”Organizations in Finland have tremendous opportunities to create new business, improve public services, and enhance people's well-being as they shift from value chains towards genuine value networks and open data sharing ecosystems. In these ecosystems, value is distributed more evenly among different stakeholders" (The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra). The core objective of the project is to increase the business opportunities for companies in Uusimaa that need and utilize public data in their operations, and/or provide data to the public sector. Therefore, the goal of the project is to promote the development of a regional data ecosystem by strengthening data collaboration among regional actors. Developing the data ecosystem requires an understanding of the current situation and the identification, creation, and facilitation of good operational models. The project will produce a situational analysis, identify problems and opportunities, and develop replicable data collaboration models. The groundwork for data collaboration and data ecosystem development is carried out with the City of Helsinki, creating a replicable example for other cities and regions. The project work is divided into two work packages: 1. Creating a situational analysis and laying the groundwork for the data ecosystem. This involves gaining an understanding of how regional companies, research and innovation organizations, and city stakeholders can work together to enhance the effective utilization of data for the benefit of business, society, and citizens. It also involves exploring available business models in data collaboration, the potential for new models, possible mechanisms for collaboration, obstacles to be removed, and the necessary prerequisites for business development. In order to motivate different actors to participate in its development and maintenance, the data ecosystem must address a genuine need. Therefore, the preparatory work before investing in the data ecosystem is crucial. 2. Strengthening data collaboration. This will be achieved by initiating a multi-stakeholder and cross-sector dialogue, scenario planning, and the development of common operational models for regional data collaboration, which will continue beyond the project. A proposal for the operational model of data collaboration and the local data ecosystem will also be created for city stakeholders (with the perspective of the city as an enabler). The project's results, publications, and learnings will be widely disseminated through various means. Scenario planning will result in a set of descriptions of replicable private-public data collaboration models, as well as practical guidance for the development of city data ecosystems and data spaces in a way that enables business. From the companies’ perspective, the project will represent a significant step towards a predictable, consistent, and fair business environment in which companies can engage in profitable data collaboration with the public sector. Furthermore, an economically viable business is a prerequisite for sustainable development for businesses. A functioning data ecosystem generates economic benefits and better services for all stakeholders. The DataLiike project is closely linked to regional, national, and European development programs. The project aligns with the objectives of the ERDF Programme in Finland (TL 2, ET 1.2), by strengthening business opportunities related to digitalization and the data economy. The project supports Uusimaa’s Smart Specialisation Strategy, which emphasizes network cooperation and innovation-driven growth, as well as the ’Successful Helsinki-Uusimaa’ Priority of the regional programme. The project also contributes to the European data strategy and takes into account the horizontal principles of the ERDF programme, such as gender equality, which remains imbalanced in the technology sector.