Slovak University of Technology

How Slovak Technical University Automated PDF Accessibility Compliance for Thousands of Academic Documents with PDFix

Case Overview

Centralized PDF/UA and WCAG Compliance Across a Decentralized University

Industry: Higher Education

Location: Slovakia, Europe

Standards: EU Web Accessibility Directive, European Accessibility Act (EAA 2019/882), PDF/UA (ISO 14289-1), WCAG 2.1 Level AA, EN 301 549

Products: PDFix SDK, PDFix Desktop, Centralized Web-Based Remediation Platform

About the Organization

The Technical University of Košice (TUKE), Slovakia’s leading technically-oriented research institution, serves over 11,000 students across nine faculties. Facing the June 2025 European Accessibility Act (EAA) deadline, TUKE required a sustainable workflow to remediate thousands of PDFs – including complex STEM research and administrative forms – to meet EN 301 549, PDF/UA (ISO 14289-1) and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

Key Results

Automation 65%+

Majority of standard documents processed automatically through PDFix SDK without manual intervention.

Cost / Time reduction / Volume

Documents previously requiring 30-90 minutes of manual work now processed automatically in seconds for standard layouts.

Compliance readiness 100%

Audit-ready compliance process with automated validation reports.

The Challenge

Scaling PDF Accessibility For EU Compliance

The Technical University of Košice (TUKE) produces thousands of PDFs annually across decentralized faculties. Facing the June 2025 European Accessibility Act (EAA) deadline, TUKE required a sustainable workflow to bridge the gap between high-volume document creation and varying faculty expertise.

By automating remediation, the university ensures EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 AA compliance without a centralized manual process, delivering audit-ready accessibility for all students.

Key Challenges

Unscalable Manual Remediation
Decentralized Content Creation
Legacy & STEM Complexity
Urgent EU Mandates
Compliance Visibility Gaps

The Solution

Scaling University-Wide PDF Accessibility: The STU Automated Hybrid Workflow

PDFix developed a centralized, web-based platform for Slovak Technical University (STU) that bridges the gap between massive document volume and strict EN 301 549 compliance. This hybrid architecture integrates intelligent auto-tagging into a single institutional pipeline.

1️⃣ Secure PDF Upload & Smart Routing

Ingestion: Faculty upload PDFs through a secure, centralized institutional portal.
VeraPDF Validation: Every file is instantly validated against compliance standards
Intelligent Logic:
- Compliant Files: Pass directly to distribution.
- Non-Compliant Files: Layout analysis automatically routes the document to the remediation lane

2️⃣ Template-Free Auto-Tagging (PDFix SDK)

For the bulk of university documents, the PDFix SDK intelligent engine provides a zero-touch solution.

Visual-Logical Analysis
- The SDK analyzes the document’s visual structure to apply semantic tags (H1-H6, Lists, Tables) automatically.

3️⃣ Advanced Batch Remediation for STEM & Complex Content (Desktop Pro)

High-complexity materials – such as STEM research papers, scientific diagrams, and multi-column academic journals, are routed to the PDFix Desktop Pro workspace.

AI-Powered MathML: Automated conversion of complex mathematical notation into accessible MathML.
Intelligent Alt-Text: AI models assist in generating descriptive text
Batch Processing: Faculty can automate repetitive tasks, significantly reducing the “per-page” time for complex remediation.

4️⃣ Final Validation & Document Distribution

Before any document is published or returned to the submitter, it undergoes a final VeraPDF check. This ensures a 100% success rate for ISO 14289-1 (PDF/UA) conformance, providing the university with audit-ready proof of accessibility.

Solution at a Glance

Centralized Web-Based Remediation Platform
PDFix SDK Auto-Tagging Engine
PDFix Desktop Pro
VeraPDF Validation
On-Premises Deployment

Key Advantages

Zero-Touch AI Tagging
Empowers non-technical staff to generate compliant materials
Eliminates Accessibility Specialists
Dashboard accessibility reporting
Enterprise-Wide Scalability
100% Data Sovereignty
Global Standard Conformance

Standards Covered

PDF/UA (ISO 14289-1:2014)
WCAG 2.1 Level AA
EN 301 549

Results and Measurable Outcomes

Quantitative Impact

60%+ Automated Compliance
- First-pass success through PDFix SDK processing alone for standard document types.
Thousands of Documents Per Year Processed via Batch Automation
- The centralized platform handles STU’s full annual document production volume across all faculties
70% Reduction in Manual Remediation Effort
- Documents previously requiring 30-90 minutes of specialist work per file are either fully automated or arrive pre-structured
100% Validation
- Every document processed through the platform undergoes VeraPDF PDF/UA validation before distribution
Zero External Data Exposure
- All processing occurs on STU’s own infrastructure

Operational Improvements

Staff Empowerment Across All Technical Levels
Regulatory Confidence
Improved Student Experience

Why PDFix Works for Universities

Designed for high-volume, decentralized document environments
Supports sensitive and confidential academic content workflows
Balances automation with expert oversight
Scales without proportional staffing increases
Aligns with EU Web Accessibility Directive, EAA, EN 301 549, PDF/UA, and WCAG requirements
Fully customizable for institutional workflows and systems