Issuing Digital Diplomas with Diploma Support: Prepared for EBSI and Edubadges

The future of diplomas is digital. More and more educational institutions are exploring how to issue and secure diplomas and certificates digitally, without compromising reliability. How will your institution keep up?

Various solutions are being developed in the Netherlands and across Europe to digitize diplomas. Think of microcredentials such as Edubadges from SURF, as well as international developments like verifiable credentials based on blockchain. One of the most important European initiatives in this area is EBSI: the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure. Within this network, diplomas will soon be issued digitally according to uniform standards.

Is your current diploma process ready for that?

With Diploma Support, your institution can already lay the foundation today for a secure and future-proof process to issue digital diplomas.

What is EBSI and why is it important?

EBSI is an initiative of the European Commission for a secure, pan-European blockchain infrastructure. One important application is the Diploma Use Case: a standard for digitally issuing, verifying, and sharing diplomas.

With EBSI version 2 (EBSIv2), diplomas are no longer shared as PDFs or scans, but as Verifiable Credentials: digital, cryptographically secured documents that can be verified instantly. Students can share these digital diplomas from their own wallet with employers or universities — securely, quickly, and without the need for a central database. This makes diploma verification via blockchain a practical reality.

Edubadges and Verifiable Credentials: how do they relate?

The digitization of diplomas does not rely on a single standard. In the Netherlands, Edubadges are already in use, while Europe is focusing on Verifiable Credentials based on blockchain through the EBSI infrastructure. Both tracks are important and complement each other.

What are Edubadges?

Edubadges are digital certificates, also known as microcredentials, that demonstrate a student has acquired specific knowledge or skills. They are issued in the Netherlands through Edubadges.nl, developed by SURF, and are based on the international Open Badges standard.

Examples of use:

• a completed minor
• extracurricular achievements
• participation in projects or elective modules

Currently, Edubadges.nl is not yet a blockchain platform, but SURF is actively exploring possibilities such as signed Open Badges, distributed ledger technology, and interoperability. This could allow badges in the future to be issued as Verifiable Credentials and (partially) verified via EBSI.

What are verifiable credentials?

Verifiable Credentials (VCs) are cryptographically secured digital documents that allow someone to reliably prove that a particular claim is true — for example, holding a diploma or a professional registration. They are issued by an authorized institution and can then be independently verified, without relying on a central database.

Applications include:

• diplomas
• certificates
• professional registrations

Because VCs are cryptographically secured and often supported by blockchain technology, they are:

• tamper-proof
• independently verifiable
• linkable to a personal digital identity (wallet)

In Europe, EBSI plays a key role in the rollout of VCs for diploma verification via blockchain.

How do they fit together?

Although Edubadges and Verifiable Credentials differ technically, their goal is the same: to provide reliable and secure proof of learning achievements. Edubadges are currently used mainly at the national level and are based on the Open Badges standard, while Verifiable Credentials are being developed in a European context, supported by blockchain infrastructures such as EBSI.

Within the sector, discussions are underway about convergence and interoperability. This could mean that in the future, Edubadges may be issued as Verifiable Credentials or verified through EBSI.

For educational institutions, this means there are multiple routes toward issuing digital diplomas and certificates — but it is crucial to choose systems now that are prepared for these technological developments.

Prepared for the future of diploma issuance

Diploma Support, a product of Royal Joh. Enschedé, provides the foundation for a secure and future-proof diploma process. The platform is prepared for integration with both national and European standards and helps institutions manage, secure, and issue both paper and digital diplomas — now and in the future also as a verifiable credential or Edubadge.

Diploma Support supports a fully secured process and is built on a scalable digital infrastructure. The platform aligns with European initiatives such as the next generation of the EBSI infrastructure, in which diplomas are issued digitally as verifiable credentials. Thanks to the proven blockchain expertise of Royal Joh. Enschedé, Diploma Support meets the technological standards required for secure and reliable diploma verification via blockchain.

What is the role of Royal Joh. Enschedé?

Royal Joh. Enschedé, the security printer and technology partner behind Diploma Support, closely follows European developments related to blockchain in education, EBSI, verifiable credentials, and Edubadges. With decades of expertise in identity verification, compliance, and value documents, they develop technologies that are compatible with the requirements of EBSI and related initiatives.

As a globally recognized producer of banknotes, postage stamps, election print materials, and diplomas, Royal Joh. Enschedé holds a strong position in high-security printing. Increasingly, they combine physical documents with digital authentication methods such as NFC chips, QR codes, and blockchain. This blend of proven security and innovation forms the foundation of Diploma Support.

The vision of Diploma Support: combining paper and digital

Many educational institutions are not yet ready to fully switch to a digital-only approach. And they don’t have to.

Diploma Support makes a hybrid approach possible:

• Paper diplomas with advanced security features such as microtext, watermarks, and digital signatures
• Digital diplomas as verifiable credentials via blockchain or diploma registries

This way, Diploma Support combines the best of both worlds: the tangibility and official status of paper with the flexibility and verifiability of digital. Students can safely receive their diploma in physical form and share it digitally with DUO, employers, or international universities.

What does this mean for your institution?

As an educational institution, you do not need to manage the complexity of digital technology or European regulations yourself. Diploma Support takes care of this within one secure and scalable platform.

You work directly with a process that:

• securely allows both digital and paper diplomas to be ordered via a single platform
• automatically links personal data to the correct document
• provides diplomas with digital signatures and print security features
• is prepared for integration with European standards such as EBSI, Verifiable Credentials, and Edubadges
• ensures secure digital and physical delivery of the diploma

Ready for digital diplomas – this is the moment!

The European digitization of diploma issuance via blockchain is not a distant future; it has already begun. By stepping in now with Diploma Support, your institution will be prepared for what is coming – legally, technically, and operationally.

Do you want to know how Diploma Support can help your institution connect to EBSI and Verifiable Credentials?

Contact us for a non-binding consultation and discover how to securely issue and verify digital diplomas with Diploma Support.