2. European health between geopolitics and tech oligopolies: Current tensions and future paths

• 16:00 Prof. Susi Geiger (University College Dublin)
• 16:10 Prof. Klaus Hoeyer (University of Copenhagen)
• 16:20 Open Q&A

16:50 Final remarks and conclusions

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Host or Publisher University of Milan