UK’s Department for Business and Trade seeks input on Smart Data scheme design

The Department for Business and Trade has issued a call for evidence as it starts to consider potential use cases for Smart Data across the agri-food, property, retail, trade and transport sectors.

It follows the publication by the UK government of its Smart Data Strategy 2035 earlier this year, which set out a roadmap to deliver more than 20 interoperable Smart Data schemes across the economy over the next decade.

Backed by £36 million of Industrial Strategy investment, the Strategy intends to unlock economic growth in the UK and to position the country at the forefront of data-sharing innovation, with sectors spanning financial services, retail, transport and energy in its sights.

Now, the Department for Business and Trade is considering how those same schemes should be “prioritised, designed and delivered in practice”.

The Smart Data programme is preparing to move from strategy into implementation and is seeking stakeholder input to inform decisions about sector readiness, how schemes should be designed, and how to ensure cross-economy alignment, as well as use cases.

In addition to gathering stakeholder input on potential use cases, the Department said it also aims to explore design considerations to support effective and scalable scheme implementation in the named sectors and to invite views on cross-sector governance models and institutional arrangements.

It is also seeking evidence on the lessons learned from international Smart Data initiatives and to inform future sector-specific consultations and overall scheme delivery approach.

The deadline to submit evidence is 1 October 2026.

Check out the agenda for the Smart Data Stage at Open Banking Expo UK & Europe on 13-14 October at the Business Design Centre in London and register to attend.