The Erasmus+ project XiA – Xpanding Innovative Alliance, coordinated by BRU-Iscte researcher Henrique Martins and managed by BRU_DHI: Digital Heath International team, has officially launched its Community of Practice, a new European collaborative space bringing together healthcare professionals, educators, researchers, public authorities, industry and standards communities to build the skills needed to implement the European Health Data Space.

The online kick-off meeting, held on 26 June 2026, gathered 71 participants from 23 countries, who identified education and workforce capacity, rather than technology itself, as the main challenge, and stressed the need for modular, practice-based learning resources, professional validation and cross-sector collaboration. The Community will help test, refine and adapt XiA’s educational content, including micro-courses and micro-credentials on standards such as HL7 FHIR, SNOMED CT and LOINC, while the alliance continues to grow with new Associated Partners EHTEL, LPCDR and ISIS Engineering School.

Organisations and professionals interested in taking part can join the XiA Community of Practice.