Action agenda
The coalition works on the basis of an action agenda. This investigates the possibilities for blockchain technology, assesses whether this technology sufficiently satisfies legislation, and builds research and training programmes in this field.
This action agenda focuses on the following three lines of action:
Developing blockchain building blocks: Digital Identities
Realising the conditions for utilising blockchain
Developing and realising the Human Capital Agenda
In the international arena, the DBC makes agreements about standardisation, norms and governance. It does this with parties like ISO and the European Commission.
Next steps: the implementation of use cases
After the orienting and exploratory phase, the DBC now believes it is time to switch to the next step in the period 2019/2020: research and experimenting in practice. A large number of blockchain exploratory studies have led to proofs-of-concept and the DBC’s partners have selected the most promising use cases. These large societal use cases are blockchain applications for which we expect good results can be achieved in the Netherlands with an impact on the private and public sectors as equally a distinctive international profile. We use the term “use cases” in the broad sense here, namely as demonstrably valuable applications of new technology that we can immediately benefit from. The DBC will investigate this using the following experiments:
Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)
Logistics
Academic certificates and diplomas
Pensions
Compliance by design
Mortgages
Blockchain for good
It is not just the collaboration within the DBC that is unique and necessary. The approach of the DBC is important too: “Blockchain for good”. This perspective assumes the idea that a far-reaching technology like blockchain must be properly regulated. This concerns legislation, investments and clear communication to society. These obstacles must be overcome and the outcome of that must be used for good, in other words, for a better society. The need for a national coalition Blockchain cannot be developed inside the walls of a single organisation. Therefore in March 2017, representatives from the public and private sector and the knowledge sector took the initiative to establish the DBC. The Top Team ICT of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy recognised the urgency of the DBC and facilitated the process of establishing a national coalition.
Becoming a member of the Dutch Blockchain Coalition
The coalition is always open for experts and stakeholders who want to contribute to the coalition so that it can achieve a maximal outcome. Due consideration is always given to finding the best match between the expertise offered and the interest of the programme, which must be seen as a rolling agenda. The collaboration is long-term, can assume different work forms and in mutual consultation is matched to the possibilities and needs of the partners. New participants can become a member of one of the following forms of partnerships:
Key partners
Interested organisations who want to become a key partner of the Dutch Blockchain coalition can contact us via [email protected]. Please note that key partners must satisfy both the requested financial contribution and the requested in-kind contribution.
Knowledge partners
Organisations interested in becoming a knowledge partner in the coalition should submit a proposal which states how they will realise the chosen role. These proposals will be discussed with the key partners in the Coalition Council and a possible admission procedure can subsequently be started. We look forward to seeing your proposal in which you explain how you will realise your contribution to the coalition. This can be sent to [email protected].
For more information about the DBC and what blockchain is please see the FAQs.
Finally: the digital ecosystem of trust
The term ecosystem is often used in the blockchain world. Blockchain emerged from open source technology in which everybody can programme, participate and help make decisions. As the current Internet increasingly appears to be the opposite of an ecosystem, namely a monoculture of a number of centralised platforms, blockchain offers the unique opportunity to start with a clean page and think about how we want to set up our digital society.
But because the technology is complex and blockchains by definition require broad, international collaboration, this encourages governments and companies to leave their comfort zone. You cannot design and roll out an ecosystem from the top down. It needs to grow from the bottom up. The DBC has a facilitating and catalysing role in this, whereby partners dare to take risks.
The Blockchains for Good that the Dutch Blockchain Coalition will develop in the coming years will ultimately contribute to a digital ecosystem of trust in which security, freedom and equality are safeguarded.
