South Korean Universities Sign Ripple, Blockchain Deals

Two major South Korean universities have penned wide-ranging blockchain-related deals.

The newly-founded Blockchain Security Research Center at Korea University’s Graduate School has signed a partnership agreement with Ripple, which will see the American firm provide financial and technical support for research into blockchain agreement algorithms and smart contracts security. Funds will also be provided to train blockchain experts at the university, which is traditionally considered to be one of the country’s top three seats of learning.

ZDNet Korea quotes a professor at the center, which was established in May, as saying, “We will have the opportunity to analyze real data with Ripple, and this new development will play an important role in creating practical blockchain security solutions.”

Ripple currently has similar agreements in place with a range of universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Meanwhile, Yonhap and Daily UNN report that Hanyang University, another prestigious, Seoul-based institution, has inked a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Blockchain Industry Promotion Association.

The deal will see the university and the association team up to train blockchain experts as part of joint training courses. The partners will also open a blockchain business incubation course at Hanyang’s Seongdong-gu campus, and say they will plan and operate blockchain-themed networking events.

As previously reported on Cryptonews.com, South Korean tertiary education institutions are increasingly developing a range of cryptocurrency-themed courses and facilities as interest in Industry 4.0 developments heightens in the country.