Over the past years, the question of how we can protect our identity in the world of online has been getting more heated. The Self-Sovereign Identity paradigm stepped in with the idea itself, that everyone should be in charge of their own digital personal information, and that it is the data owner who should decide on how this data is being used and by whom.
Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) promises to empower European citizens with new means to manage privacy, to eliminate logins, and to enjoy much faster and safer electronic transactions via the internet as well as in real life.
Strengthening internet trustworthiness with electronic identities is also the aim of eSSIF-Lab, which has just launched its Second Business-oriented Open Call on 7 May 2021.
2nd Business-oriented Open Call
This call is open for proposals to develop and demonstrate SSI working solutions for a real-world, domain-oriented problem or opportunity, in prioritized eSSIF-Lab areas (Health Tech, e-Government and Education), or in the Open Disruptive Innovation track (which is covering innovative bottom-up projects out of these verticals).
Proposed solutions must be commercial, competitive and sector-specific SSI applications for products and services. They are expected to leverage on the added value that previously developed functionalities within the eSSIF-Lab, to include the issuing, exchange and consumption of SSI credentials as a core element and to have high technology and investment readiness levels.
The proposals selected in the Second Business-oriented Call will be invited to join an 8-month acceleration programme, including business and technical support to integrate eSSIF-Lab and other SSI technology with market propositions.
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Who can apply?
This call targets SMEs (including startups), not-for-profit entities (such as foundations or associations), or collaborative initiatives (as micro-consortia of these entities), registered in a Member State of the EU or in a H2020 associated country.
Deadline: 7th of July 2021, at 17:00 (Brussels Local Time).
Funding: up to 106,000 € per project (for those best in class).
Infrastructure-oriented Open Call
Remember that also the Infrastructure-oriented Open Call of eSSIF-Lab is still ongoing and that the deadline to submit applications has been extended. This call looks for open source technical enhancements and extensions for eSSIF-Lab Framework which fall within the SSI concept (i.e. technologies which allow individuals to control their electronic identities and guard their privacy).
Open source SSI components developed as a result of this open call will be applied by other participants in eSSIF-Lab and, hence, applicants shall be willing and able to work in an agile way with lots of communication and interaction with other participants in the eSSIF-Lab ecosystem.
Who can apply?
Innovators in the SSI domain (such as outstanding academic research groups, hi-tech startups, SMEs, etc.), legally established/resident in a Member State of the EU or in a H2020 associated country.
Deadline: 7th of July 2021 at 17:00 (Brussels Local Time)
Funding: up to 155,000 € per project.