The College of Information Presents Industry Insights Guest Speaker, Victor Holotescu.

Title: Blockchain in Education: Verifiable Credentials and the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI)

• March 17, 2026
• 12:30-1:30pm
• In-Person: Discovery Park, Room G150
• Online: Register via Zoom

Abstract: Over the past two decades, technology has evolved at an accelerated pace, transforming and creating new learning ecosystems that support lifelong learning and respond to the growing demand for upskilling and reskilling. At the same time, increased mobility and the need to prove competencies and knowledge acquired in formal, informal, and non-formal settings have contributed to the demand for tamper-proof and easily verifiable credentialing solutions.
The United States was one of the pioneers in online credential issuance through Blockcerts, an open standard created at the MIT Media Lab, which introduced the hashing of documents and anchoring those hashes to the Bitcoin network in 2016, and later to Ethereum.
Many other solutions have since integrated blockchain technologies as a way to verify credential authenticity.

In this talk, we will present several solutions developed in Romania for credential issuance and reputation networks. We will also explore the European Union’s cross-border Diploma use-case through the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI), which aims to make verifiable credentials the default standard. The session will examine how EBSI works, the steps required for adoption, integration with learning management systems, as well as current shortcomings and potential solutions.
 

Speaker Bio: Victor Holotescu is a PhD candidate at the University Politehnica Timișoara, specializing in blockchain applications in education, with a focus on verifiable credentials and decentralized identity frameworks. His research explores the integration of digital credentialing systems with institutional infrastructures and cross-border interoperability initiatives such as the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI).
In parallel, he is a co-founder and administrator of Buidler Labs, where he works on decentralized protocols, AI-driven applications, developer-focused educational resources, and SaaS infrastructure, bridging academic research with applied system development.