The Datacom Industry Association (DIA) was established in December 2024 with the aim of building an European community of Datacom industry players and researchers from academia and European research institutes and it is governed by these Articles of Associations.
We currently have more than 50 members (founding, full and associate) from many European countries and we continue to grow. On our website you can find more information about DIA, our current types of activities, our current members, reasons to join us and how to join us.
Our main purpose is to build the European community for Datacom industry and academia through:
Our mission is to enable a smarter, more resilient and sustainable future for Europe’s industries and research community by advancing secure, innovative, and collaborative digital communication solutions.
How We Work
DIA’s approach follows a Vanguard model that focuses on connecting ICT expertise with vertical industries, standardisation bodies and public funding organisations. By creating dedicated working groups for specific verticals and actively engaging with industry stakeholders, the model ensures that solutions are both innovative and practical. This model stands out from other vertical-oriented associations because it combines focused industry attention with active knowledge gathering and sharing. The continuous cycle of learning, development, and implementation creates a sustainable ecosystem for digital transformation.
Below are the main steps within our approach.
Forming Communities
DIA community discusses and forms new vertical Working Groups (WGs), creating dedicated spaces for each industry sector.
Gathering Experts
Domain experts join vertical WGs and serve as vanguards. These experts bring both technical knowledge and industry-specific understanding, creating a bridge between ICT and vertical industries.
Collecting Insights
Vanguards attend vertical industries, SDOs and public funding bodies meetings to gather requirements and use cases. This active engagement ensures that DIA’s work remains grounded in real industry challenges and practical needs.
Driving Advocacy
Steer research agendas to sustain Datacom R&D investments and build collaborative solutions.
Collaborating and Analysing
DIA community builds relationships among members and with innovators for collaborative R&D projects. ICT and vertical experts work together to assess technology solutions and develop implementation strategies.
Steering Innovation
Insights are transformed into concrete actions: standards, research initiatives, and technology implementations.
INteraction Framework
Collaborative platform
We are building a sovereign DIA collaboration platform based on European Nextcloud solutions, that provides us with a members’ space to exchange and create shared material, as well as interact based on needs (e.g., calendars, online meetings, voting, activity notifications)
Mailing Lists
Reflectors are used to communicate across working and interest groups, allowing for reaching the wider community of experts, while enabling to branch off in direct email communication, as needed.
Events
We organise community events, such as the DIA Summit 2025 and the upcoming Summit 2026, as well as speaker series and webinars.
DIA Structure and Governance
For realising its aims, the DIA employs a governance structure where horizontal innovations meet vertical applicability.
The Board of Directors
Prof. George Polyzos
ExcID
Dr. Lorenzo Benedetti
EuroTube
Adrian Farrel
Old Dog Consulting
Shaowei Liu
Huawei
Dr. Rute Sofia
Fortiss
DIA Office
Dr. Dirk Trossen
DaPaDOT Tech
