Spain Kicks Off Pilot for Decentralized Digital ID and Verifiable Credentials in Higher Education Using Gataca Technology

Gataca has been appointed by the Spanish Royal Mint (FNMT) as the technology partner to implement Self-Sovereign Identity technology in an innovative pilot in collaboration with Spanish universities.

The initiative will provide a mobile application, Cartera Digital, which allows users to generate and store verifiable credentials, providing reliable, easy, and secure access to digital services, such as those offered by the participant universities.

Implementing this pilot project is part of the European Digitalization Strategy. It has been commissioned to the FNMT as part of the efforts to move towards simpler and more secure identification and signature systems that allow citizens and businesses to seamlessly authenticate online.

Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) or decentralized identity technology is a revolutionary authentication model in which individuals have full control over their digital identity without relying on intermediaries. Users can store their digital identity documents, known as verifiable credentials, on their mobile devices and decide who can access their information and how it is used. Users also can revoke their consent to use their information at any time.

The universities that have joined this exciting project are Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), Universidad de Murcia (UMU), and Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV).

Among the credentials that will be issued and stored in Cartera Digital are a verifiable ID credential issued by FNMT and a credential called "MyAcademicID" issued by the universities, which will allow access across various student and staff services.

Gataca will provide the necessary technology for the issuance, management, and verification of these credentials, as well as the ID wallet. These products are based on interoperable standards that ensure seamless data exchange between different use cases and geographies.

The pilot will focus on the higher education domain to obtain valuable feedback on the real usability and impact of this technology and to better assess its future widespread implementation in preparation for the upcoming eIDAS 2.0 regulation.

Hopes are that this experience will greatly contribute to the development of a new digital identification model enabling the management of many other verifiable credentials across different industries.

About Gataca Gataca is a Madrid-based cybersecurity company leader in decentralized identity management technology. Its mission is to develop highly secure digital identities that are privacy-preserving, user-friendly, and effortlessly integrated into existing systems.

Since its inception at MIT in 2018, Gataca has been one of the companies leading the industry in Europe, offering a comprehensive solution that streamlines the issuance, verification, and management of identity credentials.

About FNMT The Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (FNMT) is Spain's national mint and printing house, responsible for producing the country's coins, banknotes, stamps, passports, and ID cards.

Established in the 16th century, it is renowned for its quality, security, and innovation in currency and document production. Today, the FNMT offers technologically advanced solutions, including secure document authentication and digital signature solutions, making it a reference in the field globally.