Dutch Research Council awards $11M for digital ID research

The Dutch Research Council has awarded a total of 9.5 million euro (US$11.1 million) to four projects focusing on the development and standardization of digital identities.

The projects will be developed by interdisciplinary consortia of knowledge institutions, companies and civil society organizations. The research covers both technological challenges and societal issues such as regulation and social acceptance, according to the government agency.

The first project, AuthentiMark, will tackle online impersonation with watermarking technology that will be used to authenticate digital content and prevent online fraud and misinformation. The initiative is led by Prof. Jessica Piotrowski of the University of Netherlands.

The second proposal is called Foundations for Identity and Trust at EU-Scale and aims to create interoperable and easy-to-use digital IDs for the EU. The goal is to make digital identities as reliable as passports, according to its lead Dr. Johan Pouwelse from the Delft University of Technology ((TU Delft).

The Sum-Volo-Satis Facio project, led by TU Delft’s Prof. Nitesh Bharosa focuses on the large-scale application of eIDAS wallets and attestations in medical statements, social housing and real estate valuations.

“We guide actors in co-creating and implementing legal frameworks, technical architectures, business models, and public value models. The developed knowledge and tools are consolidated in a ‘digital trust toolbox,’” says the proposal.

Finally, the TruPASS research project plans to develop a Digital Product Passports (DPPs) that will track and share information about products, including origin and sustainability. The passport is based on digital identities and smart technologies. The initiative is led by Dr. Baris Ozkan of the Eindhoven University Technology.

The Dutch Research Council (De Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek , NWO) invests almost 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) into research and research infrastructure each year, funding over 7,500 research projects at universities and other knowledge institutes.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  digital trust  |  digital wallets  |  interoperability  |  Netherlands