The American technology company Ripple has announced it will partner with the academic community to help lead the development of blockchain research. The University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI), a collaboration with top universities around the world, is designed to support and accelerate academic research, technical development and innovation in blockchain, cryptocurrency and digital payments.
Ripple has committed over $50 million in funding, subject matter expertise and technical resources to UBRI’s first wave of university partners —17 prestigious institutions around the world, including the University of Luxembourg.
These schools will determine their own research topics and priority areas of focus, while also partnering with Ripple to:
- Collaborate on research and technical development that will stimulate widespread understanding and innovation in blockchain.
- Create new curriculum to meet high student demand for learning about blockchain, cryptocurrency and other FinTech topics.
- Stimulate ideas and dialogue among students, faculty, technologists and business leaders on topics of shared interest.
In Europe, the University of Luxembourg and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands are building a new blockchain research program inside their Departments of Computer Science and Engineering with the help of UBRI.