TOOP · Project

Stop Submitting the Same Company Data to Every Government Agency Across Europe

digitalPilotedTRL 7

Imagine every time you expand your business to another EU country, you have to fill in the same company details — name, registration number, tax ID — over and over for each government office. TOOP built a system where governments share that data among themselves, so you only submit it once. They connected 59 government systems across 21 countries and ran real pilots for business registration, company data updates, and ship certificates. Think of it like a digital passport for your company paperwork that every European government office can read.

By the numbers

Government information systems connected

Countries participating in pilots

Cross-border pilots implemented

Partner organizations in consortium

National administrations involved

Countries represented in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies expanding across EU borders waste enormous time and money re-submitting the same registration data, certificates, and compliance documents to every national government they deal with. Maritime operators face the same problem at every port. This duplication slows market entry, increases administrative costs, and creates errors when data is re-entered manually across dozens of national systems.

The solution

What was built

A federated architecture connecting 59 government information systems across 21 countries, plus 3 working pilot solutions: cross-border business mobility e-services, automated company data synchronization between national registries, and online ship and crew certificate verification. Pilot solution prototypes were developed, integrated, and installed at each piloting Member State.

Audience

Who needs this

GovTech companies building e-government platforms for EU Member StatesShipping and maritime logistics companies operating across European portsBusiness formation and compliance service providers handling cross-border registrationsNational digital government agencies planning Single Digital Gateway implementationEnterprise software vendors serving public administration clients

Business applications

Who can put this to work

GovTech and public sector IT

any

Target: Software companies building e-government platforms

If you are a GovTech company building digital services for public administrations — this project developed a federated architecture and tested pilot solutions across 21 countries that let government registries share company data automatically. You could integrate these building blocks into your platform to offer cross-border data exchange, giving your government clients a proven, already-piloted interoperability layer instead of building from scratch.

Logistics and maritime shipping

enterprise

Target: Shipping companies operating across EU ports

If you are a shipping company dealing with submitting the same crew and vessel certificates to every port authority in Europe — this project piloted an Online Ship and Crew Certificates system across multiple countries. The pilot connected national maritime registries so certificates submitted once could be verified everywhere, cutting paperwork and port clearance delays for cross-border operations.

Business services and company formation

SME

Target: Cross-border company registration service providers

If you are a business services firm helping companies register or expand across EU Member States — this project piloted cross-border e-services for business mobility across 21 countries. The system lets company registration data flow between national registries automatically, meaning your clients would no longer need to re-submit the same documents in every new country they enter.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this system?

The project data does not include specific implementation costs or licensing fees. Since 19 national administrations participated directly, adoption would likely involve working with your national government's digital services agency. Integration costs would depend on the complexity of connecting to existing national registry systems.

Can this scale beyond the pilot countries?

Yes. The project explicitly states the pilots are scalable and can be extended to all Member States in subsequent years. The federated architecture was designed to be generic, meaning it is not locked to the 21 countries that participated — new countries can join by connecting their national registries to the same interoperability layer.

Who owns the intellectual property?

TOOP was an EU-funded Innovation Action coordinated by Tallinn University of Technology with 69 partners including 19 national administrations. The architecture and building blocks were developed as public sector infrastructure. Based on available project data, the results appear intended for open public sector use rather than proprietary licensing.

Does this comply with EU regulations?

The project was specifically designed to support the EU's once-only principle, which is a core component of the European Single Digital Gateway Regulation. The project identified and addressed legal barriers to cross-border data exchange as part of its methodology, making its outputs regulation-aligned by design.

How long did the pilots run and what was tested?

The project ran from January 2017 to March 2021 and implemented 3 distinct pilots: cross-border e-services for business mobility, updating connected company data, and online ship and crew certificates. Pilot solution prototypes were developed, integrated, connected, and installed at each piloting Member State for each pilot area.

How does this integrate with existing government IT systems?

The core innovation is a generic federated architecture — it does not replace national systems but connects them. It was tested by linking 59 information systems across 21 countries. The design uses building blocks that sit on top of existing national registries, enabling interoperability without requiring countries to replace their current infrastructure.

Is there ongoing support or a successor initiative?

TOOP closed in March 2021, but its results fed directly into EU digital government policy and the Single Digital Gateway implementation. Based on available project data, the architecture and lessons learned are being carried forward by EU institutions. Contact the coordinator at Tallinn University of Technology for current status.

Consortium

Who built it

TOOP assembled one of the largest EU project consortia with 69 partners across 23 countries. The unusual composition — 42 classified as "other" (mostly national government agencies), alongside 9 industry, 9 university, and 9 research organizations — reflects the project's public-sector DNA. With 19 national administrations directly participating, this was not a lab experiment but a real government infrastructure project. The 5 SMEs and 9 industry partners (13% industry ratio) indicate that while the primary users are governments, there is private sector involvement in building and operating the technology. The coordinator, Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia — a country renowned for its e-government leadership — adds credibility. For a GovTech company, this consortium represents a direct pathway into 19 national government procurement pipelines.

TALLINNA TEHNIKAÜLIKOOLCoordinator · EE
TIMELEXthirdparty · BE
SOFARTSSTYRELSENthirdparty · DK
ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXISthirdparty · EL
LIIKENNE- JA VIESTINTAVIRASTOparticipant · FI
UNIVERSITAT FUR WEITERBILDUNG KREMSthirdparty · AT
TINEXTA INFOCERT SPAparticipant · IT
NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNOthirdparty · NL
BUNDESMINISTERIUM FUR FINANZENthirdparty · AT
BERNER FACHHOCHSCHULEparticipant · CH
INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE IN INFORMATICA ICI BUCURESTI RAparticipant · RO
MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATIVE RECONSTRUCTIONthirdparty · EL
TEKNOLOGISK INSTITUTparticipant · DK
LUXEMBOURG INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYparticipant · LU
MINISTERIE VAN ECONOMISCHE ZAKENthirdparty · NL
ZENTRUM FUR SICHERE INFORMATIONSTECHNOLOGIE - AUSTRIAthirdparty · AT
SIEC BADAWCZA LUKASIEWICZ - POZNANSKI INSTYTUT TECHNOLOGICZNYparticipant · PL
RIIGI INFOSUSTEEMI AMETthirdparty · EE
BUNDESMINISTERIUM DES INNERN UND FUR HEIMATthirdparty · DE
UNIVERSITY OF PIRAEUS RESEARCH CENTERthirdparty · EL
EXECUTIVE AGENCY MARITIME ADMINISTRATIONparticipant · BG
MAJANDUS JA KOMMUNIKATSIOONIMINISTEERIUMparticipant · EE
MINISTERIE VAN BINNENLANDSE ZAKEN EN KONINKRIJKSRELATIESthirdparty · NL
YPOURGEIO PSIFIAKIS DIAKYVERNISISthirdparty · EL
BOLAGSVERKETthirdparty · SE
KAMER VAN KOOPHANDELthirdparty · NL
UNIVERSITAT KOBLENZthirdparty · DE
BUNDESRECHENZENTRUM GMBHparticipant · AT
PANEPISTIMIO AIGAIOUthirdparty · EL
UNIONE ITALIANA DELLE CAMERE DI COMMERCIO INDUSTRIA ARTIGIANATO E AGRICOLTURA UNIONCAMEREparticipant · IT
BUNDESMINISTERIUM FUR WIRTSCHAFT, ENERGIE UND TOURISMUSthirdparty · AT
MINISTRSTVO ZA JAVNO UPRAVOparticipant · SI
STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE
REGISTERENHETEN I BRONNOYSUNDparticipant · NO

How to reach the team

Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia) — reach out to the e-Governance Academy or digital government department

Order a report on this consortium See TALLINNA TEHNIKAÜLIKOOL profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the TOOP team or need help applying their cross-border data exchange architecture to your government IT platform? Contact SciTransfer for a tailored briefing.

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