From Interoperability to Implementation: How i2X Is Shaping the European Health Data Space

After years of discussion around interoperability in European healthcare, a clear shift is now underway: the challenge is no longer defining frameworks but making them work in practice.

Diogo Martins

May 6, 2026 · 2 min lectura

The i2X project sits at the heart of this transition.

“Implementation does not happen in isolation — it is orchestrated.”

Funded under the Digital Europe Programme, i2X focuses on the real-world implementation of the European Electronic Health Record Exchange Format (EEHRxF), a cornerstone of the European Health Data Space (EHDS). By bringing together partners across healthcare, industry, and policy, the project aims to demonstrate how health data can be effectively exchanged and used in everyday clinical practice.

From ambition to implementation

During its first 12 months, i2X has laid the foundations for implementation across Europe.

This includes:

The establishment of governance and coordination structures

The development of testing and implementation frameworks

The activation of a growing network of demonstrator sites

A key achievement has been the development of 35 use cases and over 230 user stories, consolidated into 25 Master User Stories, translating real-world needs into structured implementation pathways.

But beyond these outputs, a broader lesson is emerging.

Interoperability is not purely technical. It requires alignment across:

Legal and regulatory frameworks

Organisational structures

Semantic consistency

Real-world clinical workflows

In this context, implementation becomes a system-level transformation, rather than a technical upgrade.

Building a European implementation ecosystem

i2X does not operate in isolation.

Through collaboration with initiatives such as Xt-EHR and xShare, the project contributes to a broader European effort to align approaches, share knowledge, and avoid fragmentation.

This alignment is essential.

As multiple EU-funded initiatives work towards the same objective, the success of the EHDS depends on their ability to connect and build on each other’s work—rather than operate in parallel.

i2X contributes to this ecosystem not only through its technical work, but also by supporting stakeholder engagement and fostering collaboration across communities.

From use cases to real care

The most tangible expression of this work lies in the i2X demonstrators.

Across Europe, partners are implementing EEHRxF in real clinical environments, translating standards into practical solutions that support healthcare professionals and patients.

These demonstrators cover a wide range of real-world scenarios, including:

Cross-border data exchange

Clinical collaboration in oncology workflows

Patient access and data sharing

AI-supported clinical summaries

Through these activities, i2X moves beyond theoretical interoperability to address the realities of implementation.

Challenges as a source of insight

Implementation is not without challenges.

Differences in system maturity, data quality, and integration with national infrastructures highlight the complexity of deploying interoperability at scale.

However, these challenges are not obstacles—they are a critical source of insight.

By identifying and addressing them, i2X contributes to a deeper understanding of what is required to make interoperability work across diverse healthcare systems.

Looking ahead

As the project enters its next phase, the focus shifts towards:

Deployment and operationalisation

Stakeholder engagement and ecosystem building

Measurable impact and scalability

The transition from interoperability to implementation is no longer a future ambition—it is already underway.

Through its structured approach and real-world demonstrators, i2X is helping shape how the European Health Data Space can function in practice.

Diogo Martins

Project Manager

Graduated in Health Equipment and Technology, with a background in Electronics, ICT, and Medical Devices. Holds an MSc in Healthcare Information Systems Management from the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria and the Faculty of Medicine of Porto. Diogo has worked as a Medical Devices Consultant, Key Account Manager, and ICT Project Manager at SPMS, with a focus on healthcare data sharing, radiology, and telemedicine. He has coordinated and participated in multiple EU digital health projects (e.g., X-eHealth, eHAction, HEALTHeID) related to patient empowerment, health data use, interoperability, and sustainability.

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