The central scope of the CEF Telecom Action “EBSI4RO: Connecting Romania through Blockchain” is to create an extendable and sustainable ecosystem to facilitate and accelerate the awareness, knowledge, and adoption of the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) by the Romanian citizens, businesses, institutions, and administration. It will also support the participation and contribution of Romanian stakeholders to the EBSI, in particular as regards the Diplomas use case.

Specifically, the Action will cover:

1. EBSI infrastructure development and operations by supporting the setup and operation of a Romanian EBSI node, functional and integrated with the EBSI network and operations;

2. EBSI cross-border use cases through the deployment of the Diplomas use-case, by developing applications and services for digital credentials and micro-credentials, integrated with the (Single) National Student Enrolment Registry (Registrul Matricol Unic or RMU). Specifically, a Credentialing System will be implemented as a solution for verifiable digital qualifications (official diplomas), but also for verifiable micro-credentials, awarded upon the completion of short stand-alone courses or modules done in a blended format. The Credentialing System will issue on Blockchain (EBSI) the diplomas managed by the RMU operated by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI);

3. EBSI capacity building and training activities for universities, institutions, and companies, targeting a broader uptake of the EBSI by public and private services, through the creation of MOOCs for online and blended learning on the UniCampus (https://unicampus.ro/) platform, hosted by the Politehnica University of Timisoara.

4. Communication and blockchain community strengthening in Romania, with the aim to raise awareness of EBSI and EBSI use cases and disseminate the results of the Action.

As a result of this Action, the rollout of the ESBI (including a relevant use case) will be supported in Romania, allowing the delivery of cross-border public services based on the blockchain technology and enhancing the way citizens, government and businesses interact.

Project duration: 1 April 2021 – 31 March 2023