Billon signs contract with Kielce University of Technology to digitize student credentials on blockchain

(Kielce/Warsaw, Feburary 5, 2021) Billon Digital Services, a fully-owned subsidiary of Billon Group, signed an agreement with Kielce University of Technology in Poland for secure online storage and verification of student credentials on blockchain. University graduates -- for the first time in Poland -- will receive fraud-resistant digital copies of their credentials stored on an immutable ledger using Billon’s DLT platform for document and data management.

Under the agreement, Billon will provide the university with a solution to publish, store and share digital representations of diplomas in a distributed and cryptographically secured blockchain database. Each graduate will receive, in addition to the paper diploma, a link to its digital copy stored on the ledger and a unique code allowing for its decryption and reading. 

Kielce University is at the forefront of blockchain adoption among universities. According to a 2019 Gartner report, “The most promising use case for blockchain in higher education is to transform the ‘record keeping’ of degrees, certificates and diplomas.”

The Billon solution ensures secure and convenient use of digital credentials  by universities, graduates and any third party that needs to confirm their authenticity. 

• The university administration can convert a PDF file with the diploma to data dispersed on the ledger in a matter of seconds. 
• Students will be able to download the file anytime and anywhere to their device and present it to the potential employer. 
• Employers, in turn, will be able to quickly verify the authenticity of the diploma on the university’s website, confirming the credentials of its holder. 

The solution enables fully paperless document attestation and verification, an important feature in the times of the pandemic and the need to limit physical contacts.

Prof. Zbigniew Koruba, rector of the Kielce University of Technology, comments: - Cooperation with the IT industry is a very important element in the growth strategy of the university. The project carried out with Billon will enable the digital publication of graduation diplomas of our students using blockchain technology. The current pandemic has caused a dynamic increase in interest in IT solutions, and the digital circulation of documents will become a common standard in the near future.

Billon’s system provides a safer alternative to conventional methods of digital management of sensitive students’ documents and records, significantly reducing the risk of any information being tampered with or lost. Unlike other blockchain solutions, Billon's DLT stores not only hash sums, but complete documents on-chain. Published files are decomposed and scrambled; it is impossible to delete or manipulate them, or provide access to anyone other than the intended recipients. Distributed architecture protects from mass data leaks and prevents modifying and deleting stored data by unauthorized parties.

Andrzej Horoszczak, founder of Billon Group and CEO of Billon Digital Services, comments: “Blockchain technology reduces risk for universities, students and potential employers by preventing fraud related to the forging of diplomas and degrees. The solution provides peace of mind through on-line verification of document origins and reliable confirmation of the authenticity of documents. It results in maximum data security with minimum IT administrative costs.”

Billon’s blockchain technology can be used to issue other tamper proof essential documents and certificates and to verify their authenticity and provenance in real time without spending time and money while having to rely on intermediaries. Innovate UK provided Billon a grant to build a DLT platform for fraud-resistant COVID-19 vaccination certificates that would accelerate the post-pandemic recovery  Billon also recently partnered with UK healthtech provider CCUbe Solutions to launch a Ready-to-Work platform, storing training and work certificates that allow medical and non-medical staff to easily prove they can work in restricted COVID-19 areas or to move between clinics.  In Poland, companies and institutions that use Billon's DLT platform to store and publish high value documents include The Polish Credit Office, Tauron, Syneriz and the Polish section of IEEE.

Learn more about digital student credentials on blockchain HERE.

About Kielce University of Technology

A dynamic and cosmopolitan university, Kielce University of Technology (KUT) is the leading scientific and educational institution in Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) region of Poland which marks the gateway to Kielce — Świętokrzyskie economic, multicultural, innovative and creative hub. 

KUT is a public university whose mission is to support for the economic, social and cultural prosperity of the region. With more than 70 laboratories, our purpose is to advance knowledge and learning through research-inspired teaching and partnerships with industry and the local community. The university excels in research on laser and plasma technologies with the world-class equipped Center of Laser Technology of Metals, a joint project with the Polish Academy of Sciences.

KUT has a culturally diverse campus life, a vibrant international exchange study and research programs that prepare graduates for the workplaces of today and the future. Our campus is in the heart of the Kielce business district. For more information, visit tu.kielce.pl.

About Billon

Billon created a DLT protocol and system specifically for tokenizing and transacting national currency and processing sensitive data in compliance with regulations, thus unleashing the transformational capabilities of blockchain technologies in the regulated world.  Billon’s underlying protocol was designed for high throughput levels and low cost of maintenance in a range of environments. The system supports clients developing their own enterprise-grade applications in areas of Accounts & Transactions, Trusted Documents, and Identity & Data Sharing.

Billon Group Ltd. was founded in the UK in 2015, following several years of R&D in Poland. Its unique DLT protocol has been supported by many R&D grants, including the EU Horizon 2020 program. Billon is licensed to issue electronic money by regulators in the UK and Poland.  Billon’s growing client list includes leading companies such as FIS, Raiffeisen Bank International and BIK (the Polish credit reporting agency). Billon has offices in London and Warsaw.

For more information, visit www.billongroup.com. Follow Billon Group on LinkedIn & Twitter & Facebook.

Media contacts:

For Europe: Maciej Józefowicz / maciej.jozefowicz@billongroup.com / tel. 0048 734 443 023

For North America: Nancy Broe / nbroe@fulltiltconsulting.com / tel. +1 678 230 9146