Award Abstract # 2303615
POSE: Phase II: Credentialing for Open Source Ecosystems (COSE): Ensuring Testable Interoperability

NSF Org: TI
Translational Impacts
Recipient: DIGITAL BAZAAR INC
Initial Amendment Date: September 21, 2023
Latest Amendment Date: June 20, 2024
Award Number: 2303615
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Peter Atherton
patherto@nsf.gov
 (703)292-8772
TI
 Translational Impacts
TIP
 Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
Start Date: October 1, 2023
End Date: September 30, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $499,696.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $499,696.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2023 = $499,696.00
History of Investigator:
  • Benjamin Young (Principal Investigator)
    byoung@digitalbazaar.com
  • David Longley (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Manu Sporny (Former Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: DIGITAL BAZAAR, INC.
203 ROANOKE ST W
BLACKSBURG
VA  US  24060-7419
(540)274-1034
Sponsor Congressional District: 09
Primary Place of Performance: Digital Bazaar, Inc.
203 Roanoke St. W
Blacksburg
VA  US  24060-7419
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
09
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): EEMMQQEP94W5
Parent UEI: HXDJURN6NFV6
NSF Program(s): POSE
Primary Program Source: 01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):
Program Element Code(s): 211Y00
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.084

ABSTRACT

People present credentials such as driver?s licenses, permanent resident cards, or degrees during important events in their lives. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for establishing touchless, trustworthy interactions has increased. The pandemic amplified the need to improve society's ability to engage in the same sort of trustworthy interactions we are used to in person, online. The US Federal Government has been funding digital credentialing initiatives in this space through the US Department of Homeland Security's Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) and similar initiatives undertaken by the US Department of Education. While web standards create the possibility of interoperability, they do not ensure demonstrable interoperability. This NSF project is being funded to ensure that the verifiable credentialing ecosystem has the underlying open source infrastructure to facilitate the broader interoperability effort. These efforts enable secure and reliable open technologies to gain adoption in the market over proprietary or closed solutions, lowering the cost of acquisition of these technologies to US Federal Government and society at large.

This NSF project builds on ongoing work through the World Wide Web Consortium (such as the Verifiable Credentials, Decentralized Identifiers, Digital Wallet, and Credential Request/Response protocols). The focus is on upgrading a strategically planned set of open-source test libraries, test suites, and an organized interoperability dashboard as foundational infrastructure for decision makers and developers when adopting standards-based digital credentialing approaches. This infrastructure is bolstered by an open compliance program through the Linux Foundation which will both continuously test the open source implementations and generate revenue for continued operation of the open source ecosystem. These efforts will help foster an open-market of digital credentialing software that provides the average citizen with secure, reliable access to their digital credentials. The US Federal Government will benefit from a broader set of vendors in the market and by being able to more accurately determine the level of standards conformance supported by each vendor, which will help combat vendor-lock in, price gouging, and false advertising in the digital credentialing space.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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