In this QualiChain partner interview, we talk to Pilar Pérez Berganza, Business consultant in Atos, Spain. Pilar graduated in Advertising and Public Relations (University of Barcelona, Spain) and is also certified in PBA® (Certified Professional Business Analysis) by the Project Management Institute PMI®. Pilar has more than ten years of work experience in R&D business development in different sectors such as Transport, eGovernment, Media and Education. She is currently involved in different R&D projects which exploit blockchain, 5G and big data technologies.
What is your organisation’s role in QualiChain?
Atos, as industrial partner with proven expertise in digital business projects worldwide, will coordinate the overall exploitation strategy to bring QualiChain innovations to market.
We also analyse the socio-economic landscape starting with an in-depth market need analysis (conducted at the very beginning of the project). Atos also leads the pilots’ evaluation, lessons learnt and impact assessment and will participate in the implementation, component integration and technical validation of the platform.
How does QualiChain relate with your or your team’s background and interests?
In Atos Research and Innovation we have a research line focused on distributed ledger technologies and its application in specific vertical markets. This research line links with the overall Atos’ blockchain offering based on our expertise in blockchain and our capacity as integrators supported by a solid network of partners to deliver solutions adapted to clients’ needs.
Specifically, Atos portfolio in education includes solutions for:
- Authenticity and expiration of certificates by recording and encrypting certificates at source in an immutable, indelible and permanent registry.
- Micro-accreditation of training by using trustworthy distributed data base for trainers to directly create seminars and courses with specific content captured
- IPR Management by the instant capture of data, inventions and designs in an immutable registry managing the whole research cycle.
- Identity linking by enabling cross-sector interoperability between eIDAS eID and Higher Education identities to provide trusted authentication and linked identities.
The results derived from QualiChain will allow us to complete and enhance our existing offering to education market.
What is the novelty of QualiChain?
QualiChain will allow to overcome important challenges in the current education market sector. It is estimated that around 11% of CVs contain fake academic awards. There are many websites selling fake certificates, only in UK, 3000 of those false certificates were sold last year. This causes twofold effect; on one hand students see the value of their education decrease and on the other hand the education institutions prestige is damaged. QualiChain also will increase dramatically the efficiency of universities and students to design appropriate learning paths and will provide effective mechanisms to both recruitment staff and applicants to match successfully job positions.
Which target groups can benefit from QualiChain?
The whole education ecosystem from students to academic institutions both public and private including formal and informal education and also labour market both in public administration and private recruitment companies smoothing the path from training to job market.
How do you envision the future of decentralisation initiatives and technologies, such as the Blockchain?
The use of decentralised technologies means a fundamental shift in paradigm from an economy based on players that need third parties to collaborate among them in a safe way which involves implications in terms of cost-effectiveness among others to a system in which all parties can access to same certified information at the same time. This model will impact in all economic sectors allowing operations in a more secure, rapid and effective manner by allowing users to manage their data increasing its immutability, security and transparency.
