Frequently Asked Questions

ExplorerHub is the portal that aggregates and provides access to the 18 European and international competence frameworks published by JRC, UNESCO, Cedefop, Council of Europe, CEN and ENISA. It offers interactive consultation tools, structured comparison, a specialised glossary and guided pathways for citizens, educators, professionals and decision-makers. Access to all content is free and requires no registration.

Yes. ExplorerHub is a free-access service. All informational content, comparison tools, the glossary and guided pathways are available at no cost and without registration. The portal is developed and maintained by IDCERT as part of its mission to promote competence culture across Europe.

ExplorerHub is a service by IDCERT S.r.l. Benefit Corporation, a Personnel Certification Body accredited by Accredia (No. 02257) under the UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17024 standard. IDCERT was recognised by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission among the organisations that represented Italy in the development process of DigComp 3.0.

ExplorerHub aims to make European competence frameworks accessible, searchable and comparable from a single access point. Official European Commission documents are often technical and spread across multiple sources; the portal organises them into a structured, multilingual experience while fully preserving the original content.

No. ExplorerHub is not an institutional EU website. It is an independent informational portal developed by IDCERT, faithfully based on official documents published by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and other European bodies. All sources are cited and linked on the attribution pages of each framework.

ExplorerHub currently hosts 18 frameworks organised in 4 categories: Citizens (DigComp, FinComp, GreenComp, EntreComp, LifeComp, CEFR, DigCompConsumers), Educators (DigCompEdu, DigCompOrg, OpenEdu, AILit, UNESCO AI CFT, CompuThink), Professionals (e-CF, ECSF, ResearchComp, RMComp) and the meta-framework EQF. Each framework is accessible through its own dedicated portal (e.g. digcomp.explorerhub.eu). The list is constantly being updated.

DigComp defines the digital competences that every citizen needs to participate in digital society. DigCompEdu, on the other hand, is specifically aimed at teachers, trainers and educators, defining the competences needed to effectively integrate digital technologies into teaching. DigCompEdu presupposes DigComp competences but applies them to the educational context, adding areas such as creating digital learning resources and assessment through digital tools.

DigComp 3.0 is the fifth edition of the European digital competence framework, published by the JRC on 27 November 2025. Compared to version 2.2, it introduces the explicit integration of artificial intelligence, strengthens cybersecurity as a transversal competence, incorporates digital wellbeing, updates the protection of digital rights in line with the AI Act and the Digital Services Act, and introduces algorithmic awareness and co-creation with generative AI.

GreenComp is the European sustainability competence framework, published by the JRC in 2022. It defines the competences every citizen should have to understand and act consciously in relation to environmental challenges. It is structured in 4 areas: embodying sustainability values, embracing complexity, envisioning sustainable futures and acting for sustainability.

EntreComp is the European entrepreneurship competence framework, published by the JRC in 2016. It goes beyond entrepreneurship in the strict sense, defining the competences needed to turn ideas into action in any context — work, education or social. It is structured in 3 areas (ideas and opportunities, resources, into action) with 15 competences overall.

LifeComp is the European framework for personal, social and learning to learn competences, published by the JRC in 2020. It covers competences such as self-regulation, flexibility, wellbeing, empathy, communication, collaboration, growth mindset, critical thinking and learning management.

FinComp is the European financial competence framework, developed by the European Commission and the OECD. It defines the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to make informed and responsible financial decisions in everyday and professional life.

The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is the common European reference framework for languages, developed by the Council of Europe. It defines language proficiency levels from A1 (basic) to C2 (mastery) and is the standard used throughout Europe for language certifications, curricula and assessments.

The e-CF (European e-Competence Framework) is the European framework for professional ICT competences, maintained by CEN. It classifies 41 competences for ICT professionals, organised in 5 business areas, and is the reference standard for professional ICT competence certification under the EN 16234-1 standard.

The ECSF (European Cybersecurity Skills Framework) is the framework developed by ENISA to define professional profiles and competences in the cybersecurity field. It identifies 12 professional profiles with the respective competences, knowledge and skills needed to operate in the IT security sector.

The EQF (European Qualifications Framework) is the European qualifications framework, which establishes 8 reference levels for comparing qualifications across different national education and training systems. It is not a competence framework in the strict sense, but the meta-framework that allows titles and certifications to be compared between European countries.

The contents on ExplorerHub are faithfully based on official documents published by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), ENISA, the Council of Europe and CEN. ExplorerHub makes them accessible in a navigable and multilingual form, always citing the original sources. For complete official documents, each framework includes direct links to original publications.

Each European framework covers a specific area: DigComp covers general digital competences, DigCompEdu those for teaching, GreenComp sustainability, EntreComp entrepreneurship, LifeComp personal and social competences, FinComp personal finance, CEFR languages, e-CF and ECSF ICT and cyber professions, EQF the qualifications system. Together they form an integrated ecosystem that the European Commission is building to define the key competences for the 21st century. ExplorerHub is the only portal that makes them all explorable in one place.

No, ExplorerHub is an informational portal and does not issue certifications. Digital competence certifications based on European frameworks are issued by IDCERT, a Certification Body accredited by Accredia. From ExplorerHub you can access the pages dedicated to IDCERT DigComp and IDCERT DigCompEdu certifications directly.

After exploring a framework on ExplorerHub, you can choose to certify your competences through IDCERT certification schemes. Currently available are the IDCERT DigComp certification (based on DigComp 3.0) and the IDCERT DigCompEdu certification. The exam takes place online, is accredited by Accredia under the ISO/IEC 17024 standard, and the certificate is valid for public competitions, CVs and professional development.

An IDCERT Competence Center is a qualified organisation — school, university, training centre, company or public administration — that through IDCERT's proprietary platform can deliver training and digital competence certification programmes. The programme includes a turnkey platform, training, support, teaching materials and a transparent revenue sharing model.

ExplorerHub is an excellent tool for understanding the structure, areas and competences of the frameworks on which IDCERT certifications are based. However, it is not a preparation course: it is an informational portal. For exam preparation, IDCERT and its Competence Centers offer specific training programmes.

ExplorerHub is currently available in Italian, English and Spanish. Expansion to other European languages is being evaluated.

Yes, ExplorerHub is designed following WCAG accessibility guidelines. The site is keyboard navigable, screen reader compatible and optimised for a clear and inclusive reading experience. For details, see the Accessibility page.

You can contact us via the Contact page. We appreciate any reports that help us keep content accurate and up to date with official sources.

European frameworks are published by the European Commission generally under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY 4.0). Editorial content, structure, design and code of ExplorerHub are the property of IDCERT S.r.l. For details on the licences for each framework, see the dedicated attribution pages.

ExplorerHub collects only technical browsing data (IP address, browser type, pages visited) through technical cookies necessary for the site to function. No personally identifiable data is collected, nor is any registration required. Subject to explicit consent, anonymous analytical cookies may be activated for statistical purposes. For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

Each framework has its own dedicated portal (e.g. digcomp.explorerhub.eu, digcompedu.explorerhub.eu) to offer a focused and in-depth browsing experience. The main portal explorerhub.eu serves as a single point of access and navigation hub between all frameworks. This architecture allows you to explore each framework in detail while maintaining a coherent overall view.