Meet the SEEBLOCKS.eu Experts Impacting Blockchain/DLT Standardisation

SEEBLOCKS is proud to announce the successful conclusion of its four Selection and Engagement Procedures (SEPs) conducted over the past 2 years In all, thirty-three applications from European experts based in 12 different countries, were funded for a total of 300.000 Euros distributed over the four SEPs. 

These experts participated in various Standards Development Organisations (SDOs) and technical committees, ultimately strengthening Europe's influence in global blockchain standardisation efforts. The International Standards Organisation (ISO) was also confirmed as the premier standards developing organisation in the blockchain / DLT arena, with nearly half of the contracts awarded for work related to ISO standards, follow by CEN-CENELEC and IEEE.

The trend to long-term (that is, six-months) contracts that began in the very first SEP continued, with only four short-term, three-month applications granted. This trend also confirmed the need for our experts to have sufficient time to bring their complex tasks to completion within the restrictions of standards-related schedules. Identity management emerged as the topic most frequently addressed, confirming its central importance in the blockchain / DLT standards-developing ecosystem.

Several important themes emerged from the work of our experts, including Sustainability. Noteworthy is the fact that sustainability is part of the EC strategy for Blockchain & DLT/Web3 strategy, while also being core to various other EU priorities, policies and strategies (e.g. EU Green Deal). Particularly remarkable impact was achieved by our SEEBLOCKS fellow Paul Ferris, whose work has provided a well-founded plan for directing work on sustainable standards (so far, this has resulted in impacting ten different Blockchain and DLT standards). In addition, our experts Belen Suarez and Shakira Bedoya Sanchez are also conducting work in this area. 

Another big theme emerging from the work of our experts over the arc of the four SEPs is Cybersecurity, which is also a part of the EC Blockchain strategy and another EC priority area. The work conducted by our experts is impacting areas in cybersecurity that include (while not being limited to): security, privacy, data protection, identity management and trust. For instance, Christian Grafenauer’s SEEBLOCKS fellowship, CEN - PWI: Guidelines and Best Practices for processing Personal Data, addressed the urgent need for standardised practices in Blockchain and DLT that focus on consumer privacy. His work will ensure that Europe continues to lead in setting high standards for data protection and fosters innovation while maintaining consumer trust and regulatory compliance. Similarly, during his SEEBLOCKS fellowship, Julien Bringer (Convenor of ISO/TC 307) worked on future international standards on security controls, privacy management and decentralized identity, suggested new standards and identified other gaps while ensuring consistency with EU security, identity and privacy frameworks. Erik Andersen’s work relates to the cybersecurity area as well, his work focusing on advancing standardisation in the decentralized public key infrastructure. In related work, our expert Gyu Myoung Lee worked in the area of trusted data sharing. 

Our readers will be aware of the work of our SEEBLOCKS.eu technical lead Fiona Delaney, Co-founder at Origin Chain Networks, whose mission is “forge a future of food we trust” by securing transparent and trustworthy food supply chains. A critical concept in this application space is the so-called Digital Product Passport (DPP), which accompanies a product throughout its lifecycle in the supply chain and provides customers and suppliers alike with trustworthy information about the product. Our expert Soumya Kanti Datta has worked on progressing secure and interoperable tracing for the DPP.

Come to see our experts at the in Brussels at SEEBLOCKS.eu!

SEEBLOCKS.eu is gathering experts that received funded by the project, to be present at our full-day live event “How the DEP project SEEBLOCKS.eu has impacted European Blockchain/DLT Standardisation” on April 10 in Brussels (Belgium). They will present the impact of their work in bringing European values to Blockchain/DLT standardisation bodies. 

There will be roundtable discussions on current topics such as smart contracts and electronic identification and trust services (eiDAS), and panel discussions on the promise of blockchain to help resolve some of society’s most pressing problems, from climate change to sustainable food supplies. All of this will be preceded by a keynote on European Commission policy objectives for distributed ledger technologies by Jochen Friedrich, chairman of the task force on the rolling plan for ICT standardisation. The event will close with an award ceremony where SEEBLOCKS.eu experts will be awarded for their positive work in promoting European values with Standardisation Bodies.

This is your chance to meet them personally and discuss in depth their work at an event dedicated entirely to the topic of blockchain and DLT standardisation.  Don’t miss this opportunity to meet and benefit from the insights of our blockchain / DLT experts – register now!