A European Commission study (DG CNECT, published 29 September) assesses 12 critical digital technology areas to shape the digital research and innovation priorities of the next Horizon Europe program (2028-2034; €175 billion proposed, not yet an approved budget). It names decentralized identity, digital wallets, verifiable credentials and zero-knowledge technology among research priorities. Blockchain, distributed ledgers and digital identity received about €23 million in mapped funding during 2021-2025, under 1% of the total across the areas examined. The study flags fragmentation among competing identity standards, calls for formal verification techniques, and connects privacy-enhancing technologies such as homomorphic encryption and secure multiparty computation to the EU Digital Identity Wallet. Biometrics is not identified as a standalone R&I priority and appears mainly in the study’s AI patent analysis. Under the revised eIDAS framework, Member States must make at least one EU Digital Identity Wallet available by the end of 2026. Source: Biometric Update. https://www.biometricupdate.com/202609/eu-study-puts-digital-identity-on-research-roadmap-for-next-horizon-europe