DataVaults · Project

A Platform That Lets People Own, Control, and Monetize Their Personal Data

digitalPilotedTRL 7

Right now, when you use apps and websites, companies collect your data and profit from it — you get nothing. DataVaults built a platform that flips this around: it gives you a secure personal "vault" where your data lives, and you decide who gets access and on what terms. Think of it like a bank safe-deposit box, but for your digital information — and if a company wants to peek inside, they pay you fairly through automated smart contracts. The project delivered a working platform (version 1.0) tested with 19 partners across 9 European countries.

By the numbers

EUR 5,999,995

EU funding received

consortium partners

countries represented

industry partners

SME partners

68%

industry participation ratio

total deliverables produced

platform release versions (v0.5, beta, v1.0)

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies need access to personal data for analytics, product development, and marketing — but GDPR and growing privacy awareness make it increasingly difficult and risky to collect and use this data. Meanwhile, individuals generate massive amounts of valuable data but have no practical way to control it or benefit from its use. This creates a trust gap that slows down the entire European data economy.

The solution

What was built

DataVaults built a complete personal data platform delivered in three progressive releases: version 0.5 (intermediate stable release), a full-functional beta, and the final version 1.0 with documentation. The platform includes secure data storage vaults, privacy-preserving analytics, smart-contract-based data sharing with fair compensation, and risk exposure notifications — totaling 28 deliverables across the project.

Audience

Who needs this

Insurance companies needing GDPR-compliant customer data access for personalizationAdTech and marketing analytics firms replacing cookie-based tracking with consent-based dataDigital health platforms handling sensitive patient data for researchTelecommunications companies monetizing aggregated subscriber insights ethicallyData marketplace operators building trusted personal data exchanges

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Insurance & Financial Services

enterprise

Target: Insurance companies or banks needing GDPR-compliant customer data for analytics

If you are an insurance company dealing with strict data protection rules while trying to personalize products — this project developed a platform that lets customers share their data voluntarily through smart contracts, ensuring fair compensation and full GDPR compliance. The platform was built by a 19-partner consortium with 68% industry participation and went through three release cycles up to version 1.0.

Digital Marketing & Advertising

mid-size

Target: AdTech companies or data brokers seeking ethical personal data sources

If you are a marketing analytics firm struggling with cookie deprecation and tightening privacy regulations — DataVaults developed a consent-based data sharing platform where individuals control and monetize their own data. Built with EUR 5,999,995 in EU funding and 7 SME partners, the platform provides privacy-preserving analytics methods that let you access real consumer insights without violating data ownership rights.

Healthcare & Wellness

any

Target: Health data platforms or digital health companies handling sensitive patient data

If you are a digital health company that needs patient data for research or product improvement but faces massive compliance barriers — this project built a secure personal data vault with smart-contract-based access control. The platform was coordinated by Fraunhofer and tested across 9 countries, providing mechanisms for individuals to share health data at will while retaining full ownership and receiving fair compensation.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or deploy this platform?

The project received EUR 5,999,995 in EU funding as an Innovation Action and delivered a version 1.0 platform. Specific licensing terms are not published in the project data. Contact the coordinator (Fraunhofer) or SciTransfer for commercial availability and pricing details.

Is this ready for industrial-scale deployment?

The platform went through three documented release cycles: version 0.5, a full-functional beta, and a final version 1.0 with documentation. As an Innovation Action with 68% industry partners, it was designed for near-market deployment. Based on available project data, the platform has been validated but commercial scaling would require integration work.

What is the IP situation — can I license this technology?

The project was coordinated by Fraunhofer with 19 partners across 9 countries. IP ownership is governed by the consortium agreement. With 13 industry partners and 7 SMEs involved, there is likely interest in commercial exploitation. Contact the coordinator for licensing options.

How does this handle GDPR and data protection compliance?

Privacy and data protection compliance was a core design goal. The platform includes mechanisms for retaining data ownership, safeguarding security and privacy, and notifying individuals of their risk exposure. Smart contracts govern data sharing and fair compensation, providing an auditable compliance trail.

What is the timeline from evaluation to deployment?

The project ran from January 2020 to April 2023 and delivered a version 1.0 platform with full documentation. Based on available project data, a pilot deployment could begin relatively quickly since the platform has been through multiple release cycles and beta testing with 19 partner organizations.

How does this integrate with existing data infrastructure?

The platform was designed to handle personal data from diverse sources and includes data sharing and analytics capabilities. With 28 total deliverables produced, integration documentation is available. The 13 industry partners likely tested integration with real business systems during development.

Consortium

Who built it

The DataVaults consortium is heavily industry-driven: 13 out of 19 partners (68%) come from industry, with 7 SMEs contributing entrepreneurial agility alongside Fraunhofer's research credibility as coordinator. The consortium spans 9 European countries (AT, BE, CY, DE, DK, EL, ES, IE, IT), giving it broad market exposure across different regulatory environments. With only 1 university and 2 research organizations, this is clearly an execution-focused team built to deliver a working product, not a research paper. For a business considering this technology, the strong industry presence means the platform was built with real commercial use cases in mind.

UNI SYSTEMS SYSTIMATA PLIROFORIKIS MONOPROSOPI ANONYMI EMPORIKI ETAIRIAparticipant · EL
INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AGparticipant · AT
SUITE5 DATA INTELLIGENCE SOLUTIONS LIMITEDparticipant · CY
DIMOS PEIRAIAparticipant · EL
FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATIONparticipant · ES
GIOUMPITEK MELETI SCHEDIASMOS YLOPOIISI KAI POLISI ERGON PLIROFORIKIS ETAIREIA PERIORISMENIS EFTHYNISparticipant · EL
ARTIFICIOUSparticipant · BE
INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AGparticipant · DE
ATOS SPAIN SAparticipant · ES
MY ENERGIA ONER SLparticipant · ES
COMUNE DI PRATOparticipant · IT
ETA CONSULTING SRLparticipant · IT
MAGGIOLI SPAparticipant · IT
DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
ASSENTIAN EUROPE LIMITEDparticipant · IE
ATOS IT SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES IBERIA SLthirdparty · ES
A7 SOFTWAREparticipant · BE

How to reach the team

Fraunhofer (DE) — use SciTransfer for a warm introduction to the project coordinator

Order a report on this consortium

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how the DataVaults platform could solve your data privacy and monetization challenges? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the Fraunhofer-led team and help you evaluate commercial licensing options.

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