The European Union co-funds the development of European Digital Credentials which describe academic experience and qualifications, issued by an educational institution. Nacho Alamillo Domingo, who is partner in the project, has delivered an online seminar introducing the standardisation of authentication for educational credentials.
The credential is a digital file containing an academic achievement such as a qualification, registration or assessment that can be verified in exchange with constituents like employers and institutions. The workshop covers the standardisation of student ID and within the context of inclusion in the European Digital Identity Wallet, which is under the roadmap for the European Student Card Initiative 2025.
The large scale educational pilot is focused on a number of projects in student identification including, the EWP, EDSSI, MyAcademic, ISIC and EUGLOH.
By adopting a model of secure exchange of credentials to employers, the need for paper-based certificates will be eliminated. The European digital landscape is defined by the prospect of electronic attestations of attributes which inform greater trust services about a person’s full identity information.
The workshop shows how educational credentials are next for development and integration into the EU DI Wallet under the eIDAS2 Regulation, along with driving licences, ID and payment credentials. Credentials are issued by a public sector body like an educational institution who are responsible for authentic, secure sources.
Interestingly, the eIDAS regulation can not converge and decide all standards for credentials added to the EU Digital Wallet under one Act. Hence, the proposal for standards for EU Digital Credentials must be outlined in a document called an Implementing Act (like EEAs, EEAPSBs) to authorise the EU Commission to select the technical work for setting up regulation.
European Digital Credentials are signed with an e-Seal, with full control of the citizen.
The Commission is developing the tools and implementing acts that will form part of the EDCI. 18 countries are participating in piloting digital credentials to test these elements at national level and for the EU digital wallet, where universities and schools are important actors.
Watch the full online seminar
Creating an ecosystem based on standardization (youtube.com)
