Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions

The Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) is a non-profit established in 2017 by Estonia and Finland,^[1] with the mission "to develop e-governance solutions...with the X-Road technology used nationwide in the Estonian X-tee and in the Finnish Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer services".^[2] It is funded by both countries, with around 1M€ annually.^[1] In 2019, Iceland was invited as well,^[3] and later the Faroe Islands.^[4]

The NIIS manages, develops, verifies, and audits X-Road's source code; administers documentation, business and technical requirements; conducts development; develops and implements principles of licensing and distribution; provides second-line support for members, and engages in international cooperation.^[5] It also shares vendor training and certifications on its technology.^[6]

The institute has been coined as "a pioneer of cross-border e-governance solution" ^[7] and "a key component of its digital diplomacy and digital foreign policy work",^[6] "unique in the world".^[8] In 2020, the Digital Public Goods Alliance found the X-Road technology managed by NIIS was found to be a digital public good in alignment with the Digital Public Goods Standard.^[9] Its CEO, Ville Sirviö,^[9] is often referenced in international publications.^[10][11]