Expertise on the implications of digitalization and innovation in education within the EBSI-NE Demystification Seminar, included in the 8th edition of the Digital Skills Workshop
Hundreds of participants from Romania and abroad, from academic fields, innovation sectors and creative industries, came together Friday, December 8, 2023, at the eighth edition of the International Digital Skills Workshop. National and international experts (from the USA, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Romania), students and specialists demonstrated through practical examples the impact that digital skills, digitalization can have in education, creative industries, teaching and how they can stimulate innovation.
The Politehnica University of Timisoara hosted the eighth edition of Digital Skills Workshop – a key event of the international collaboration of the Politehnica University of Timișoara with actors from the technical, digital and cultural environment. In collaboration with the Department of ID/IFR and Digital Education, the Multimedia Center, the Alliance of European Universities E³UDRES², the National Museum of Banat, the EBSI-NE Project and IEEE Romania, the workshop was a real opportunity for participants to exchange ideas and present the latest innovations in the digital world.
Participants, including experts from the USA, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Romania, together with students, dedicated themselves to presenting and debating topics of vital importance for the current digital industry. The event took place both physically, in the Conference Center of the Politehnica University of Timisoara (UPT), with 50 participants, and online, being broadcast simultaneously on the Zoom and Facebook platforms, where over 750 people participated.
The event was divided into two main sections, with the first part consisting of a public EBSI-NE demystification seminar, where the expansion of EBSI nodes and the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) were discussed, highlighting the vital support provided by the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI). Here is a closer look at the key topics covered by the speakers:
– EBSI-NE: European Blockchain Services Infrastructure – expansion of nodes and support services: This session focused on EBSI-NE, an innovative initiative that uses blockchain technology to facilitate secure data exchange across Europe. Presentations by prof. univ. dr. eng. from UPT. Radu Vasiu, dr. eng. Diana Andone and Carmen Holotescu (University "Ioan Slavici" Timișoara), together with Cosmin Cioranu (UEFISCDI) deepened the overall vision of the project, the role of UPT in its development and the establishment of support centers to ensure successful implementation.
"Currently, Romania benefits from an EBSI node installed at the UEFISCDI level, therefore available to the university environment, and we have already done a case study and offered some models through which that single registry for university studies in Romania can eventually be exported to blockchain technologies and made available to all universities in Romania, that is, to all partners in the European Union who want to verify the status and skills of a particular student or graduate. In Romania, there is also a node at ICI Bucharest (National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics) and one at the Romanian Service of STS, and the fourth node will be established at the Politehnica University of Timisoara in 2024.”, stated Prof. Dr. Eng. Radu Vasiu regarding the role that Politehnica University of Timisoara and UEFISCDI have within EBSI-NE and how they intend to develop another EBSI node in the country for the academic environment at the university level.
"Romania, through a series of organizations that are part of EBSI, is a pioneer for blockchain applications in the public domain", presented Dr. Carmen Holotescu from the "Ioan Slavici" University in Timișoara. "As my colleague Andrei will point out, verifiable credentials are based on open standards and make diplomas impossible to forge, are secure, are issued at the request of the holder or student by a university or training provider, and can be recognized and verified by the university where graduates wish to continue their studies.", she continued.
– How EBSI verifiable credentials improve digital education and skills: This session, led by Ș.l. dr. ing. Andrei Ternauciuc and PhD.stud. ing. Victor Holotescu, from UPT, explored the potential of verifiable credentials issued on the EBSI network. Verifiable certificates are inviolable digital records that can be used to securely verify a person's skills and qualifications. The discussion focused on how this technology can revolutionize education by simplifying the issuance and verification of credentials, ultimately improving the recognition and portability of digital skills across borders.
"We insisted on popularizing the use of blockchain technology in high-potential areas beyond cryptocurrencies, focusing on case studies, such as the situation where a student can apply for and receive a bachelor's/master's/doctoral degree in a digital wallet based on EBSI Blockchain.", presented Ş.l. dr. eng. Andrei Ternauciuc.
– Update on EBSI clusters for education and other sectors: Lluís Alfons Ariño Martín, international expert from the Universitat Rovira I Virgili (Spain), joined the workshop virtually to provide an update on EBSI clusters. EBSI clusters are groups of organizations that work together to leverage EBSI capabilities for specific purposes. His presentation focused on the latest developments in EBSI clusters dedicated to education, potentially exploring how other sectors can benefit from this collaborative approach.
"EBSI’s education groups are making significant progress, and the lessons learned from these collaborations can be a valuable model for other sectors. By working together in a safe and trusted environment like EBSI, organizations can streamline processes, share resources more efficiently, and ultimately achieve greater impact.”, said Lluís Alfons Ariño Martín, from the Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Spain.
– NFT technologies, used in more areas than technology: Stud. dr. eng. Victor Holotescu presented the paper "Spotlight Heritage Timișoara NFT Collection”. NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are unique digital assets that can be used to represent ownership of real or digital world objects. This session explored how UPT is using NFTs to create a digital collection of Timisoara’s cultural heritage, highlighting the potential of NFTs for cultural preservation and engagement in the digital world.
"By creating a digital collection of Timișoara's cultural treasures, we can ensure wider accessibility and engagement, while exploring new ways to protect our heritage for future generations..”, stated Dr. Eng. Victor Holotescu from UPT.
The workshop also included case studies on the impact of digitalization on education and culture, with examples from Timișoara and Europe, as well as studies on initiatives and projects that can shape the education of the future.
Examples of good practices include the EBSI-NE, OpenDigCompEdu, E³UDRES² and Spotlight Heritage Timișoara projects.
Participation was free, presentations were in Romanian and English, and participants received open digital Certificates. Digital Skills for Education & Innovation Participant for online participation and in addition, for those present at the first EBSI-NE seminar Digital Badges, Certificates of participation for participants in the room.
All seminars will be integrated with activities and quizzes in UPT's free online courses platform, UniCampus and can be completed by anyone, with a certificate of completion being awarded at the end.
Registration for the event, as well as additional information about the topics covered and presenters, is available. HERE .
Română 
English