Complying with Article 78 requires the label to be able to describe the quality and utility of a wide range of datasets, including electronic medical records, population registries, biosamples, imaging data, wearable device outputs, and data from omics research or clinical trials. The label must also be technically simple to implement, ensuring accessibility even for data holders with limited infrastructure or lower organisational maturity. In addition, the regulation outlines that the label shall provide information on various elements (metadata), such as data documentation, technical quality, data quality management, coverage assessment, access and provision details, and data modifications. These elements span three conceptual dimensions: technical data quality, potential utility (fit-for-use), and organisational maturity. Integrating these diverse dimensions into a single coherent label represents both a conceptual and technical challenge.
The QUANTUM project addresses these challenges by developing a tailored specification for data quality and utility. Recognising the absence of a framework that is comprehensive across data categories and fully aligned with Article 78, QUANTUM has achieved a formal consensus with key stakeholders. Grounded in existing data quality frameworks, notably TEHDAS, EMA and EOSC, this process has resulted in a broadly accepted set of dimensions and metrics, which now forms the basis of the QUANTUM label specification.