The GÉANT community plays a central role in enabling Europe’s digital education ecosystem by providing trusted, interoperable networking and digital infrastructure services that support learners, educators, and institutions across borders.
As student and staff mobility, digital learning, and cross-border collaboration continue to expand across Europe, the need for secure, scalable, and interoperable digital services is growing rapidly. National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) are uniquely positioned to act as the trust fabric that interconnects the different stages of a learner’s journey, from identity and access, to discovery, mobility, and credentials.
Within GÉANT, education is an increasingly important strategic focus area. A number of coordinated activities and community groups are working together to align national and European initiatives, share best practices, and develop common approaches that support the European Digital Education Area.
This wiki section provides an overview of the main GÉANT coordination structures supporting education, including:
NRENs4Education Working Group – a community forum for strategic coordination and collaboration across NRENs (Closed group only for NREN representatives)
Task Force Educational Services and Activities (TF-EDU) – an open global group for all interested in the digitalization of education, topics include, strategic alignments, technical solutions and operational methods focused on service development and implementation
Together, these groups form the backbone of GÉANT’s community-driven approach to supporting digital education in Europe.
The NRENs4Education Working Group is a community coordination forum bringing together NRENs that are active, or planning to become active, in supporting education services. It is a closed group, available for NRENs and their representatives.
Its purpose is to:
Provide a platform for strategic coordination and information exchange across the NREN community
Share national experiences, mandates, funding models, and best practices
Align NREN activities with European policy developments and initiatives such as the European Digital Education Area, European University Alliances, and Erasmus+
Contribute to the development and implementation of the GÉANT Education Roadmap
The working group supports collaboration across a highly diverse community, recognising that NRENs differ significantly in mandates, resources, and service portfolios. Its focus is on building common understanding, identifying synergies, and strengthening the collective role of NRENs in the European education ecosystem.
The Task Force on Educational Services and Activities (TF-EDU) is a global and open group, focuses on international strategic, technical and operational aspects of education-related services within the broader GÉANT community.
TF-EDU provides a forum for experts working on:
Identity and Access Management services supporting education (e.g. eduGAIN, MyAcademicID)
Discovery and interoperability services for mobility and learning opportunities
Digital credentials and verifiable credentials
Integration of national education platforms with European frameworks and standards
The task force supports:
Exchange of technical expertise and implementation experiences
Development of common specifications, guidelines, and reference architectures
Coordination with other GÉANT groups, including Trust & Identity, REFEDS, and relevant project work packages
TF-EDU plays a key role in translating strategic priorities into practical, interoperable solutions that can be deployed by NRENs and institutions.
NRENs4Education and TF-EDU operate in a complementary way:
NRENs4Education focuses on NREN strategy, coordination, policy alignment, and community building
TF-EDU focuses on global strategic and technical alignment, delivery, service development, and operational collaboration
Together, they support the implementation of the GÉANT Education Roadmap and help position the GÉANT community as a trusted partner for European digital education infrastructure.