By Ann West, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships and Research for InCommon, and Nick Lewis, Senior Program Manager
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Research and higher education (R&E) institutions are navigating increasing pressure from multiple fronts to establish robust identity proofing practices.
Identity proofing is the organizational process of confirming that individuals are who they claim to be before granting them access to sensitive resources or credentials.
Learn More
Webinars and presentations:
Background reading:
In fall 2025, Internet2 conducted a survey examining identity proofing needs across the community. Several key use cases emerged from this research.
- Federal research access: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) now requires institutions using Controlled Access Data Repositories (CADR) to verify researcher identities at a higher assurance level by January 2027.
- Financial aid integrity: Fraudsters increasingly target institutions by enrolling under fake or stolen identities to collect financial aid. Strong identity proofing at enrollment stops this fraud before it starts.
- Credential issuance and recovery: Campus ID card offices and help desks are often the front line for identity proofing, whether issuing a first credential or helping someone who is locked out of their account. These touchpoints need consistent, reliable processes to prevent imposters from gaining access.
How Internet2 Can Help
Internet2 has long supported identity and access management (IAM) professionals by providing software, trust infrastructure, and educational resources that strengthen and improve the sharing of and access to resources.
Identity proofing is closely related to this work, as it underpins the ability to convey identity assurance within federated environments.
However, because identity proofing is fundamentally a human-centered process, it can present distinct challenges for some organizations to implement effectively.
Although IT and security teams supply the technical infrastructure, identity proofing is a campus-wide administrative responsibility.
Engaging stakeholders, conducting interviews, and charting a path forward can feel overwhelming. Internet2 is supporting the R&E IAM and security community through three complementary efforts:
NET+ is conducting a community RFP process to identify and contract with an identity proofing solution provider.
This will give institutions access to a vetted solution through the R&E community’s collective purchasing and vendor management program, simplifying procurement and ensuring the solution meets R&E needs.
The RFP will be posted on its own dedicated page. Please check back for updates.
2. Identity Proofing Accelerator: Making Identity Proofing Work for Your Campus
3. InCommon Federation Support: Signaling Assurance
InCommon is helping institutions build identity proofing capabilities and signal identity assurance in a federated transaction.
Available resources:
- Get NIH Ready — Get guidance for institutions needing to meet NIH CADR requirements, including how to configure and test your InCommon Federation Identity Provider.
- IAM Online Webinar— Tune in to “Making it Easier for Researchers: NIH’s use of InCommon for Controlled-Access Data,” on Wed., Jan. 21 at 1 p.m. ET for an overview of what your institution needs to be NIH-compliant and to receive information about applying for the Identity Proofing Accelerator.
- Recommendations for REFEDS Assurance Framework 2.0 Implementation for InCommon Identity Providers — Read detailed guidance on implementing the REFEDS Assurance Framework, which provides the vocabulary for expressing identity assurance in federated environments.
Questions?
Please contact help@incommon.org for questions about federation integration and the accelerator program.
If you have questions about the identity proofing solution RFP, please contact Sue Gavazzi at sgavazzi@internet2.edu.
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