European Union authorities are starting to lay additional groundwork for the region’s digital ID ecosystem with a new call for proposals.
Issued this month, “DIGITAL-2024-BESTUSE-TECH-06 – Accelerating the Best Use of Technologies” is a call for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The call focuses on enhancing digital capacities in priority areas such as support for SMEs and public authorities in their digital transformation, and builds on previous initiatives to ensure continuity and avoid disruption in ongoing projects.
A significant focus of the call is on the development of a European Digital Identity and Trust Ecosystem, aligned with the amended Regulation establishing the European Digital Identity Framework, which has just come into force. The objective is to improve citizens’ and businesses’ access to secure electronic identity means and trust services like electronic signatures and attestations of attributes. By 2030, 100 percent of EU citizens should have access to secure electronic identification means that are recognized throughout the Union, enabling them to control identity transactions and share personal data securely.
The call encourages pilot implementations by public and private sector entities to validate technical standards, components, and infrastructures for digital identities and trust services. Projects should demonstrate legal alignment with the amended Regulation, adhere to the Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF) for interoperability, and integrate with the European Digital Identity Wallet’s iterative development. The overarching idea is to support the transition from the current digital identity infrastructure to the new EU Digital Identity Wallet framework.
Eligible projects must involve a consortium of at least three independent applicants from three different eligible countries. The call targets governmental bodies responsible for providing European Digital Identity Wallets, as well as private companies, public bodies, SMEs, NGOs, and international organizations. Proposals should ensure comprehensive cross-border piloting of the Wallets, involving various stakeholders, including Wallet Providers, PID/EAA/QEAA Providers, and Relying Parties.
These efforts are expected to contribute to the technical development and maintenance of the “European Digital Identity and Trust Ecosystem”. Projects must provide comprehensive testing, user journeys, and cross-border functionality demonstrations, with a focus on achieving production-ready systems by the project’s conclusion.
The available budget for this call is €20 million, with projects expected to be completed within 24 months. Proposals will be evaluated based on relevance, implementation, and impact criteria, with an emphasis on alignment with policy objectives and the efficient use of resources.
Submission of proposals must be done electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal, with a deadline of September 24, 2024.
Source: European Commission
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(Originally published on FindBiometrics)
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