ZENTRUM FUR SICHERE INFORMATIONSTECHNOLOGIE - AUSTRIA

Their core work

A-SIT is Austria's dedicated center for secure information technology, specializing in trust services, digital identity (eIDAS), and secure cloud architectures for public sector digitalization. They build and validate the technical infrastructure that enables cross-border e-government services across Europe — from federated cloud security to mobile government platforms. Their work sits at the intersection of cybersecurity and public administration, ensuring that digital government services are both secure and interoperable across EU member states.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

A-SIT's early H2020 work (2015-2017) centered on foundational cybersecurity infrastructure — secure cloud federation and trust services for digital transactions. From 2017 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward public sector digitalization, particularly the once-only principle, eIDAS-based digital identity, and cross-border e-government interoperability. Their most recent project (mGov4EU, 2021) represents the convergence of these threads: mobile, user-centric government services built on secure identity frameworks.

A-SIT is moving from backend security infrastructure toward user-facing digital government platforms, making them an increasingly relevant partner for any EU digital public services initiative.

How they like to work

A-SIT operates exclusively as a participant or third-party contributor — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, preferring to bring specialized security and identity expertise into larger consortia led by others. With 93 unique partners across 30 countries from just 4 projects, they work in large, pan-European consortia rather than small focused teams. This pattern suggests they are a trusted specialist that consortium leaders bring in for specific technical contributions around security and digital identity.

Despite only 4 projects, A-SIT has built a remarkably broad network of 93 partners across 30 countries, reflecting the large-scale nature of EU e-government consortia. Their reach is truly pan-European with no obvious geographic concentration.

What sets them apart

A-SIT occupies a distinctive niche as Austria's specialist center for secure IT applied to public sector digitalization — combining deep cybersecurity knowledge with practical e-government implementation experience. Unlike general-purpose IT research labs, their focus on trust services and eIDAS makes them one of the go-to partners for any EU project requiring digital identity and cross-border interoperability expertise. Their institutional role as a national center (not a university or commercial vendor) gives them credibility with both government agencies and technology partners.

Highlights from their portfolio

• mGov4EU
  Their largest project by funding (EUR 545,812), representing the culmination of their e-government trajectory — mobile cross-border services integrating eIDAS, once-only, and user-centricity.
• TOOP
  The flagship EU once-only principle project, where A-SIT participated as a third party — indicating they were brought in specifically for their niche expertise in trust and identity.