Business models and organizational roles of data spaces: A framework for value creation in data ecosystems

Data spaces and ecosystems provide decentralized digital infrastructures enabling secure, sovereign, and inter-organizational data sharing across industries. While prior research predominantly focused on technological functionality, we consider the relationship between business models and organizational roles and how their interplay enables sustainable value creation. We propose a conceptual framework to design the interplay between organizational roles and business models within a data ecosystem based on Gaia-X standards. Drawing on three use cases of Gaia-X 4 Advanced Mobility Services, we integrated empirical insights from semi-structured interviews. We defined independently organizational roles and business models at ecosystemic and firm-centric levels and assessed their compatibility. The conceptual framework shows how systematic assessment and iterative adjustments of organizational roles and business models can identify and minimize critical misalignments for a sustainable data ecosystem. Our findings guide scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in designing governance structures and business models for data spaces and ecosystems.