The Cardano Foundation, the overseeing body of the Cardano blockchain, has announced today further support for academic programs in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe that study blockchain technology.

Along with its ecosystem partners, Input Output HK (IOHK) and EMURGO, the Cardano Foundation will support various initiatives designed to drive the development of digital currency and blockchain technology.

Specifically, the Foundation’s support will help boost the research about the security and the vulnerabilities of the blockchain industry.

The efforts that the Cardano Foundation is supporting include projects undertaken by IOHK and EMURGO. In addition, the Foundation’s another donee is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MIT Digital Currency Initiative that studies the blockchain technology.

Research

Cardano is a blockchain network and the first proof-of-stake platform developed for smart contracts using fundamental research from world-leading academics, most of which is subject to academic peer review

IOHK Research has published 30 academic papers to date, with papers presented at top-tier international conferences.

As the industry continues to professionalize and see engagement from more traditional business sectors, the demand for academic research on blockchain is expected to increase significantly.

Greater academic rigor and research will blaze a trail for the blockchain industry’s mass adoption and help educational institutions to design blockchain-related academic disciplines.

EMURGO & IOHK

As such, EMURGO Academy will train developers and create blockchain experts in India to meet the rising demand for blockchain developers and provide economic empowerment.

The Bangalore-based Academy with branches set to expand to Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune will train students and career professionals and offer blockchain-related curriculums to local universities and enterprises.

IOHK regularly conducts Haskell training and workshops around the world, with the latest courses taking place in Barbados, Ethiopia, and Greece. In July, the company published an ebook on the smart contract language, Plutus, with further educational materials in the planning.

The MIT Digital Currency Initiative is an interdisciplinary initiative launched by the MIT Media Lab that is designed to drive the development of digital currency and blockchain technology.

The Cardano Foundation works alongside Input Output HK (IOHK), who is contracted to design and build Cardano, and EMURGO, the for-profit arm working to boost the Cardano ecosystem through commercial ventures. The three entities are wholly separate in governance, ownership, and leadership.