KER1: Updated AARC Blueprint architecture for emerging technologies and services in pan-European research infrastructures

Updated AARC Blueprint architecture for emerging technologies and services in pan-European research infrastructures

The AARC Blueprint Architecture (BPA) 2025 provides an updated reference architecture for federated Authentication and Authorisation Infrastructures (AAIs) supporting research collaborations. Building on previous AARC Blueprint releases, this update consolidates architectural concepts, components, and interaction patterns reflecting current practice in pan-European research infrastructures.

The Blueprint Architecture describes a common architectural framework and terminology for designing and operating federated AAI solutions, with a focus on interoperability across organisational and technical boundaries. It does not prescribe specific implementations, but instead provides a technology-agnostic reference that can be adapted to different deployment models and environments.

The AARC BPA 2025 is published as part of the AARC TREE project to support alignment, reuse, and a shared understanding of AAI architectures across research infrastructures.

Select one from the following list:

• Other Intangible Results (Justification: Reference Architecture)

Select up to three from the following list:

• Academia/ Universities

• Other Actors who can help us fulfil our market potential

• Research and Technology Organisations

Select up to three from the following list:

• Expanding to more markets /finding new customers (Justification: To promote adoption of the AARC BPA 2025 across Research & Education ecosystems beyond the current AARC community, fostering interoperability alignment, reducing fragmentation, and increasing uptake at European and global scale)

We are looking for additional adopters and implementers of the AARC Blueprint Architecture for international research collaboration. In particular, we welcome feedback from organisations designing or evolving federated AAI architectures and integrating services via AARC-aligned patterns.

We are also interested in collaboration opportunities to validate the applicability of the BPA 2025 guidance in diverse operational contexts, and to collect implementation experience that can inform future revisions and community guidance.

AARC TREE

Optional – won’t be visible in the entry

AARC TREE consortium

AARC Community

No

N/A

1. Alignment of the EOSC AAI Architecture 2025 with the AARC Blueprint Architecture
2. Alignment of the Australian Access Federation (AAF) framework with the AARC Blueprint Architecture
3. Alignment of the German Data Infrastructure (IAM4NFDI) with the AARC Blueprint Architecture

1. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15388270
2. https://trust.aaf.edu.au/global-framework/
3. https://doc.nfdi-aai.de/

The AARC Blueprint Architecture and related outputs are available through the AARC Community website and archived on Zenodo for long-term open access.

https://aarc-community.org/

The 2025 revision of the AARC Blueprint Architecture (AARC BPA) provides a reference architecture for federated Authentication and Authorisation Infrastructures (AAIs) supporting research collaborations. It introduces a refined functional capability-based model structured around Identity Management, Collaboration Management and Service Integration, clarifying functional responsibilities while preserving backward compatibility with previous AARC BPA versions. The revision strengthens interoperability across independent AAI deployments, supports modular implementation, and accommodates both community-first and identity-first user workflows. It also establishes a foundation for future credential paradigms, including verifiable credentials. The AARC BPA 2025 enables sustainable, interoperable federated access across European and international research infrastructures. The AARC BPA 2025 shows broad European and international alignment. Elements of its architectural model are reflected in the EOSC AAI Architecture 2025 and referenced within national and international identity federation initiatives, including IAM4NFDI and the Australian Access Federation (AAF).

Select up to three from the following list:

• Digital economy and society
• International cooperation and development
• Research and innovation

• Authentication and Authorisation Infrastructure (AAI)
• Federated Identity Management (FIM)
• Identity and Access Management (IAM)
• Reference Architecture
• Interoperability
• Trust Framework
• Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Research Infrastructures
• Federated Access
• Cross-border Research Collaboration

Select up to three from the following list:

• GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
• GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

No

No

Has your result had or do you expect it to have a significant influence on policy-making?

Yes

Title (optional, one or more links to further information)

1. AARC BPA documentation on AARC Community website
2. EOSC AAI Architecture 2025 (built upon AARC BPA)

Link

1. https://aarc-community.org/architecture/
2. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15388270

Result Maturity

9

Current Stage and Next Steps

The result has reached a mature stage as a reference architecture with multiple operational deployments across research and e-infrastructures, enabling interoperable federated and cross-border access to distributed services and being maintained through active community governance. Future work focuses on its evolution towards support for identity wallets and verifiable credentials, further alignment with emerging trust frameworks such as OpenID Federation, and broader adoption beyond traditional research infrastructures

Do you already have customers for this result?

Yes

Number of existing customers

>1000

What type of customers/ users do you have?

Select all that are applicable:

• Individuals
• Academia
• R&T organisations
• Public Institutions and Authorities

Which Business Sectors do your customers mainly come from?

Select all that are applicable:

• Education and training
• International cooperation and development
• Research and innovation

Unique value proposition

The AARC Blueprint Architecture provides a vendor-neutral, community-driven reference architecture that enables interoperable federated authentication and authorisation across organisational and national boundaries, reducing integration complexity for secure cross-infrastructure collaboration.

Do you have a scalable business model?

The result follows an ecosystem-driven scalability model, where adoption grows through open standards, community governance, and independent implementations rather than centralised service provision.  Organisations and infrastructures can replicate and deploy the architecture without having to re-invent the wheel, while interoperability benefits increase as more infrastructures align with the framework, enabling scalable impact without proportional operational overhead.

Is your result replicable?

Yes

Please elaborate on the Replicability

The AARC Blueprint Architecture is inherently replicable as a technology-agnostic reference architecture. Organisations can independently implement the defined Functional Capabilities (Identity Management, Collaboration Management, and Service Integration) using different software stacks while maintaining interoperability. The architecture does not depend on a specific vendor, platform, or deployment model, enabling reuse across national, European and international research infrastructures. Multiple independent implementations already demonstrate its replicability across diverse organisational and technical environments.

Is your result and your business model sustainable in the long term?

Please elaborate on Sustainability

The sustainability of the AARC Blueprint Architecture is ensured through community governance and broad ecosystem adoption rather than dependence on a single project or funding stream. The architecture is maintained by the AARC Community and aligned with major European initiatives (e.g. EOSC). Its vendor-neutral and modular design allows independent evolution of components while preserving interoperability. Backward compatibility with previous BPA versions protects existing deployments, reducing migration risk and ensuring long-term stability. Sustainability is further reinforced by adoption across national and international AAIs for research collaboration, creating a growing interoperable ecosystem that incentivises continued maintenance and evolution.

Are you targeting geographical markets?

While initially developed within Europe, the AARC BPA supports global interoperability and cross-border research collaboration.

What level of investment (EUR) are you currently looking for?

Not applicable (0 EUR). The AARC Blueprint Architecture is a reference architecture, relying on open standards and community governance, rather than centralised commercial service provision. Future evolution is supported through collaborative project funding.