Following a call for projects by the European Union in 2020, Luxembourg’s Ministry for Digitalisation, Infrachain, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT), and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) have partnered to develop the EBSILUX Project.

Co-funded by the European Union, the EBSILUX Project integrates Luxembourg into the European  Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) and implements a European EBSI use case at national level.  This improves the internal market’s functions and supports the competitiveness of the European  economy.

EBSI uses blockchain to build cross-border services that will allow public administrations and their  ecosystems to verify information and make services more trustworthy. EBSI deployed a network of  distributed blockchain nodes across Europe, supporting applications focused on selected use cases. The  EBSILUX project contributes to the overall robustness and security of the EBSI by hosting one of these  nodes.

Luxembourg prioritises student mobility, multilingualism and international cooperation. EBSILUX is  implementing the Diplomas use case of EBSI. The use case provides digital academic certificate records  in Luxembourg for the sake of transparency and trust between schools/universities, students and  employers. It is a fully interoperable and cross-border solution. The use case will leverage digital identity,  distributed ledger and mechanism for digital verifiable credentials/presentations.

To support the Diplomas use case, a digital identity based on the European Self-Sovereign Identity  (ESSIF) framework will also be implemented. ESSIF will allow citizens to create, control, and use their  own digital identity without having to rely on a single, centralised authority. The framework follows the European Commission announcement of a trusted and secure Digital Identity for all Europeans.

EBSILUX will result in improved access to trans-European services. More specifically, citizens,  businesses and administrations from Luxembourg and other EU Members States will get access to  services based in Luxembourg and other EU Member States that are accessible via EBSI.

Fabrice Croiseaux, Chairman of Infrachain said, “Infrachain is delighted to be part of the team of this  strategic project. EBSILUX lays the foundation for what will be an important tool for successful interaction  of private and public players in the European Blockchain space. With EBSILUX, public and private sector  work together as a community to push the adoption curve of blockchain and make blockchain operational  in Europe - that’s what Infrachain stands for.”

Prof. Dr. Gilbert Fridgen, Delegate to the European Blockchain Partnership and PayPal-FNR PEARL  Chair in Digital Financial Services of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust  (SnT) stated, “At first sight, digital identities and diploma credentials are eGovernment topics, yet they will  also have a massive impact on business process, business models, and the ways we handle all kinds of  personal data. EBSILUX is a major step forward for Luxembourg.”

Dr. Djamel Khadraoui, Head of the Trusted Service System Research Unit of the Luxembourg  Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) added: "EBSILUX is an important step for a broader use of  Blockchain based cross-border services in Europe. The development of real-life use cases that proof the  feasibility of the Blockchain technology in reality will help to investigate into new services and markets.  We are happy to support this very important project on every level.”

More information on the EBSILUX project is available at https://www.ebsilux.lu.  

Press release by Infrachain