At a glance

• Why the project
• Project description
• Who is XiA for
• EHTEL’s role
• What’s in it for EHTEL members
• For more information

Why the project

The European Health Data Space (EHDS) has moved beyond the launch pad to a transition phase. Interoperability remains key. In summer 2026, read all about what XiA (the Xpanding Innovation Alliance) is doing to launch open source educational materials on interoperability, supported by a Community of Practice.

Interoperability – a core element worked on by XiA – is a key enabler for seamless and secure health data exchange across Europe. The EHDS is implicitly based on a need for health professionals with digital health skills (see e.g., the Regulation’s Article 83). Hence, XiA is creating blocks of certified open source micro-courses. By 2028, the project will be expanded into a Europe-wide collaborative learning network, with the involvement of all the members of the alliance.

Project description

XiA – the Xpanding Innovation Alliance – is a four-year project which will run until December 2028. Its objective is to focus on bridging the skills gap in digital health interoperability and establishing a sustainable and scalable educational framework.

This focus exists because of the arrival on the scene of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) which points to the need for digital health professionals who have advanced interoperability skills.

Already, XiA operates a community of expertise which implementers are invited to join.

As a result, XiA is creating blocks of open source micro-courses. The blocks are to be combined in the most flexible way so as to provide learning experiences (or pathways) fit for the needs of different types of stakeholder. They can be used in educational institutions as well as in enterprise settings, and they earn certification for learners. The certification includes standards such as European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) and micro-credits.

Overall, XiA will have six outputs:

XiA consists of a large consortium of 42 organisations which range over hospitals, industry leaders, and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Among the 20 countries participating in XiA are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Who is XiA for

Through an innovative educational approach, XiA aims to bridge the skills gap in advanced digital health interoperability standards among IT professionals, healthcare providers, and other implementers of the EHDS and European Electronic Health Record Exchange Format (EEHRxF) (“the format”).

EHTEL’s role 

EHTEL is an associate member of XiA. It liaises closely with XiA on its overall work, milestones, and dissemination. It is currently encouraging the involvement of digital health implementers in the project, especially through the XiA Community of Practice.

EHTEL member, Monasterio, is one of the XiA partners. 

What’s in it for EHTEL members?

EHTEL’s associate member role will be of help to you whether:

• You implement digital health or a health data space.
• You run a hospital or are a key player in one.
• You are an IT professional or an IT provider/vendor.
• You want to anticipate all the steps needed to be “EHDS-ready”.
  

Getting involved means your implementer voice will be heard whenever credentialled education on interoperability is discussed, designed or developed. It will assist, ultimately, with the ongoing implementation of the EHDS.

Also join the XiA Community of Practice alongside EHTEL.This collaboration network is bringing together stakeholders to support the development, validation, and adoption of educational resources on health data interoperability. Membership is flexible: it covers many types of stakeholders, ranging from healthcare professionals and educators to industry and public authorities. The network especially works at filling the skills gaps in interoperability in Europe.

Skills-wise, Xia is already delivering open educational materials. The materials are built around “modular, micro-learning blocks”. Among other subjects, they include interoperability principles, data standards, data quality, artificial intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity.

Events-wise, take a look at what the XiA Educathon has to offer. The educathon will be held in Pisa (Italy). It will focus on implementation exchange and on collaborative testing of five EEHRxF (format) priorities .

On 11-13 November 2026, fellow XiA member DigiHealthDay (DHD) is organising a hybrid (onsite and online) annual conference on AI in healthcare, the European Health Data Space (EHDS), and health system resilience. DHD is a premier global forum dedicated to education, research, innovation, and networking in digital health. It has been organised by the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) (DIT-ECRI) since 2020.

For more information

• Access information about XiA’s Community of Practice here
• Learn all about XiA’s open learning materials here
• To read more about XiA courses e.g., on cyber-security, and see XiA launches it first open learning session on cyber-security
• Visit XiA
  
• Contact the project coordinator 
• Get in touch with EHTEL’s XiA contact person, Luc Nicolas

• For more EHTEL's work under Change Management, including capacity-building pillar see here.

XiA is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

XiA Grant Agreement: 101187650