The ecosystem of digital credentials has grown rapidly, and the terminology is genuinely confusing — even among specialists. Universities across Europe are being asked to make consequential decisions about platforms, processes, and integrations, often without a clear map of the landscape.
Three specific problems motivate this guide:
- Vocabulary fragmentation. The same words — badge, credential, microcredential — are used differently by different communities, standards bodies, and policy documents. Misalignment at the vocabulary level leads to misaligned decisions.
- A false binary. Many institutions treat Open Badges and European Digital Credentials as competing alternatives. They are not: they solve different problems, serve different purposes, and can complement each other.
- Infrastructure pressure without conceptual clarity. The regulatory clock is running. eIDAS 2.0, the EUDI Wallet, and the SDG/OOTS framework create real deadlines. Institutions need to act, but acting well requires understanding before implementing.
This guide is intended as a companion to the discussion papers the EUNIS SIG Mobility & Digital Credentials already produces — accessible enough for non-technical staff, grounded enough to inform strategic and operational decisions.
It does not advocate for any specific technology, platform, or vendor. It helps institutions understand the landscape and ask the right questions.
How to use this guide
Section 2 establishes the shared vocabulary. Sections 3–4 cover Open Badges and EDC in depth. If your team already has a shared vocabulary, you can go directly to Sections 5–6 for the trust analysis and decision framework. Section 7 covers the combination model for institutions ready to think beyond either/or. Section 8 maps implications to specific university functions.