When it comes to the promotion of blockchain technology, few companies can compete with Ripple. The San Francisco based tech company has cemented its position at the forefront of this emerging market. Apart from developing and promoting the use of blockchain technology, Ripple is also working on blockchain academia hence the launch of the University Blockchain Research Initiative in June last year. The goal of this body is to promote technical development, innovation and academic research of blockchain technology as it applies, not just to the financial space, but to every other industry.
New Members Join Ripple’s Blockchain Education Initiative
At first, 17 institutions joined the initiative. Now, 11 new institutions have happily joined the program making the total number of universities 28. Jointly, these universities are supporting the promotion of academic research in the space. The new institutions are Cornell University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Kansas, Duke University, Morgan State University, Georgetown University, University of Michigan, University of Sao Paulo, Institute for Fintech Research, National University of Singapore, Northeastern University and, the Tsinghua University.
Along with the previous institutions, these new institutions will work to educate the new generation of business leaders, engineers, entrepreneurs and many other experts on how to apply blockchain technology in various fields. This is going to increase awareness by informing the world about the disruptive effect of blockchain technology. At the same time, the institutions will be giving back to society by way of philanthropy.
The SVP of Ripple’s global operations, Eric van Miltenburg has this to say about the new members:
“In June 2018, we launched the UBRI to provide support for 17 universities around the globe to promote their research of blockchain, digital assets, fintech, and cryptography. Blockchain technology is transformative and we intend to benefit the entire ecosystem by helping the best minds in the world learn about this technology. We now have 11 new institutions and 29 schools involved in the initiative.”
The funds raised during the program is going to support many projects across different sectors of the educational system including finance, law, engineering, business, etc. Universities will be able to develop curricula, host conferences, launch courses and award scholarships in the blockchain space.
The UBRI program was developed less than a year ago. However, all the partners are reporting progress per Ripple’s plans to boost innovation in the space. One of the partners, the University of California, Berkeley has been able to build cross-departmental collaboration. Many schools have started adding blockchain related topics and research projects. Blockchain related activities have been added to the list of activities with a blockchain user interface and design hackathon coming up soon. Students of U.C Berkeley have been able to get eight research proposals and seven grants through the UBRI program.
At Austin, the University of Texas has benefited greatly from the program. Three different blockchain initiatives have been sponsored. One funds Ph.D. students who are interested in blockchain research, another increases the university’s blockchain curriculum thus allowing students to enjoy more specific classes. The funding has also helped the university conduct vital research that connects them to journalists, companies and other universities that have an interest in the blockchain space.
XRP (XRP) Price Today – XRP / USD
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While one or two institutions can play their part in promoting blockchain technology, an entire network of well-funded institutions will have limitless reach. Ripple expects to have more partners in the future.
Do you think research into blockchain technology will ensure its long-term survival? Share your comments.
Max writes about blockchain projects and regulation with a special focus on United States and China. He joined Smarterum after years of writing for various media outlets.
