Project description
Blockchain technology for academic degrees
Today’s higher education industry is among the fastest growing education sectors. However, recent technological developments such as online and corporate universities represent new challenges that contribute to making traditional universities unsustainable. Academic degrees in paper form, for instance, limit the user’s access to a labour market conditioned by digital technology. The EU-funded SmartDegrees project proposes an innovative and disruptive solution based on blockchain technology that increases digital support, adds user’s digital identification and allows expansion to other sectors such as healthcare. SmartDegrees innovative platform introduces a new business model that secures reliable registration and certification of academic degrees by converting them into dynamic digital assets.
Objective
The higher education sector is one of the most attractive and growing sectors1, but is undergoing profound changes, due to disruptive innovations, such as the online and corporate “universities”, in addition to sustaining ones related to the Internet, mobile phones and new technologies. To avoid disruption, the universities must develop innovation strategies. The model of traditional universities has become unsustainable The academic degrees are an example of the existing obsolescence, since its support in paper limits the value to the user accessing the labor market, whose processes are digital. The university is changing and blockchain will be key, which will be the most important and most disruptive technology for education, allows:
(i) Address current job-to-be-done in degrees: enhancement, digital support, (ii) Add other opportunities, such as user's digital identification, (ii) Expansion to other sectors, such as healthcare. SmartDegrees provides a unique platform addressing a new business model for the registration and certification of academic degrees, in blockchain to secure and provides an efficient process for all stakeholders (academic institutions, companies and graduates) SmartDegrees converts the degree in a digital asset secure and dynamic in the profesional and social life of people.
Fields of science
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesinternet
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputer securitycryptography
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementbusiness models
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringinformation engineeringtelecommunicationsmobile phones
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementemployment
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
28010 MADRID
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.