diff --git a/src/app/core/shared/collection.model.ts b/src/app/core/shared/collection.model.ts
index c1464d7d39..1505359cfd 100644
--- a/src/app/core/shared/collection.model.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/shared/collection.model.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { autoserialize, deserialize, inheritSerialization } from 'cerialize';
+import { autoserialize, deserialize, deserializeAs, inheritSerialization } from 'cerialize';
 import { Observable } from 'rxjs';
 import { link, typedObject } from '../cache/builders/build-decorators';
 import { PaginatedList } from '../data/paginated-list';
@@ -15,17 +15,16 @@ import { RESOURCE_POLICY } from '../resource-policy/models/resource-policy.resou
 import { COMMUNITY } from './community.resource-type';
 import { Community } from './community.model';
 import { ChildHALResource } from './child-hal-resource.model';
+import { excludeFromEquals } from '../utilities/equals.decorators';
 
 @typedObject
 @inheritSerialization(DSpaceObject)
 export class Collection extends DSpaceObject implements ChildHALResource {
   static type = COLLECTION;
 
-  /**
-   * A string representing the unique handle of this Collection
-   */
-  @autoserialize
-  handle: string;
+  @excludeFromEquals
+  @deserializeAs('handle')
+  private _handle: string;
 
   /**
    * The {@link HALLink}s for this Collection
@@ -75,6 +74,18 @@ export class Collection extends DSpaceObject implements ChildHALResource {
   @link(COMMUNITY, false)
   parentCommunity?: Observable<RemoteData<Community>>;
 
+  /**
+   * A string representing the unique handle of this Collection
+   */
+  get handle(): string {
+    const metadataValue = this.firstMetadataValue('dc.identifier.uri');
+    return metadataValue ? metadataValue : this._handle;
+  }
+
+  set handle(value: string) {
+    this._handle = value;
+  }
+  
   /**
    * The introductory text of this Collection
    * Corresponds to the metadata field dc.description
diff --git a/src/app/core/shared/community.model.ts b/src/app/core/shared/community.model.ts
index 796aaa8ece..06f7b70c01 100644
--- a/src/app/core/shared/community.model.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/shared/community.model.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { autoserialize, deserialize, inheritSerialization } from 'cerialize';
+import { autoserialize, deserialize, deserializeAs, inheritSerialization } from 'cerialize';
 import { Observable } from 'rxjs';
 import { link, typedObject } from '../cache/builders/build-decorators';
 import { PaginatedList } from '../data/paginated-list';
@@ -11,17 +11,16 @@ import { COMMUNITY } from './community.resource-type';
 import { DSpaceObject } from './dspace-object.model';
 import { HALLink } from './hal-link.model';
 import { ChildHALResource } from './child-hal-resource.model';
+import { excludeFromEquals } from '../utilities/equals.decorators';
 
 @typedObject
 @inheritSerialization(DSpaceObject)
 export class Community extends DSpaceObject implements ChildHALResource {
   static type = COMMUNITY;
 
-  /**
-   * A string representing the unique handle of this Community
-   */
-  @autoserialize
-  handle: string;
+  @excludeFromEquals
+  @deserializeAs('handle')
+  private _handle: string;
 
   /**
    * The {@link HALLink}s for this Community
@@ -64,6 +63,18 @@ export class Community extends DSpaceObject implements ChildHALResource {
   @link(COMMUNITY, false)
   parentCommunity?: Observable<RemoteData<Community>>;
 
+  /**
+   * A string representing the unique handle of this Community
+   */
+  get handle(): string {
+    const metadataValue = this.firstMetadataValue('dc.identifier.uri');
+    return metadataValue ? metadataValue : this._handle;
+  }
+
+  set handle(value: string) {
+    this._handle = value;
+  }
+
   /**
    * The introductory text of this Community
    * Corresponds to the metadata field dc.description
diff --git a/src/app/shared/comcol-page-handle/comcol-page-handle.component.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/comcol-page-handle/comcol-page-handle.component.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e059cb7044
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/shared/comcol-page-handle/comcol-page-handle.component.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import { async, ComponentFixture, TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';
+import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
+import { By } from '@angular/platform-browser';
+import { UIURLCombiner } from 'src/app/core/url-combiner/ui-url-combiner';
+import { ComcolPageHandleComponent } from './comcol-page-handle.component';
+
+const handleWithProtocol = 'http://localhost:4000/handle/123456789/2';
+
+const handleWithoutProtocol = '123456789/2';
+const handleWithoutProtocolUIURLCombined = new UIURLCombiner('/handle/', '123456789/2').toString();
+
+describe('ComcolPageHandleComponent', () => {
+  let component: ComcolPageHandleComponent;
+  let fixture: ComponentFixture<ComcolPageHandleComponent>;
+
+  beforeEach(async(() => {
+    TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+      imports: [TranslateModule.forRoot()],
+      declarations: [ ComcolPageHandleComponent ]
+    })
+    .compileComponents();
+  }));
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    fixture = TestBed.createComponent(ComcolPageHandleComponent);
+    component = fixture.componentInstance;
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+  });
+
+  it('should create', () => {
+    expect(component).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
+  it('should be empty if no content is passed', () => {
+    component.content = undefined;
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+    const div = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('div'));
+    expect(div).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  describe('should create a link pointing the handle', () => {
+  
+    it('should use the content if it includes the http protocol', () => {
+      component.content = handleWithProtocol;
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+
+      const link = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('a'));
+      expect(link.nativeElement.getAttribute('href')).toBe(handleWithProtocol);
+      expect(link.nativeElement.innerHTML).toBe(handleWithProtocol);
+    });
+
+    it('should combine the base uri to the content if it doesnt include the http protocol', () => {
+      component.content = handleWithoutProtocol;
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+      const link = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('a'));
+      expect(link.nativeElement.getAttribute('href')).toBe(handleWithoutProtocolUIURLCombined);
+      expect(link.nativeElement.innerHTML).toBe(handleWithoutProtocolUIURLCombined);
+    });
+    
+  });
+ 
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/app/shared/comcol-page-handle/comcol-page-handle.component.ts b/src/app/shared/comcol-page-handle/comcol-page-handle.component.ts
index bf403e9e88..bea3f51e28 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/comcol-page-handle/comcol-page-handle.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/comcol-page-handle/comcol-page-handle.component.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ export class ComcolPageHandleComponent {
   @Input() content: string;
 
   public getHandle(): string {
-    return new UIURLCombiner('/handle/', this.content).toString();
-  }
-}
+    return this.content.includes('http') ? this.content
+      : new UIURLCombiner('/handle/', this.content).toString();
+  }}
+