IEEE at the Global Digital Collaboration Conference (GDC) 2026
IEEE SA is proud to be a co-organizer of the Global Digital Collaboration Conference (GDC), taking place 01-03 September at the Palexpo International Convention Centre in Geneva. GDC brings together global stakeholders to advance digital trust infrastructure worldwide via multi-stakeholder working sessions, discussing the latest technical, policy, regulatory, and standardization issues.
IEEE SA is contributing to the program in the following sessions.
Wednesday, 02 September 2026
Session 1: Wednesday, 02 September | 11:00-11:50 CEST
Credentialing Scenarios and Solutions - Trade, Transport & Travel
Co-organized by DPI Group: Aapti Institute, Interledger Foundation, MOSIP, Networks for Humanity, MOSIP, EUDIW Group: Aptitude, We Build, WeBuild, Research Organizations Group: EPFL, GEANT, Miles College, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)
This session will explore the role of digital credentials in enabling trusted, secure, and seamless interactions across trade, transport, and travel ecosystems.
Speakers: Annet Steenbergen, We Build; Sjoerd Rongen, TNO; Vikas Malhotra, WOPPLI Technologies
Session 2: Tuesday, 02 September 2026 |15:00-15:50 CEST
Building Safer Environments with Human-Centric Architecture: Control, Decentralization, and Distribution
Co-organized by IEEE, Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF), and Linux Foundation
This session will discuss an alternative architecture focused on user control, decentralized identity, and distributed computing, and it will illustrate pathways for building a safer, more resilient digital environment.
Speakers: Purva Rajkotia, IEEE; Monica Tsang, IEEE; Vikas Malhotra, WOPLLI Technologies; Richard Esplin, Dock Labs; Eleni Kosta, Tilburg University; Karen McCabe, IEEE (Moderator)
Session 3: Wednesday, 02 September | 16:00-16:50 CEST
Exploring Real-World Interoperability: Health Credentials in Digital Wallets
Co-organized by IEEE, WHO, DPI Group: Aapti Institute, Interledger Foundation, MOSIP, Networks for Humanity, MOSIP
This session grounds the vision of using verifiable credentials to strengthen public health systems, focusing on the opportunities and challenges.
Speakers: Nada Philip, IEEE
Session 4: Wednesday, 02 September | 16:00-16:50 CEST
Digital Humanism, Trust, and Identity
Co-organized by IEEE, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Gigabit European Academic Network (GÉANT), Miles College, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)
The session explores how trust in digital systems can be defined, assessed, and operationalised through standards, indicators, and value-based design.
Speakers: Tom Barbereau, TNO; Thomas Lohninger, Epicenter.works; Walter Gehr, Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs; Irene Kitsara, IEEE
Session 5: Wednesday, 02 September | 17:00-17:50 CEST
Scaling Data Spaces and DPPs Globally through Co-Creation and Standards
Co-organized by IEEE, Research Organizations Group: EPFL, GEANT, Miles College, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)
This session presents the Data Spaces Blueprint as a practical foundation for global data sharing, combined with the Co-Creation Method (CCM) to accelerate adoption. It links Digital Product Passports (DPPs) to the UN Transparency Protocol and shows how interoperability requires alignment with emerging global standards.
Speakers: Purva Rajkotia, IEEE; Sjoerd Rongen, TNO; Tamsin Lejeune, Common Objective; Frank Drijfhout, TNO
Thursday, 03 September 2026
Session 6: Thursday, 03 September | 14:00-14:50 CEST
Certification: The Foundation of Trust for a Global Digital Identity Ecosystem
Co-organized by IEEE, CSC, FIDO Alliance
This session explores why certification is the critical enabler for global adoption, and describes industry-wide efforts underway to elevate certification above mere compliance.
Speakers: Purva Rajkotia, IEEE; Eugenia Nikolouzou, ENISA; Roland Atoui, FIDO Alliance
Session 7: Thursday, 03 September | 14:00-14:50 CEST
The Wild West of Personal Data: Building AI's Missing Primitive
Co-organized by Linux Foundation Group: OpenWallet, IEEE, Trust Over IP, LF Decentralized Trust
This session will discuss what primitives AI needs for personal data.
Speakers: Art Abal, Vana Foundation; Antonino Rotolo, EUSAiR; Anna Kazlauskas, Open Data Labs; Tricia Wang, Advanced AI Society; Karen Mulberry, IEEE
Session 8: Thursday, 03 September | 17:00-17:50 CEST
Decentralized Identity/Verifiable Credentials and Implementation Scenarios
Co-organized by IEEE, Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF), and Linux Foundation
This session aims to advance the concept of decentralized identity to scalable implementation pathways that strengthen digital trust and inclusive global cooperation.
Speakers: Purva Rajkotia, IEEE; Vikas Malhotra, WOPLLI Technologies; Monica Tsang, IEEE; Drummond Reed, First Person Cooperative; Karen Mulberry, IEEE (Moderator)