In alignment with the European Commission’s open-source strategy, the Qualification Dataset Register (QDR) is now officially available as an open-source project on code.europa.eu.

The QDR is the second application of the European Learning Model that is being made available through code.europa.eu, joining the European Digital Credentials for Learning infrastructure, already available for several years. 

What is the QDR?

The QDR is a common European database allowing EU Member States, and other EQF and Europass countries to publish and share data from their (national) databases and registries of qualifications and learning opportunities. National authorities and delegated entities can also share accreditation data. By gathering data from all countries in a single, comparable format, the QDR promotes the searchability and interoperability of qualifications and other education/training related information, and supports the portability of learning outcomes in Europe. The European Learning Model (ELM) is the multilingual data model serving as a basis for the publication of information in the QDR. It incorporates existing EU level standards for learning and provides a single format for describing learning opportunities and qualifications. 

Want to learn more about the QDR? Read our QDR article to better understand the difference between learning opportunities and qualifications in QDR, and how these records are made available on Europass. 

Why make the QDR available as open-source software

By releasing the QDR under an open-source license, the European Commission ensures that public administrations, developers, stakeholders and any other party across Europe can reuse and adapt the dataset structure for national, regional/local or sectoral implementations. This serves a dual purpose of further encouraging the use of the European Learning Model as a standard for sharing information related to learning and encouraging countries to publish information on qualifications, learning opportunities, and accreditation. 

The EU Open-Source Software Strategy, states that software developed by the Commission, in particular that intended for external use, should be made available under an open-source license. It promotes the use of open technologies to foster innovation, reduce vendor lock-in, and enhance collaboration across Member States.

Be aware that while the QDR code is available on code.europa.eu, it currently does not contain full documentation and that no user support is available for its implementation.