NESSIE: A European approach to evaluate cryptographic algorithms. The NESSIE project (New European Schemes for Signature, Integrity and Encryption) intends to put forward a portfolio containing the next generation of cryptographic primitives. These primitives will offer a higher security level than existing primitives, and/or will offer a higher confidence level, built up by an open evaluation process. Moreover, they should be better suited for the constraints of future hardware and software environments. In order to reach this goal, the project has launched an open call in March 2000. In response to this call, 39 primitives have been submitted by September 29, 2000, many of these from major players. Currently, the NESSIE evaluation process is under way; it considers both security and performance aspects. This article presents the status of the NESSIE project after 15 months.