From housing shortages and the energy transition to poverty, debt, and healthcare, societal challenges require effective use of data across government levels and domains. The Realisatie IBDS implementation programme supports public organisations in responsibly using and sharing data while jointly addressing obstacles to data exchange.
What is the IBDS?
The Inter-administrative Data Strategy, known in Dutch as Interbestuurlijke Datastrategie (IBDS), is the cross-government data policy for the entire public sector, developed in close collaboration with ministries, executive agencies, and associations of municipalities, provinces, and water authorities. Its aim is to enable the government to fully harness data’s potential to address societal challenges in a legally sound, ethically responsible, and socially accountable manner.
From strategy to implementation
The IBDS Realisatie implementation programme helps governments put the strategy into practice. It supports organisations in their transition to responsible data use, brings parties together across administrative levels, and develops agreements, methods, and facilities to enable data sharing.
Since 2025, implementation has gained additional direction and momentum through the Netherlands’ Digitalisation Strategy (NDS). The IBDS significantly contributes to NDS Priority 2, Data.
In 2026, the focus shifts from development to application: setting joint goals, making agreements, and utilising what has already been developed.
Key focus areas
The IBDS Realisatie implementation programme centres on 3 interconnected themes:
1. Data maturity
Supporting government organisations in systematically and responsibly deploying data to increase their data maturity.
What is already available?
Organisations can use the Data Maturity Decision Support Tool, the Responsible Data Use Toolbox, and other IBDS knowledge products. The IBDS Knowledge Base (Dutch) also contains practical tools, methods, and experiences developed by and for government organisations.
Governments can also receive support to become more data-mature. Further information is available at RealisatieIBDS.nl (Dutch).
2. Federated Data System
The Federated Data System (Dutch) is a framework of agreements for organisations with a public duty. It enables these organisations to share and use data easily and responsibly. The system focuses on standardising and harmonising how data is described and shared across domains.
In February 2026, the Government-wide Digital Government Policy Consultation (OBDO) adopted the Federated Data System Agreement Framework, which establishes joint rules for data providers.
What is already available?
Organisations can consult the FDS Agreement Framework (Dutch), which outlines the basic agreements for data providers. The basic agreements for data users will follow later this year. Organisations wishing to participate in the Federated Data System can receive support with implementation.
For more information, contact teamIBDS@ictu.nl.
3. Addressing data-sharing challenges
As organisations transition to responsible data use, dilemmas and obstacles can arise both within and between them. The Responsible Data Use Advisory Service (Dutch) advises organisations on how to resolve specific challenges.
Within the inter-administrative Community of Practice on Digital Ethics (Dutch), government professionals share knowledge and practical experience. They also exchange methods and tools and collaborate to develop guidelines for embedding digital ethics in policy and implementation.
International and sectoral collaboration
The IBDS Realisatie implementation programme facilitates and participates in the EU Data Network (Dutch), an informal network of governments that share knowledge and experience on European data issues. Nationally, it supports the Network of Data Systems (Dutch), a platform that enables interoperability across Dutch data systems.
IBDS Governance
On 18 November 2021, the Intergovernmental Data Strategy was presented to the House of Representatives. To achieve its ambitions, the IBDS Implementation Programme was launched in 2022 under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. The OBDO and IDO provide intergovernmental oversight.
The programme brings parties together across administrative levels through working groups, networks, and communities (Dutch).
Getting started
Find tools, agreements, and practical examples at www.realisatieibds.nl (Dutch) or IBDS Magazines (Dutch). Should you have any queries, feel free to contact the team at teamIBDS@ictu.nl.
