The European Health Data Space (EHDS): Innovation for Society and the Economy

The European Health Data Space (EHDS) is a key future project of the European Union. Its aim is to make electronic health data secure, interoperable, and usable across borders. This should improve the quality of care and patient safety, facilitate data-based research, and support the development of innovative business models. The EHDS Regulation (2025/327) creates the first uniform legal framework that establishes clear access rights, binding data protection standards, and platform interoperability.

Against the backdrop of this profound transformation, Accenture Austria and MCI | The Entrepreneurial University® have presented a joint study that comprehensively examines the practical potential and challenges of the EHDS – from technological implementation and governance to data protection and legal issues to value creation potential for the healthcare industry.

A central component of this analysis is its scientific anchoring in the research areas of the MCI. The Center for Social & Health Innovation (CSHI) contributes its multidisciplinary perspective on public health, social integration, behavioral research, and digital technologies. The Responsibility & Sustainability research area complements this perspective with a focus on ethical and legal responsibility, sustainable organizational behavior, digital learning cultures, and future viability. This combination results in a holistic view that integrates the technological, legal, social, and health policy dimensions of the EHDS.

Prof. Dr. Markus Frischhut, Chair of EU Law at MCI, also emphasizes that the EHDS will play a central role in the future of European healthcare:

“The EHDS is not a contradiction to data protection, but rather its consistent further development: for the first time, it creates a European legal framework that harmonizes data sovereignty, digital innovation, and quality of care—in a binding, transparent, and forward-looking manner.”

The interdisciplinary team of authors included experts from academia and practice:

• Michael Zettel, Country Managing Director Accenture Austria & EMEA Health Industry Lead
• Prof. Dr. Markus Frischhut, Chair of EU Law, MCI
• Roland Machal, Managing Director Accenture Austria, Austria Health Industry Lead
• Lorenz Preusche, Management Consulting Senior Manager, Accenture Austria, Health & Public Services
• Dorothea Lorenz, Management Consulting Senior Manager, Accenture Austria, Health & Public Services
• Michael Wörndle, Management Consultant Accenture Austria, Health & Public Services, Lecturer MCI

The EHDS offers significant opportunities: patients gain greater digital self-determination, researchers have easier access to high-quality data sets, and companies can develop data-driven business models. This will create a European health data space that improves care, strengthens research, and enables innovation. The fact that the topic is also the subject of intense scientific debate is demonstrated by the current issue of the European Journal of Public Health (Volume 35, Supplement 3, September 2025).

The study combines scientific expertise and practical implementation skills and provides a sound basis for the further development of digital healthcare in Europe.