With the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): another way to make Europe
David Megías, principal investigator in the K-riptography and Information Security for Open Networks (KISON) research group at the IN3 (which he is also the director of) and Mehdi Fallahpour, UOC-affiliated researcher, have invented a technology patented by the UOC that can mark digital contents. The Catalan University and Research Grant Management Agency (AGAUR), with the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): another way to make Europe, has awarded them a grant of 20,000 euros to develop a pre-prototype for use with video.
Watermarking techniques mean hidden bits can be inserted into digital contents, which, among other things, can aid identification of fraudulent handling of files. If someone who is not authorized to do so manipulates the images in the video, the digital mark will give them away. This technology can be used in a number of sectors, including advertising or security.
The grant awarded forms part of seed funding for innovative projects with potential to make it into production. These grants are designed to protect the knowledge and initial development work for products: pre-prototypes. The programme also includes training, advice and mentoring on business management coordinated by the University of California, Berkeley.