# Data Spaces in Manufacturing and Supply Chains: A Review and Insights from European Initiatives
## 3 Results
Finally, the geographical distribution reveals that Italy, Germany, and Spain are leading in terms of the number of documented data spaces. Lastly, to further integrate insights from both academic research and real-world initiatives, Table 2 presents an overview of scientific publications that directly reference or align with specific European data space projects. The most frequently discussed project is Catena-X, a flagship initiative in the automotive industry, referenced in seven publications [40, 41, 43, 72, 73, 74]. These studies confirm Catena-X's role as a testbed for decentralized, cross-enterprise data sharing grounded in IDS and Gaia-X principles. They explore various aspects, including platform governance models in networked ecosystems [72], circular economy use cases via digital twins and end-of-life vehicle data [40, 73], CO\({}_{2}\) tracking and sustainable business models [74], federated marketplaces and Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS) infrastructures [41], data management across the asset lifecycle [42], and informational capabilities for purchasing and supply management in the context of data-driven sustainability [43]. Together, these \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c} \hline
**Data Spaces** & **Related Studies** \\ \hline Catena-X & [40, 41, 43, 72, 73, 74] \\ COOPERANTS & [54] \\ Boost 4.0 & [45] \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Studies related to the most-discussed data spaces projects in the scientific literature. contributions illustrate how Catena-X enables multi-stakeholder data exchange, supports sustainability goals, and operationalizes key principles such as data sovereignty and federated control. The diversity of research perspectives reflects the richness and complexity of the ecosystem being developed. In addition to Catena-X, other European initiatives have begun to receive academic attention. The COOPERANTS project, which focuses on advanced smart services in the space industry, is highlighted in [54] for its pioneering work in the continuous exchange of functional digital twins between component suppliers and system integrators. The study outlines how Gaia-X-compliant architectures are used to improve software integration and model sharing in safety-critical aerospace systems--demonstrating the flexibility of data space concepts beyond traditional manufacturing. Finally, the Boost 4.0 initiative is examined in [45] for its contribution to cross-factory data spaces in digital manufacturing. The study presents three real-world implementations that leverage big data and sovereign sharing frameworks to enhance interoperability and analytics on highly automated shop-floors. These examples collectively illustrate a growing convergence between academic research and industrial deployment of data spaces in Europe. While much of the literature still focuses on conceptual frameworks or single-use applications, projects like Catena-X in scientific studies and implementation roadmaps reflect the practical maturity and strategic relevance of data spaces in manufacturing and supply chains. Continued integration of academic and applied perspectives will be essential for standardizing practices, scaling infrastructures, and refining governance models across sectors.