Digital transformation in higher education faces a persistent challenge: systems that don’t talk to each other. Students struggle to transfer credits between institutions. Educators can’t easily share resources across borders. Administrators wrestle with incompatible data formats. The Higher Education Interoperability Framework (HEIF) offers a solution.
What is HEIF?
HEIF is a collection of resources created by the European Digital Education Hub. It responds to the rising demand for smooth mobility, exchange and digital teaching and learning in Europe’s higher education. At its heart, HEIF offers a reference architecture for eight key use cases. These cover the entire learner journey, from finding courses to earning credentials.
Think of HEIF as a common language for digital education systems. Just as the internet relies on agreed protocols to connect computers worldwide, HEIF promotes common European standards that help educational institutions work together smoothly.
Watch our explainer video
The future of connected and accessible higher education starts with frameworks like HEIF and institutions eager to use them.
The eight use cases
Each HEIF use case tackles a specific challenge in the student journey:
Discover: helps students find learning opportunities across institutions through standardised course catalogues. No more hunting through incompatible systems—students can compare offerings easily.
Apply and get recognition: streamlines enrolment and credit recognition. Students moving between institutions can trust their achievements will be recognised automatically.
Access tools: enables sharing of educational resources and software across institutional boundaries. A student at one university can use specialised equipment or digital tools from partner institutions.
Managing educational resources: focuses on collaborative content creation. Educators can co-create materials and make them discoverable by learners and educators at partner institutions.
Generate data: captures learning activity in standardised formats. This helps improve educational platforms whilst respecting student privacy.
Earn a credential: ensures digital certificates are portable and verifiable. Students hold tamper-proof records of their achievements.
Two supporting use cases underpin the others: User identity provides secure single sign-on across institutions, whilst Institutional identity establishes trusted institutional profiles.
How to use the framework
Our explainer video walks you through the HEIF use cases step by step. The video demonstrates:
- How each use case fits into the learner journey
- Real-world scenarios that the use cases seek to enable
The framework isn’t just theoretical. European University alliances have shaped its development through practical experience. Their feedback has refined the use cases to address real challenges faced by institutions working together.
Why it matters
Student mobility across Europe continues to grow. Virtual inter-university campuses are becoming reality thanks to the European Universities initiative. But without interoperability, these developments create administrative nightmares and frustrate students.
HEIF tackles these issues systematically. It respects institutional autonomy whilst promoting collaboration. The framework doesn’t force institutions to replace their existing systems. Instead, it provides the means for different systems to communicate with each other.
Getting started
Implementation doesn’t require wholesale change. Institutions can start with one use case—perhaps Discover to make courses more visible, or User identity to simplify authentication. Each use case includes:
- High-level business flows showing key steps
- Reference architectures detailing technical requirements
- Practical recommendations based on real experiences
- Standards and tools already in use
The comprehensive final report provides detailed technical guidance. For those exploring options, the tutorial video offers an accessible introduction.
Join the movement, join the working group
Interoperability isn’t a distant goal—it’s happening now. Institutions across Europe are using HEIF to create a connected higher education system.
The framework evolves with community input. Your experiences, challenges, and successes shape its growth. Whether you’re a technical lead looking for options or a decision-maker weighing choices, HEIF provides clear pathways.
Get involved and help drive the adoption, scaling, and future development of the framework. To join the working group, you’ll need to first to become a member of the Digital Education Hub . It’s easy and completely free!
Learn more about the work group and get involved
Further reading
- Learn more about the European higher education interoperability framework
- Access the European higher education interoperability framework
- Download the glossary with concepts and terms
- Read the analysis of the state of interoperability across higher education systems in Europe
- Access the inventory of standards, processes, and ICT systems across higher education (mapping report)
- Read the proposal for a multi-stakeholder coordination group on European higher education interoperability
- Access the implementation resources
- Access the blueprint reference architecture
- Download the ArchiMate models
