TwinValley Programme
Rules and tools for one shared reality—so cross-sector partners can deliver regional development, together
quick facts
shared source, collective force
Regional data sovereignty, local autonomy—everyone contributes, everyone benefits
governance first, tech later
Federated data rules & mandates first; tools & implementation second
EU place-based compliant
Aligned with Europe’s place-based regional approach
Change begins from the ground up — where things actually happen: in the region.
The region is where space, people, and immediate interests come together: close enough to know what works, large enough to make it happen.
The region is where policy lands, lives, and accelerates.
challenge
Today, public and private actors work with fragmented data, different systems, and divergent ways of working. The result is an incomplete picture, slow decisions, unforeseen failures and costs.
solution
Rules and tools for one shared reality, enabling effective cross-sector delivery of the region’s built environment
Why now?
-
Europe has rolling out a regional, place-based development strategy as the best starting point for shared prosperity and well-being. Since the Barca Report (2009), the lesson has been clear: sectoral measures must be embedded territorially and linked to strategic spatial planning—otherwise they miss the mark. The Territorial Agenda 2030 builds on this and puts strategic spatial planning at the center.
Why this matters even more now: geopolitical shocks—from energy security to digital sovereignty—demand fast, reliable, and scalable choices close to home. Place-based, strategic spatial development brings people and organizations together to build a resilient, autonomous, and prosperous living environment.
Check:Barca Report (2009): An Agenda for a Reformed Cohesion Policy — the foundation of the place-based approach. Link: European Parliament (PDF)
Territorial Agenda 2030 (official text) — the strategic framework that puts place-based and strategic spatial planning at the centre. Link: Territorial Agenda 2030
Smart Specialisation (S3) — European Commission overview — the practical translation of place-based innovation and investment choices at regional level. Link: European Commission — About S3
-
The TwinValley Programme turns Europe’s place-based strategy into practice: we give regions the program and tooling to build sovereign, federative data positions and use digital-twin technology on one shared reality—enabling cross-sector collaboration and execution—autonomous where possible, coupled where needed—so strong, connectable regions can jointly power resilient countries and a prosperous Europe.
The TwinValley Programme - what is it?
Governance first
The TwinValley Program helps regions establish an independent organisation that sets clear, fair rules—rights and obligations for sharing data, leveraging existing sector standards and relevant European building blocks.
Tech later
Only when the “rules of the game” are in place should the technology switch on: a regional Digital Twin (TwinValley) that supports strategic policy and effective cross-sector collaboration in developing the built environment.
What TwinValley is—and isn’t
Is: a governance-first approach that makes collaboration easy and fair, with technology that uses standards, and connects processes while respecting existing systems.
Is not: yet another platform that replaces everything, nor a boxed product that locks you into a single vendor.
How does it work
The TwinValley programme will take your region through two steps:
Step 1 — Align expectations & choose a shared focus
With a lead group of key stakeholders, we capture expectations and ground rules for sharing, storing and using data and select urgent regional use cases. These use cases create a real, low-risk practice lane to define—step by step—data governance (ownership, rights, access) and process orchestration (roles, hand-offs).
Step 2 — Implementation plan: organization, finance & tech
A complete, executable plan to launch an independent foundation that steers for regional impact with clear, fair rules: who may see or use what, and how/where information is stored (temporary, central or decentral) and shared—then made usable in practice.
Outcome: all agreements, documents and designs to formalise the foundation and switch on technology in a controlled way—with a clear rollout along prioritised use cases.
An impression: Once the federated data-sharing rules are set, technology can “switch on”.
At a glimpse
Governance & resilience — data sovereignty · vendor-neutral · auditable
Data-driven regional development — shared evidence base · clear priorities
Fair market, better collaboration — market visibility · shared reality
Faster from plan to delivery — effective collaboration · successful delivery
Highlights
Stakeholders & mutual benefits
-
Provide mandate, priorities, and funding frameworks; receive coherent region-wide decisions based on one shared reality.
-
Provide capital and discipline in business cases; receive investable projects with predictable risk.
-
Spatial Planning, Permitting, Asset Management; Bring local planning data and expertise; benefit from a governed regional facts base that enables coordinated, purpose-driven spatial development with the wider value chain
-
Fire & rescue, EMS, police coordination; Contribute risk profiles, pre-incident plans, and access/egress constraints; gain governed visibility of routes, critical assets, and site-specific hazards.
-
Share reliable asset information and priorities; benefit from continuous performance tracking (condition, complaints/SLAs), targeted sustainability investments, fewer failure costs, and faster renovation/maintenance.
-
Work from the same traceable view across the chain—tender to handover—while accessing regional pipeline insights for better planning; benefit from easier, standardised permitting, fewer clashes, and a tighter as-built feedback loop.
-
Contribute local knowledge and co-create choices; receive transparency, a real say in neighbourhood priorities, and faster, tangible improvements in quality of life and the living environment
TwinTwente
A TwinValley Programme in progress
Few regions understand better than Twente that effective collaboration is fundamental to success. It’s no surprise, then, that Twente is a frontrunner within the TwinValley programme. TwinTwente was launched July 2026 (in progress)
expected outcomes
-
Easy access of businesses and other stakeholders to cross-sectoral collaboration for targeted innovation
-
Accessibility of virtual simulation and modelling of future scenarios for various applications: CO2 emissions, energy storage, and investment opportunities
-
Independent foundation ensuring access, stability, and protection from commercial usage of the data
-
Analysis of the effectiveness of solutions and policies, for example, urban greening