AARC · Project

One Login to Access All Research Platforms Across Europe

digitalPilotedTRL 7

Imagine you work at a university and need to log into 10 different research platforms — each with its own username and password, each run by a different country. AARC built a single sign-on system so researchers can use one set of credentials to access tools and data across institutions and borders. Think of it like how your Google account lets you into Gmail, YouTube, and Drive — but for the entire European research community. They also figured out how to let guest users and people without institutional accounts get secure access.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries represented

EUR 2,941,060

EU contribution

industry partners in consortium

SMEs in consortium

total deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Organizations that serve researchers — cloud platforms, publishers, data repositories — face a painful identity management problem: every institution has its own login system, and there is no easy way to let users from different countries access shared resources with one account. Guest users and external collaborators are even harder to handle, often locked out entirely or given insecure workarounds.

The solution

What was built

AARC delivered 18 deliverables including three key pilots: a guest user authentication solution for people without institutional credentials, an attribute provider add-on that lets federated systems carry project-specific user information, and improved access mechanisms for research resources including non-web authentication. All built on top of the existing eduGAIN production infrastructure.

Audience

Who needs this

Cloud platform providers serving research and education customersIdentity-as-a-service vendors expanding into academic marketsAcademic publishers and digital library platformsResearch data repositories requiring cross-institutional access controlNational research and education networks upgrading their identity services

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Cloud & SaaS Platforms

any

Target: SaaS companies serving academic or research customers

If you are a cloud platform provider struggling to onboard research institutions because each has its own identity system — AARC developed a federated authentication architecture built on eduGAIN that lets you integrate once and accept logins from users across 10+ countries. This eliminates the need to build custom login integrations for each institution, reducing onboarding friction for your 21-partner-scale customer base.

Cybersecurity & Identity Management

mid-size

Target: Identity-as-a-service providers and access management vendors

If you are an identity management vendor looking to expand into the research and education market — AARC piloted guest identity provider solutions and attribute provider add-ons that extend standard federated access. Their work on Level of Assurance policies and security incident handling gives you a tested blueprint for serving communities with 21 organizations across 10 countries.

Digital Libraries & Publishing

enterprise

Target: Academic publishers and digital library platforms

If you are a digital library or academic publisher dealing with unauthorized access or clunky institutional login walls — AARC delivered pilots that improve access to research-relevant resources through federated non-web authentication and scalable Level of Assurance for guest users. Their training materials for libraries give you a ready path to implement federated access for your platform.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement AARC's federated login system?

AARC was a EUR 2,941,060 EU-funded project with 21 partners. The tools build on eduGAIN, which is an existing production service. Implementation costs would depend on your current identity infrastructure, but the building blocks are open and designed to lower barriers to entry for organizations.

Can this scale to large numbers of users and institutions?

The system was designed for pan-European scale, tested across 10 countries with 21 partner organizations. It builds on eduGAIN's existing interfederation infrastructure, which already connects thousands of institutions. The pilots specifically addressed scalable Level of Assurance for guest users.

What about IP and licensing — can we use AARC results commercially?

AARC was a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) funded under Horizon 2020. Results are typically open access. The project included 4 industry partners and 3 SMEs in the consortium, suggesting commercial use was anticipated. Specific licensing terms would need to be confirmed with the coordinator GEANT VERENIGING.

How does this integrate with existing enterprise identity systems?

AARC was specifically designed to work with existing production federated access services, particularly eduGAIN. The pilots tested integration of attribute providers, guest identity providers, and non-web single sign-on — all built to extend rather than replace current infrastructure.

Is this production-ready or still experimental?

The project delivered multiple working pilots including guest user solutions, attribute provider add-ons, and improved resource access. These pilots validated real-world use with research communities including libraries, biomedical, and arts and humanities. The project ended in 2017, and GEANT continues operating federated access services.

Does this meet security and compliance requirements?

AARC specifically addressed Level of Assurance policies, security incident response procedures, and legal aspects of federated identity. They delivered training on legal compliance and developed best practices for operational security. The work was validated across 10 countries with different regulatory environments.

Consortium

Who built it

The 21-partner consortium across 10 countries is heavily weighted toward research organizations (7) and other entities (9, likely national research and education networks), with only 4 industry partners and 1 university. The coordinator GEANT VERENIGING is the pan-European research networking organization — essentially the backbone operator of European academic internet infrastructure. The 19% industry ratio is modest, but the presence of 3 SMEs suggests some commercial interest. For a business looking to adopt these results, the strongest path is through GEANT's existing service portfolio, as they operate the production systems this project was designed to improve.

GEANT VERENIGINGCoordinator · NL
CESNET ZAJMOVE SDRUZENI PRAVNICKYCH OSOBparticipant · CZ
FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH GMBHparticipant · DE
DAASI INTERNATIONAL GMBHparticipant · DE
STICHTING EGIparticipant · NL
NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURES FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGYparticipant · EL
INSTYTUT CHEMII BIOORGANICZNEJ POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUKparticipant · PL
SURF BVparticipant · NL
CONSORTIUM GARRparticipant · IT
UNITED KINGDOM RESEARCH AND INNOVATIONparticipant · UK
KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FUER TECHNOLOGIEparticipant · DE
ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIREparticipant · CH
STICHTING LIBERparticipant · NL
GROUPEMENT D INTERET PUBLIC POUR LERESEAU NATIONAL DE TELECOMMUNICATIONS POUR LA TECHNOLOGIE L ENSEIGNEMENT ET LA RECHERCHEparticipant · FR
GEANT LIMITEDthirdparty · UK
STICHTING NEDERLANDSE WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK INSTITUTENparticipant · NL
JISC SERVICES LIMITEDparticipant · UK
VEREIN ZUR FOERDERUNG EINES DEUTSCHEN FORSCHUNGSNETZES DFN VEREIN E.V.participant · DE
CSC-TIETEEN TIETOTEKNIIKAN KESKUS OYparticipant · FI

How to reach the team

GEANT VERENIGING (Netherlands) — the pan-European research networking organization. Reachable through their institutional channels.

Order a report on this consortium See GEANT VERENIGING profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how federated identity solutions from EU research can benefit your platform? SciTransfer can connect you with the right team.

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