European Association for Biometrics

What European Association for Biometrics does

The European Association for Biometrics (EAB), founded in December 2011 and headquartered in Amsterdam, is a non-profit, nonpartisan association that operates as Europe's convening body for the digital ID and biometrics community. EAB does not develop commercial biometric technology; instead, it runs a portfolio of programmatic services including an annual Research Projects Conference (EAB-RPC), thematic workshops, online lunch talks, expert lectures, an interactive Council of Wisdom Q&A series, and the European Biometrics Research and Industry Awards. Its underlying delivery infrastructure consists of a standard web presence (eab.org), online event registration, and virtual seminar delivery via platforms such as Microsoft Teams, with in-person events hosted in partnership with universities, research institutes, and industry venues across Germany, Norway, the UK, France, and other European countries.

EAB generates revenue through three primary streams: tiered annual membership fees (€95 for individuals; €0 for verified students; €525–€5,500 for organizations depending on type, size, and revenue band), event attendance fees (e.g., €360 standard / €240 EAB-member rate at EAB-RPC 2018), and conference sponsorships (Diamond, Gold, Silver tiers). The membership base spans European government agencies (BSI Germany, BKA, UK Home Office, Norwegian Police IT, Netherlands Forensic Institute), academic institutions (Fraunhofer IAO, Hochschule Darmstadt, NTNU Norwegian Biometrics Laboratory), and industry vendors (IDEMIA, Innovatrics, HID Global, Cognitec, BioID, secunet).

Its go-to-market motion is community-led: EAB markets primarily through its website, newsletters, press releases, media partnerships (notably Biometric Update), and a dense network of strategic alliances with peer bodies (EUROSMART, TeleTrusT, Secure Identity Alliance, Identity Day), standards organizations (NIST), and EU institutions (European Commission DG-JRC, eu-LISA). Distribution combines self-serve online access with in-person and virtual events held across Europe, positioning EAB as a neutral platform for knowledge exchange and policy debate rather than a vendor of products.

Name

European Association for Biometrics

Legal name

European Association for Biometrics

Website

https://eab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The European Association for Biometrics (EAB) is a non-profit association founded in 2011 that serves as Europe's convening body for digital ID and biometrics, hosting conferences, workshops, lectures, and awards to facilitate networking among government agencies, industry vendors, academia, and NGOs across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Association / Professional Membership Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920), Professional Organizations (81392), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online/Distance Education Quality & Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAK)

Keywords

• Biometrics association
• Digital identity community
• Biometrics research networking
• Identity management events
• Biometric standards advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Naarden

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: EAB generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees from individuals, students, and organizations including industry, government, academia, and NGOs. Membership provides access to events, lectures, workshops, and the EAB community.
2. Event Fees: Revenue generated from conference attendance fees, with EAB members receiving discounted rates. For example, EAB-RPC 2018 entrance fees: normal €360, EAB members €240, speakers €120.
3. Conference Sponsorship: Sponsorships from industry partners for events like EAB-RPC, with various sponsor tiers including Diamond, Gold, and Silver sponsorships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EAB is a non-profit association that provides a membership-based platform organizing events, workshops, lectures, and conferences that bring together the European digital ID and biometrics community. Its core deliverables are community-driven services: the annual EAB Research Projects Conference (EAB-RPC), Lunch Talks, expert lectures, the European Biometrics Research and Industry Awards, and membership services spanning individuals, students, industry, government, academia, associations, and NGOs.

Product overview

The European Association for Biometrics (EAB) is a non-profit, nonpartisan association serving as Europe's leading voice for digital ID and biometrics. Rather than offering a commercial product portfolio, the EAB provides a platform of services including organized events (workshops, Lunch Talks, the annual EAB-RPC Research Projects Conference), the European Biometrics Research and Industry Awards program, online lecture series, and interactive Council of Wisdom sessions. The EAB supports EU research initiatives including Horizon Europe projects and facilitates networking among government agencies, academic institutions, and industry members across Europe. Their initiatives address biometric topics spanning face recognition, fingerprint, iris, voice biometrics, age estimation, morphing attacks, presentation attack detection, and regulatory compliance including the EU AI Act.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EAB Events and Workshops
• EAB Research Projects Conference (EAB-RPC)
• European Biometrics Research and Industry Awards
• EAB Lectures
• EAB Council of Wisdom
• EAB Membership Services
• Horizon Europe Research Project Support

Quantifiable outcome

• EAB-RPC 2018 welcomed over 100 participants from academia, industry, and public institutions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• EURECOMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2025Co-organized workshop on Voice Deepfakes and Adversarial Attacks Detection with EURECOM.
• SafeTravellers ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2024Horizon Europe research project on multi-modal biometric verification for border security, with EAB press release support.
• Secure Identity AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2018EAB joined Secure Identity Alliance as an Advisory Observer in 2018, collaborating on secure identity initiatives and standards.
• NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2018Partnership with NIST on International Face Performance Conference, co-organizing events with NIST researchers.
• European Commission / DG-JRCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2018Long-standing cooperation with European Commission Joint Research Centre on biometrics research, standards, and policy development.
• Biometric UpdatecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing news coverage and content distribution for EAB events and initiatives, helping reach broader audiences in the biometrics and digital identity community.
• Identity DaycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for International Identity Day awareness and promotion, September 16 recognized as International Identity Day.
• EUROSMARTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with the smart security association representing the secure electronic transactions and digital identity industry in Europe.
• SpringersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for publication and content distribution in the academic biometrics research space.
• TeleTrusTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIT Security Association Germany biometrics working group cooperates with EAB on joint workshops and events.
• Fraunhofer IGDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain partner for organizing EAB-RPC conferences and other events at Fraunhofer IGD in Darmstadt, Germany.
• eu-LISAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems on OFIQ user group meetings and other events.
• University of BolognacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized Face Morphing Workshop with Annalisa Franco from University of Bologna.
• MobaisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian banks exploring Mobai's homomorphic encryption technology for biometric template protection in a project involving Norwegian Data Protection Authority.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GlobalPlatform: Standards body for secure digital services and devices, including biometrically enabled identity credentials. Operates global specification work with industry/government membership — adjacent scope to EAB's identity standardization activities.
• IEEE Biometrics Council: Worldwide technical community under IEEE that runs conferences (BTAS), publications, and education in biometrics research. Operates as a scientific/standards counterpart to EAB's industry-oriented events with overlapping academic and standards participants.
• FIDO Alliance: Global industry alliance advancing open authentication standards (including biometric modalities) with a much larger corporate membership base. Broader scope than EAB but converges on biometric/digital-identity standards work and convenes a similar industry-academia-government audience.

Emerging players

• Kantara Initiative: Industry working groups focused on digital identity assurance, credentialing, and interoperability standards. Comparable non-profit association structure with working-group programming that overlaps EAB's expert-community ethos.
• Open Identity Exchange (OIX): Non-profit focused on trusted digital identity frameworks and policy. Comparable membership/convening structure for digital-identity stakeholders with overlapping government and industry participants.
• Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA): Alliance advancing identity-centric security across enterprises. Smaller and more vendor-driven than EAB, but operates a comparable events/membership model and intersects with biometrics through authentication topics.

Direct peers

• EUROSMART: European association representing the smart secure digital identity and transactions industry, a long-standing EAB partner since 2012. Runs events, advocacy, and working groups across European digital-identity stakeholders, making it a direct comparable in scope and member profile.
• Secure Identity Alliance: Industry alliance focused on secure digital identity; EAB joined it as an Advisory Observer in 2018. Operates as a multi-stakeholder convener (governments, vendors, NGOs) on identity — same membership-based, non-profit industry-association model as EAB.
• International Biometrics + Identity Association (IBIA): US-headquartered trade association for the biometrics and identity industry, the most direct geographic mirror to EAB. It runs industry advocacy, member events, and conferences around biometric technologies — closely comparable mission and membership-base shape.
• TeleTrusT – IT Security Association Germany: German IT-security association that cooperates with EAB on joint biometrics workshops. A regional/European peer with a comparable multi-stakeholder events, working groups, and policy advocacy model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/euro_biometrics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about European Association for Biometrics