What Kennisnet does

Kennisnet is the Dutch public organization for Education and ICT, legally structured as Stichting Kennisnet (Kennisnet Foundation) and headquartered in Zoetermeer, Netherlands. Founded in 2001, the organization provides national ICT infrastructure, standards, and strategic advisory services to all primary (PO), secondary (VO), and vocational (MBO) education institutions in the Netherlands, funded entirely by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). Kennisnet operates a multi-service platform comprising identity and authentication (Entree Federatie for single sign-on, Nummervoorziening for pseudonymized identifiers), data exchange services (Overstapservice Onderwijs for student transfers, Onderwijs Service Register for mandate management, RIO for institutional registration), content platforms (Wikiwijs for creating/sharing open learning materials, Edurep for indexing millions of third-party learning objects), security services (School-CERT incident response, Dienst Verwerkersovereenkomsten for processor agreements, Normenkader IBP framework with a 2030 maturity target), and a Kennisnetwijzer tool suite for ICT governance, ethics, and pedagogical planning (including Inzicht in ICT-voorwaarden, Applicatielandschap in Kaart, Ethiekkompas, WaardenWijzer, and Ambitiewijzer). The organization also runs the Onderwijsnetwerk Digitalisering community platform and co-governs the Expertisepunt Digitale Geletterdheid (with KB Nationale Bibliotheek and Beeld & Geluid) and the Netwerk Mediawijsheid network.

All services are provided free of charge to Dutch educational institutions. Kennisnet holds ISO 27001:2022 certification and operates in compliance with GDPR/AVG, with a formally appointed data protection officer. The organization is governed by a supervisory board (Raad van Toezicht) under a foundation structure, with three of five members appointed by the sector councils (PO-Raad, VO-raad, MBO Raad), ensuring sectoral accountability. Kennisnet employs approximately 115 people (referred to internally as "Kennisnetters") and works in close partnership with SURF, SIVON, the sector councils, SLO, Edustandaard, KB Nationale Bibliotheek, and Beeld & Geluid. Recent strategic direction is set by the 2026-2029 multi-year course "Toekomst in eigen hand" (Future in own hands), with priorities including conscious AI adoption in schools, safe digital education, healthy market conditions for educational materials, and standards development from public values.

Name

Kennisnet

Legal name

Stichting Kennisnet

Website

https://kennisnet.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kennisnet is the Dutch public organization for Education & ICT, providing national identity, content, security, and governance infrastructure to all primary, secondary, and vocational education institutions in the Netherlands. Funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, it operates a portfolio of free services including Entree Federatie SSO, Wikiwijs, Edurep, School-CERT, and the Normenkader IBP framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Technology Infrastructure

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education (SPED), IEP & Accessibility/Assistive Technology (EDAJAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Federation & Identity Standards (SAML/OIDC/OAuth, Federation Hubs) (HDADAAAG)

Keywords

• Education ICT infrastructure
• Single sign-on education
• Open learning platforms
• Educational data exchange
• School cybersecurity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zoetermeer

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Kennisnet is a public organization funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). Services are provided free of charge to educational institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kennisnet is the public organization for Education & ICT in the Netherlands, providing a national ICT infrastructure for primary, secondary, and vocational education. It operates shared digital services such as single sign-on (Entree Federatie), secure student data transfer between schools (OSO), institutional and programme registration (RIO), open learning materials platforms (Wikiwijs, Edurep), security incident response (School-CERT), and a suite of diagnostic and governance tools (Kennisnetwijzer), all provided free of charge to Dutch educational institutions.

Product overview

Kennisnet is the public organization for Education & ICT in the Netherlands, providing a national ICT infrastructure, strategic advice, and expertise to primary education, secondary education, and vocational education and training. The organization operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture consisting of core identity and data exchange services (Entree Federatie for single sign-on, OSO for student data transfer, RIO for institutional registration), educational content platforms (Wikiwijs for creating/sharing learning materials, Edurep for discovering open educational content), security services (School-CERT for incident response), and a suite of diagnostic tools called Kennisnetwijzer (including Inzicht in ICT-voorwaarden, Applicatielandschap in Kaart, Ethiekkompas, WaardenWijzer, Leeromgeving in Kaart, and Ambitiewijzer). Additional services include FORA reference architecture, Dienst Verwerkersovereenkomsten for managing processor agreements, Onderwijs Service Register for mandate management, and community platforms like Onderwijsnetwerk Digitalisering and Leraar24. The organization supports schools in making conscious choices around technology and AI while strengthening safe digital education from public values.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wikiwijs: Platform for teachers to make, search, and share digital learning materials
• Entree Federatie
• Edurep
• School-CERT
• FORA
• OSO
• RIO

Quantifiable outcome

• OnderwijsInzicht conference attracts over 500 visitors annually to discuss ICT trends in education
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SURFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSURF is a collaboration organization for ICT in Dutch education and research. Kennisnet works with SURF on value frameworks like the WaardenWijzer for digital transformation in education.
• SIVONcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIVON is a cooperative of school boards in primary and secondary education. Kennisnet collaborates with SIVON on digital security, ICT procurement, and the Normenkader IBP implementation program.
• PO-RaadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPO-Raad represents the interests of primary education boards. Jointly organizes the OnderwijsInzicht conference and collaborates on ICT and digitalization initiatives.
• VO-raadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVO-raad represents the interests of secondary education boards. Jointly organizes the OnderwijsInzicht conference and collaborates on ICT and digitalization initiatives.
• Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKennisnet is funded by the Ministry of OCW and works with them on digital policy, the Digitale School program, and digital safety in education initiatives.
• SLOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLO (Stichting Leerplan Onderwijsontwikkeling) develops curriculum materials and collaborates on educational standards and digital literacy initiatives.
• Edu-KminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdu-K is a platform where private and public parties make agreements that contribute to strengthening the educational chain in primary, secondary and vocational education.
• Edu-VminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdu-V program works with schools and suppliers on simple, safe and reliable access to digital educational materials, including the Edu-V quality mark.
• NRO (Netherlands Institute for Curriculum Development)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRO supports educational research and development, contributing to evidence-based improvements in Dutch education.
• KB Nationale BibliotheekcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational library of the Netherlands. Together with Beeld & Geluid, Kennisnet is responsible for the Expertisepunt Digitale Geletterdheid (Expertise Center Digital Literacy) supporting schools in strengthening basic skills.
• Beeld & GeluidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetherlands Institute for Sound and Vision. One of five organizations governing Netwerk Mediawijsheid and co-responsible for the Expertisepunt Digitale Geletterdheid.
• EdustandaardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform where educational parties come together to make agreements about standards for exchanging data in the educational chain.
• MBO Raad and MBO DigitaalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with MBO Raad (vocational education council) and MBO Digitaal for digitalization support in vocational education sector.
• Expertisepunt Digitale GeletterdheidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpertise center established at the request of the Ministry of Education. Kennisnet, together with KB Nationale Bibliotheek and Beeld & Geluid, is responsible for execution. Supports the Masterplan basisvaardigheden helping schools strengthen basic skills.
• Impuls Open LeermateriaalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram where schools, educational and expertise organizations bundle their strengths to give an impulse to the development and use of open educational materials.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jisc: Jisc is the UK's digital, data, and technology agency for higher education, further education, and research. It provides national digital infrastructure, identity federation, and content services closely analogous to Kennisnet's role in the Netherlands, making it a strong international peer.
• SURF: SURF is the Dutch collaborative organization for ICT in education and research, and a core strategic partner of Kennisnet. Both organizations serve the Dutch education sector with ICT infrastructure, identity services, and innovation support, making them the most directly comparable entities in the Netherlands.

Broad incumbents

• GÉANT: GÉANT is the pan-European research and education networking organization, coordinating national research networks across Europe. It operates at a broader geographic scale than Kennisnet and provides networking and identity services (including eduroam) that overlap with Kennisnet's Entree Federatie.
• Internet2: Internet2 is a US-based nonprofit computer networking consortium serving research and education institutions, providing identity federation (InCommon) and network services. It is comparable to Kennisnet as a national-scale education infrastructure organization, though serving a different geography and higher education focus.

Regional players

• RENATER: RENATER is the French national telecommunications network for technology, education, and research, providing identity federation and infrastructure services to French educational institutions, comparable to Kennisnet's national infrastructure role.
• Sikt: Sikt (formerly UNINETT) is the Norwegian agency for shared services in education and research, providing national ICT infrastructure, identity federation, and security services. It is a close functional analogue to Kennisnet serving the Norwegian education sector.
• Belnet: Belnet is the Belgian federal research network providing internet connectivity and identity services to Belgian education, research, and public institutions. It is comparable to Kennisnet as a national education/research ICT infrastructure provider in a neighboring country.
• DFN: DFN (Deutsches Forschungsnetz) is the German research network providing ICT infrastructure and identity federation services for German universities and research institutions. It serves a comparable function to Kennisnet in the German education and research ecosystem.
• SUNET: SUNET is the Swedish University Computer Network, providing ICT infrastructure and identity services for Swedish higher education and research institutions. It is comparable to Kennisnet in its national infrastructure and federation role, though focused on the higher education segment.

Others

• SIVON: SIVON is a Dutch cooperative of school boards in primary and secondary education focused on ICT procurement and digital security. While it collaborates closely with Kennisnet, it is an adjacent peer addressing overlapping needs (procurement, security) from a cooperative model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/kennisnet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kennisnet

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kennisnet