Berlin, 27 February 2018 – A digital system, which helps students to identify themselves at European universities and to submit certified documents: Francotyp-Postalia (FP) is currently working on this project together with the Freie Universität Berlin, Harz University of Applied Sciences, SiXFORM GmbH and Bundesdruckerei GmbH. The European Union is providing funding for this project as part of its support programme “Connecting Europe Facility”. “We are excited to be part of this project group as lead managers and are looking forward to working on this forward-looking project together with well-respected partners,” explains Kai Fiegner, Project Manager at Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG.
Project “StudIES+” aims to simplify university exchange programmes
Studying abroad has become increasingly popular over the years, especially thanks to the Erasmus support programme. In order to simplify the bureaucratic processes when moving to a foreign university, FP will be developing a solution for digital student identities from March 2018 onwards together with its project partners. The use of digital signatures and identities is intended as replacement for processes relying on paper documentation. These administration processes include the conclusion of internship contracts, the transfer of performance records, the conclusion of employment contracts and the processing of applications.
FP is also using the expertise on software and signatures of its subsidiary Mentana-Claimsoft GmbH for the development of the digital student identity.
Furthermore, FP is receiving assistance from Bundesdruckerei GmbH for the “StudIES+” project, which is set to run until 2019. Bundesdruckerei GmbH is also contributing its knowledge gained from their own trust centre, which issues digital certificates among other things. The eID feature of European identification documents will be utilised to create digital identities for further applications in university environments. This procedure is to be further developed as part of this project, in order to protect the digital student identities from forgery and malpractice.
SiXFORM GmbH is another project contributor. The company will supply a terminal, which allows students to securely access the portal and the services of “StudIES+” in university buildings. This is an important component of the project infrastructure with which SiXFORM ensures that every student has access to a card reader, which is required for authentication purposes.
The Freie Universität Berlin and Harz University of Applied Sciences will be representing the German universities as project partners. They will develop secure digital solutions for European identities and signatures in accordance with the eIDAS regulation. For this purpose, they are bringing their experts from previous research projects regarding the process integration of security and eGovernment standards to the table, as well as initiating relevant cooperations with university networks and associations. For the Harz University of Applied Sciences and its netlab from the Department of Automation and Computer Sciences, StudIES+ will be the second EU project involving the application of eIDAS to the university environment. The Freie Universität Berlin and the Harz University of Applied Sciences will be the first to implement the developed systems for digital student identity and the secure document exchange, and also test its suitability in a university environment.
An important aim of the project is to prove the cross-border functionality of the system, thus its use across all European countries. For this reason, a cooperation with the Dutch institution “Uitvoering Onderwijs” has been initiated as part of the project. On behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Education, this institution is responsible in the Netherlands for the central student registration as well as for the administration of student data.
Project financing through CEF support programme
The project is being partly funded by the “Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) 2014-2020 TELECOM Call 2017” programme of the European Union (EU). The CEF support programme aims to support companies and public institutions in pressing ahead with the digitalisation of Europe by developing joint solutions. A presentation of the results will be held upon project completion in Spring 2019.
Additional information:
https://studies-plus.eu/
For press enquiries please contact:
Caroline Schröder
Tel.: +49 (0)40 899 699 641
Email: fp-presse@fischerappelt.de
Company contact:
Karl R. Thiel, VP Corporate Communication
Tel.: +49 (0)30 220 660 123
Email: kr.thiel@francotyp.com
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About Francotyp-Postalia (FP)
The listed and globally operating FP group with headquarters in Berlin, Germany, is an expert for secure mail business and secure digital communication processes. As market leader in Germany and Austria, the FP group offers products and services in the areas “Franking and Enveloping”, “Mail Services” and “Software” for the efficient processing of mail, consolidation of business mail, and digital solutions for companies and authorities. The group achieved a turnover of more than 200 million euros in 2016. Francotyp-Postalia has subsidiaries based in ten different countries and is represented by its own trading network in an additional 40 countries. With a company history spanning 95 years, FP possesses a unique DNA in the areas of actuating elements, sensor systems, cryptography and connectivity. FP’s global market share for franking systems is more than ten percent.
Further information can be found at www.fp-francotyp.com.
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