GDN News
Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter! We have exciting updates to share with you, including new signatories and patrons, a major website launch, and a call for proposals for conference speakers. We’re also highlighting some key upcoming events you won’t want to miss.
Read on to learn more about what’s happening in the GDN Network community and how you can get involved.
Our Thanks!
We Appreciate Your Support
Thank you to our patrons, founders, ambassadors, signatories, and event sponsors for your enduring support for the GDN. As a not-for-profit European trust, we need your help to do the important work of the GDN Network on your collective behalf and are immensely grateful.
Patrons: https://groningendeclaration.org/signatories/patrons/
Founders: https://groningendeclaration.org/signatories/founders/
Ambassadors: https://groningendeclaration.org/ambassadors/
Past Sponsors: https://groningendeclaration.org/sponsorship-opportunities/
Signatories: https://groningendeclaration.org/signatories/
What’s New?
New Signatories and Patrons Update
We are pleased to announce new additions to the GDN community, as well as acknowledge returning signatory and patrons.
Hedd is a trusted higher education verification service in the UK. We are thrilled to play our part in advancing rapid access to credentials and documents, in partnership with Hedd and our community, to continue supporting the integrity of higher education and learner mobility.
We welcome Signe back as a patron and signatory of the GDN Network! SIGNE, Security Printing & Digital Solutions is a leading Spanish company specializing in the printing of security documents and the development of cutting-edge digital solutions to combat fraud. Together, we’re excited to drive progress toward swift access to digital credentials, all while working with our community to enhance global student mobility.
ISU İstinye University Istanbul has joined our growing network as a signatory. İstinye University is a private institution located in Istanbul, Turkey, focused on providing high-quality education. It emphasizes internationalization, student-centered learning, and research excellence. Their commitment to our shared mission strengthens our collective efforts and expands the impact of the GDN Network.
Learn more about this commitment in the following press release (available in Turkish): https://www.istinye.edu.tr/en/node/9782
1EdTech® Consortium is the leading global non-profit developing an open, trusted and innovative edtech ecosystem that ensures seamless interoperability in digital learning and credentialing. The collaboration between 1EdTech Consortium and the GDN Network is something a few of us have been working on so we are most excited to welcome them to the GDN community. Learn more about this collaboration in the press release.
Credential Engine is a non-profit whose mission is to map the credential landscape with clear and consistent information, fueling the creation of resources that empower people to find the pathways that are best for them.
We are please to welcome Credential Engine back to the GDN ecosystem, signaling a shared commitment to global worker mobility and transparency. Credential Engine’s leadership in the education and training data standards space is unique and critical to enabling and advancing credential portability for learners. Check out the press release for all the details: https://groningendeclaration.org/2024/10/09/advancing-global-mobility-and-transparency-3/
AcademyOne is an award-winning software development and consulting company serving the higher education community in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. It has been a strong supporter and contributor to the GDN Network for several years. We are excited to continue to work together with our community of EdTech companies on the continued evolution of support to advance learner mobility through seamless data sharing and credential portability. Read the press release to learn more:
https://groningendeclaration.org/2024/11/26/academyone-joins-the-gdn-network-as-patron-and-signatory/
Becoming a signatory to the GDN Network Declaration is a signal from colleges, universities, governments, standards bodies, and allied associations of their commitment to ethical, trusted, interoperable, and privacy compliant credential and data sharing practices that enable local and national labour and social mobility. It’s about contributing to and inspiring capacity building and portability at scale. The goal is to advance inclusivity and rapid access to work and learning for learners.
Interested in joining the GDN Network?
Launch of the New Website
We’re excited to unveil our brand-new website! Designed with user experience in mind, the new site offers a streamlined interface, enhanced resources, and easy access to the latest updates, future convenings, and a new digital hub with a growing repository of helpful resources to aid your work.
As we look forward, we will continue updating our content. Take a look around and let us know what you think!
Call for Proposals and Registrations
We are accepting registrations and proposals for the GDN Annual Meeting 2025 in Oslo, Norway from October 28-30, 2025 and the GDN & PCCAT Connected Learning: Creating Digital Pathways for Global Impact in Toronto, Canada from May 28-30, 2025. We encourage you to submit your proposals to present at either and/or both event(s).
Webinars
Feature Series: Exploring the work of Credential Engine
As part of a three-part webinar series, the GDN Network helped our community explore the transformative work of Credential Engine (CE), a U.S.-based nonprofit. CE is committed to advancing the transparency and coherence of non-personal (non-PII) data related to the artifacts of education, training, and workforce development. This includes data on providers, programs, credentials, skills, courses, outcomes, quality indicators, pathways, and more.
Our colleagues shared valuable insights and practical examples of how the open-source Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL) is being used to promote interoperability and transparency—critical elements in supporting learner mobility. You can find helpful resources, the webinar recordings, and details about the three sessions here: https://groningendeclaration.org/gdn-conversation-series-with-credential-engine/
GDN Conversation Series: Exploring the Dimensions of Trust with Velocity Network Foundation
Discover the future of digital recognition through the GDN Network and Velocity Network Foundation’s knowledge-building series on trusted ecosystems. These five sessions will focus on creating Networks of Networks thinking and capacity as we dive into the foundations of trust, elements of robust digital ecosystems, trust frameworks and typologies, insights into transformative case studies, and the essentials for adopting change.
The first session kicked off on March 11 with industry leaders discussing the future of trusted recognition in education and employment. You can catch up on the first session by watching the recording, available on our website.
Registration is rolling out for the next sessions. Check the details of this five-part series of webinars here: https://groningendeclaration.org/gdn-velocity-webinars-series/ We encourage you to register for as many or all of the sessions as you would like.
Join Us for the GDN Conversation Series: Opening up Credentialing and Recognition to Advance Lifelong Learning
This session will dive into the considerations and innovative approaches for making credentials more accessible, inclusive, and transparent, enabling learners from diverse backgrounds to gain recognition for their achievements. Discover how organizations can leverage new technologies, recognition frameworks and credentialing to support a culture of lifelong learning and foster greater career mobility.
📅 Date: March 27, 2025
⏰ Time: 11:00 AM ET
This webinar is part of our ‘Recognition Series,‘ leading up to the much-anticipated GDN and PCCAT co-hosted Connected Learning event.
Join us for the GDN Conversation Series: Digitizing Citizen Services & Credentials in the Caribbean Region: Spotlight on St. Lucia
This session will highlight a Caricom region example of what it takes to scale digital services in government. Transformation across an entire country takes work and thoughtful execution. We are excited to feature how one region is launching over 100 services in the digital sphere to support transformative change.
📅 Date: April 30, 2025
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM ET
This webinar is part of our ‘Emerging Markets Series’.
Upcoming Events
GDN & PCCAT Learning Summit: Connected Learning: Creating Digital Pathways for Global Impact
We’re looking forward to our collaboration with the PCCAT community at event “Connected Learning: Transforming Mobility with Data and Pathways”. This summit, co-hosted by the Groningen Declaration Network (GDN) and the Pan-Canadian Consortium for Admission and Transfer (PCCAT), will take place at the Centennial College Event Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The event will bring together thought leaders to unlock the potential of data-driven systems, forge seamless transfer pathways, and inspire transformational mobility solutions. With a hybrid format, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in diverse sessions designed to innovate and inspire solutions for transformational mobility, with a strong emphasis on both Canadian and International collaboration. Don’t miss this chance to be part of shaping the future of education!
📅 Dates: May 28-30, 2025
📍Location: Toronto, Canada
If you’re planning to present or have a proposal, make sure to submit it before the deadline of April 1. You can use the provided proposal submission form link to submit your session.
GDN Annual Meeting 2025 – Oslo, Norway
Our highly anticipated Annual Meeting is just around the corner! We are excited to co-host the GDN Annual Meeting in Oslo, Norway, with HK Dir, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, and SIKT. This year’s convening will feature thought leaders, industry experts, and interactive sessions covering key topics such as technology, standards, policy, governance, research, interoperability, and both national and international perspectives.
📅 Dates: October 29 – 31, 2025
📍Location: Oslo, Norway
Mark your calendars – you won’t want to miss it! For full event details, including proposals, sponsorships, and travel info, visit the official event website.
GDN Annual Meeting 2026 – Cape Town, South Africa
As time flies, we would like to announce the location of the 2026 GDN Annual Convening, which will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, co-hosted with SAQA, from October 20-22, 2026.
We will be announcing more details soon. In the meantime, save the date!
GDN Network Strategic Plan
The GDN Network is pleased to share its five year strategic plan which is in place to guide activities from 2025 onwards. We consider this a living document as we work towards building the GDN and supporting our communities. Please contact the executive director, Joanne Duklas if you have suggestions and recommendations. [email protected]
Your input is needed: GDN governance framework consultation
The GDN is pleased to launch a study and consultation process, setting the stage for development of a future principled based governance framework to support creation and oversight of digital credentialing ecosystems.
For Phase 1, we are sharing a research paper authored by Dr. Rooksana Rajab and Koichi Nakasaki along with a consult survey to capture initial feedback. Your input to the survey will inform creation of the future GDN governance framework.
During the summer and fall, the GDN will be circulating a draft governance framework as part of the Phase 2 consultation process.
We anticipate that the new recommended governance framework will be launched for broad use at the Oslo GDN Annual Meeting in October 2025.
Review the research report, and share your thoughts within the Phase 1 survey by May 1, 2025.
Stay in the Loop: Subscribe to Our Newsletter
To keep up with all the latest updates, insights, and opportunities, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter. Stay informed and engaged with everything happening at the GDN Network.
Connect With Us
If you have any questions or want to learn more about the topics mentioned in this edition, feel free to reach out! You can contact us at [email protected] or follow us on our LinkedIn account for regular updates.
Thank you for your continued support!
