About the framework

The aim of this framework is to provide European higher education institutions with a practical toolkit to ensure interoperable virtual learning environments. It will lay the foundation for EU-wide alignment of standards in higher education data exchange. This will set the stage for a digital ecosystem that addresses future educational needs.

This initiative aligns with the European Commission's Digital Education Action Plan. It also adopts a bottom-up approach by using the Hub as the ideal space for framework development.

Through this framework, the workgroup seeks to contribute towards a European education landscape that is

• connected
• efficient
• learner-centred

The workgroup

The workgroup, running since December 2023, is made of over 110 higher education ICT (information and communication technology) professionals and interoperability experts. Coming from both public and private organisations, the members bring together a diverse range of knowledge and perspectives.

Manifesto

In a jointly drafted manifesto, the workgroup outlines its intentions and the guiding principles behind its work.

It aims to

• prioritise European public values
• create a trusted environment for data and information exchange
• focus on information security and reliability

The key principles that will guide the workgroup include: sustainability, quality assurance, social inclusion, alignment with established standards and practices, risk mitigation, and data protection.

By integrating existing technological standards and EU policies, the interoperability framework will aim to cultivate an open, adaptable ecosystem.

Reference architecture

Over the upcoming months, the experts will identify interoperability needs in higher education, leveraging the experience of the European Universities alliances.

Through mapping of use cases and user journeys, the workgroup aims to design a reference architecture for the framework.