In everyday life, identity is the gateway to essential services such as healthcare, banking, education, and government support. When identity systems are secure and reliable, people can prove their identity without fear of delays, errors, or misuse of personal information. Strong identity frameworks build trust between citizens and institutions, protect privacy, and make daily interactions smoother, safer, and more efficient.
This is where Prof. Dr. Almir Badnjević, Director of the Agency for Identification Documents, Registers and Data Exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina (IDDEEA), plays a critical role. With a strong foundation in engineering and technology, he leads the development of secure, legally compliant, and user-friendly identity systems that serve the entire nation.
Under his guidance, complex national identity and data exchange systems have been modernized without disrupting essential services, resulting in higher efficiency, stronger security, and increased public confidence. His work directly affects everyday life by enabling safe access to public services and secure digital transactions, while also supporting democracy and national security.
The impact of his leadership has been recognized internationally, including being a finalist at the Innovation in Politics Awards, Europe (2025), which highlighted e-IDDEEA as one of Europe’s leading democratic technology initiatives. He has also been recognized through his membership in the WeBuild EU consortium for the Digital Wallet as the only non-EU country participant.
Foundations in Biomedical Engineering and Healthcare Technology
Prof. Dr. Almir Badnjević’s professional journey is guided by a clear belief that technology should serve people, strengthen national institutions, and build public trust. He began his career in biomedical engineering, healthcare technology, and medical device regulation, contributing to international frameworks that support patient safety and ensure the reliability of healthcare technologies. Over the past decade, he has authored and co-authored more than 200 scientific publications and collaborated with leading global engineering, scientific, and healthcare organizations.
His work has received strong international recognition, reflected in his membership in respected professional bodies such as the European and World Academies of Science and Art. He is a UN Cyber Fellow, IUSPESM Fellow, AAIA Fellow, and a board member of IFMBE Clinical Engineering. He also serves as a full professor at the University of Sarajevo, Rome, and Warwick, and is a member of the Digital, Technology, and AI Committee at the European Olympic Committees.
When invited to lead the Agency for IDDEEA, he accepted the role not as a career move, but as a patriotic responsibility. IDDEEA plays a central role in national identity, sovereignty, digital trust, and state integrity. His initial goal was to transform the agency into a technologically advanced, secure, and internationally credible digital identity authority aligned with European and global standards. Over time, this vision expanded to building comprehensive digital sovereignty for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Inclusion, social cohesion, and non-discrimination are core values that underpin IDDEEA’s leadership approach and its day-to-day work. Secure and reliable digital identity systems can fulfil their public purpose only if access is ensured for every citizen, on equal terms, regardless of origin, place of residence, socio-economic status, age, gender, or any other personal circumstance.
For that reason, the Agency designs solutions that strengthen trust between citizens and institutions, reduce administrative and social barriers, and contribute to a more connected and functional society. Through standards, procedures, and technologies that guarantee equal treatment and the effective protection of rights, IDDEEA is building a digital foundation that supports solidarity and democratic resilience, making public services more accessible, fair, and secure for all.
Ensuring Secure Data Exchange Across Institutions
IDDEEA’s mission is to provide secure and reliable identity systems that form the backbone of the country’s digital and institutional framework. The agency manages national registers, delivers qualified digital signatures, and ensures safe data exchange between institutions, building trust and security at every level.
To further strengthen these systems, IDDEEA is implementing a range of strategic measures, including:
- A robust Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
- Qualified trust services aligned with European standards
- Advanced cybersecurity frameworks
- Systems ensuring biometric integrity
- Mechanisms to enhance system resilience
The agency focuses on building identity systems that are legally valid, sustainable over the long term, and trusted by the public, rather than simply following trends.
The real-world impact of these efforts is clear:
- Citizens receive reliable and secure identity documents and services
- Public institutions benefit from greater efficiency, reliability, and interoperability
- Businesses can operate using trusted digital services
- The state reinforces its democratic processes and institutional integrity
Through these initiatives, IDDEEA helps protect citizens’ rights, strengthen democracy, and build lasting public trust in national systems.
Secure data exchange, as implemented by IDDEEA, is not only a technical function but a strategic instrument for strengthening institutions in an integrative and credible manner. By enabling lawful, interoperable, and traceable information flows across public bodies, the Agency helps reduce fragmentation, improve institutional coordination, and reinforce consistent decision-making.
This, in turn, stabilizes processes throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina in practical, legal, and governance terms, while increasing predictability for citizens, businesses, and public administration alike. In building trusted mechanisms for institutional connectivity, IDDEEA contributes to a more coherent state framework, greater administrative reliability, and a stronger foundation for long-term democratic resilience and socio-economic development.
Modernizing National Infrastructure Without Service Disruption
For Prof. Dr. Almir Badnjević, the biggest challenges came from working with systems that are critical to the state and deeply embedded in everyday life. Modernizing complex legacy systems had to be done carefully, without interrupting essential national services. At the same time, he needed to build public trust in digital systems in a region where confidence in institutions has not always been strong.
This experience highlighted several important leadership principles:
- Transformation requires careful planning and precise execution.
- Credibility is built through consistent and visible results.
- True commitment to the nation is shown through competence, responsibility, and high standards.
- Leadership involves protecting the country and encouraging progress.
Bosnia’s First Secure National Digital Identity
A key achievement under Prof. Dr. Almir Badnjević leadership is the e-IDDEEA mobile application, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s secure national digital identity and trust solution.
We particularly underline the significance of this progress in a context shaped by the realities of a post conflict society and the enduring legacy of a socialist past both of which continue to influence the contemporary institutional landscape of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In such an environment reforms that build trust strengthen administrative coherence and expand secure rules based digital services carry a value that goes beyond modernization alone. They contribute to stability reinforce institutional credibility and support a shared sense of civic confidence in the state’s capacity to deliver predictable and equitable public services.
The application enables:
- Legally valid qualified electronic signatures
- Secure digital identity verification
- Access to digital identity on mobile and desktop platforms
- Integration with public and private sector services
- Compliance with European eIDAS digital identity standards
In 2025, e-IDDEEA was named a finalist in the European Innovation in Politics Awards, in the Democracy Technologies category. Competing with leading European digital governance initiatives, this recognition highlighted that Bosnia and Herzegovina can deliver technologies comparable to the most advanced systems in Europe.
This achievement goes beyond technical success. It represents a strong European acknowledgment of the country’s capacity for innovation and the excellence of its public institutions.
Universal Access To Essential Public Services
These results show how IDDEEA is making a real difference in everyday public services:
- Supporting millions of citizens: Secure identity systems ensure safe access to healthcare, banking, education, and government services.
- Growing adoption of digital identity: More citizens are using legally recognized, convenient digital solutions.
- Faster document processing: Modern systems reduce waiting times and simplify procedures.
- Integrated public institutions: Government departments are connected through secure digital platforms for seamless service.
- Stronger cybersecurity and trust: Advanced measures protect data and boost public confidence.
This stands as a model and a practical example not only for other institutions within the country but also for other countries across the region.
Commitment to Protecting Personal Identity and Data
At IDDEEA, security is at the heart of every process and system.
The agency ensures:
- Strict legal compliance: Ensuring all systems follow national laws to protect citizens’ rights and maintain institutional integrity.
- Aligned with European best practices: Designing services according to European standards for reliability, compatibility, and international credibility.
- Continuous cybersecurity monitoring: Constantly monitoring systems to detect and respond to potential threats.
- Operational discipline and accountability: Clear processes and responsibilities ensure efficient, transparent, and trustworthy operations.
Protecting identity and personal data is a legal responsibility and a moral duty.
Strategic Partnerships
IDDEEA collaborates closely with European partners, international institutions, and EU-supported programs to strengthen digital systems.
The agency is expanding cooperation to improve cross-border interoperability, build trusted technology-based services, support the digital economy, and align Bosnia and Herzegovina with leading European digital identity standards. Through these efforts, IDDEEA drives digital transformation and helps set secure and reliable governance standards in the region.
Message to Emerging Leaders
Prof. Dr. Almir Badnjević advises emerging leaders to focus on building strong partnerships with international institutions and European partners. He highlights the importance of strengthening cross-border interoperability, creating reliable trust systems, and supporting the growth of the digital economy.
Leaders should follow best practices at the regional and international levels, and go beyond simply implementing digital solutions by setting secure and effective digital governance standards that can inspire and guide others in the region.
This is particularly important at a time of rapid technological advancement when digital tools are increasingly developed and deployed and when AI is being adopted as a means of governance development and business operations. In this environment emerging leaders must treat digitalisation as a matter of institutional responsibility rather than a short term trend and they must ensure that innovation is anchored in legality security and public trust.
The ability to build systems that are interoperable resilient and transparent while protecting personal data and ensuring equal access will increasingly define credibility and leadership impact. Those who invest in partnerships standards and disciplined implementation will not only accelerate progress but also help shape stable and trustworthy digital governance for the years ahead.
Future Vision
Prof. Dr. Almir Badnjević aims to leave behind strong institutions, secure digital sovereignty, and a culture of excellence. He seeks to position Bosnia and Herzegovina not as a digital follower, but as a respected and innovative European digital state. His focus is on building systems that protect citizens, support democracy, and ensure the country’s future is based on stability, technology, and dignity.
QUICK TAKES
- Recommended Tool: Secure digital identity and qualified trust service platforms supporting PKI.
- Motivational Quote: “Knowledge builds nations. Responsibility protects them.”
- Advice to Future Leaders: Competence before ego. Country before self. Impact before applause.
- Recommended Reading: Leadership and ethics literature connecting technology, society, and governance.
Prof. Dr. Almir Badnjević’s 5 Impactful Business Mantras
- People First: Build systems and solutions that serve citizens, protect their rights, and foster trust in institutions.
- Integrity and Compliance: Prioritize legal standards, data security, and ethical practices in every initiative.
- Consistency Builds Credibility: Deliver results steadily and visibly to earn lasting confidence from stakeholders.
- Innovation with Purpose: Focus on practical, sustainable solutions that strengthen institutions rather than just following trends.
- Leadership with Responsibility: Place the nation and its future above personal gain, emphasizing competence, stability, and long-term impact.
