Researchers at the UNU Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV) have won the prestigious IN3+ Award 2021 — a research, development, and innovation initiative supported by the the Portuguese mint and national press (Imprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda).
UNU-EGOV Visiting Fellow João Marco Silva and UNU-EGOV Adjunct Professor Vítor Fonte, won the award for their work on INIDA — Identidade Digital Inclusiva Não Autoritativa or Inclusive Non-Authoritative Digital Identity. INIDA is a project that targets more than one billion people who, according to the World Bank, cannot officially prove their identity.
The project’s primary goal is to explore a community-driven, inclusive, and pragmatic approach to personal identity by allowing trusted entities, such as schools, hospitals, and local authorities, to attest to people being born and living their life in the community. Such a mechanism would be supported by “life events”, such as vaccines and school enrolment. IDINA is well-aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG Target 16.9: “provide legal identity for all including free birth registrations”.
The ceremony took place on 29 March 2021, in Lisbon, and was attended by both the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, a rarely seen scenario, as highlighted by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa: “There are very few ceremonies were the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister are together. One of those times is 10 June [Portugal Day], and another is this award.”
For more details on the award and the INIDA project, visit the UNU-EGOV website.