DATASTORIES INTERNATIONAL

Their core work

DataStories International is a Belgian technology SME specialising in AI-driven data analysis and semantic data systems, applied primarily to advanced manufacturing and materials science. In the RUSH AI project, they contributed AI and big data capabilities to monitor and control hot stamping processes for lightweight automotive steel components. In the OntoTRANS project, they worked on ontology-based platforms that translate materials modelling workflows into interoperable, machine-readable formats. Their consistent value-add across both engagements is turning complex industrial or scientific data into structured, actionable intelligence through artificial intelligence and semantic technologies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

DataStories entered H2020 through a strongly industrial lens — their first project (RUSH AI, 2019) was rooted in factory-floor problems: hot stamping, press hardening, die tooling, and AI-based quality control for automotive steel manufacturing. By their second project (OntoTRANS, 2020), the focus shifted markedly toward the knowledge layer: materials ontologies, semantic systems, open simulation platforms, and modelling workflow interoperability. The common thread is artificial intelligence, but the application domain moved from physical production monitoring toward scientific data translation and materials informatics. This suggests a deliberate repositioning from industrial AI toward the broader materials modelling and digital twin infrastructure space.

DataStories appears to be moving up the value chain — from AI tools that monitor factory processes toward semantic infrastructure that makes materials science knowledge machine-readable and interoperable, a direction well-aligned with the European Materials Modelling Council (EMMC) ecosystem and future Digital Europe calls.

How they like to work

DataStories has participated exclusively as a consortium partner — never as coordinator — across both of their H2020 projects, indicating they prefer to contribute specialist capabilities rather than lead consortia. With 15 unique partners across just 2 projects, they engage in mid-to-large consortium settings (averaging 7–8 partners per project), which is typical for RIA and IA actions. There is no evidence of repeated partnering with the same organisations, suggesting they are open to diverse collaborations and bring a plug-in specialist profile rather than anchoring a fixed network.

DataStories has built a network of 15 unique partners across 8 countries from just 2 projects, reflecting participation in genuinely international consortia. No single geographic cluster dominates, which is consistent with EU-wide RIA and IA project compositions.

What sets them apart

DataStories occupies an unusual niche for a small Belgian SME: they bridge industrial AI (real-time production analytics) and semantic data infrastructure (ontology-driven platforms), two capabilities that are rarely combined in one organisation at this scale. This dual profile makes them particularly valuable in consortia that need both shop-floor data competence and knowledge-representation expertise — for example, digital twin projects that must connect physical sensor data to materials models. For a consortium builder, they are a compact, affordable specialist who can handle the data intelligence layer without requiring a large research institute.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RUSH AI
  The largest of their two funded projects (EUR 315,656), it tackled a highly specific industrial problem — AI-controlled ultra-fast hot stamping for lightweight automotive components — making it directly relevant to Tier 1 automotive suppliers and steel producers.
• OntoTRANS
  A longer-duration project (2020–2024) in the emerging materials informatics space, contributing to open ontology and simulation translation infrastructure that underpins FAIR data practices in European materials R&D.