ITIF’s Center for Data Innovation Launches European Policy Program in Brussels

WASHINGTON—The Center for Data Innovation, an affiliated research institute of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), today announced that it has launched a European policy program in Brussels and has named Paul MacDonnell head of European policy. MacDonnell will lead the Center’s efforts to formulate and promote public policies in Europe that maximize the benefits of data-driven innovation in the public and private sectors.

“From smart cities to the Internet of Things, data is at the heart of many European efforts to build a thriving digital economy and society,” said ITIF Vice President Daniel Castro, director of the Center. “As Europe strives to become more competitive globally and tackle issues such as an aging population, it will need to further embrace data and liberalize digital trade. We are very pleased to have Paul spearheading our efforts to help lawmakers and regulators in Brussels understand how to create public policies that enable data-driven innovation.”

MacDonnell said: “Policymakers are conducting an important dialogue about the role of data innovation in Europe’s economic growth and social well-being. I am very excited to join the Center in Brussels because it is uniquely well-positioned to contribute to this dialogue by providing thought leadership and practical guidance for policymakers.”

ITIF Founder and President Robert D. Atkinson said: “ITIF launched the Center in 2013 to bring new thinking on how to manage data in the digital economy. Launching this new policy program in Brussels is a natural extension of the Center’s mission, because Europe, like the United States, has an outsized influence on data policy around the world. Policymakers there are considering a range of important data-related issues, so it is important for there to be an impartial source of expert research and analysis.”