“Ripple is uniquely suited to partner with the academic community and help lead development of this ecosystem. That’s why, today, we’re excited to announce the University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI), a collaboration with top universities around the world to support and accelerate academic research, technical development and innovation in blockchain, cryptocurrency and digital payments.”

“As the traditional backbone of innovation, universities uniquely offer an independence and rigor that the private sector cannot. They also are responsible for training the workforce of the future, helping to address the demand for technological solutions and talent to solve the world’s hardest financial problems. Now is the perfect time to support research and study in blockchain, cryptocurrency and digital payments at universities around the world.”

Okay, Ripple aren’t launching an entire University as such, however, according to a report on Ripple.com, Ripple are investing a significant amount of money into a new University Blockchain Research Initiative. See the full report for yourself, here- https://ripple.com/insights/ripple-introduces-the-university-blockchain-research-initiative/ Across academia, blockchain research is becoming a bigger subject area, with academic fields beginning to explore a whole host of blockchain implications, from security to business use prospects. Moreover, outside of academia, blockchain solutions such as those created by Ripple have implications for the way students pay fees, especially those studying in international Universities who currently pay fees via traditional international bank transfers. According to Ripple:The UBRI will see Ripple invest over $50 Million in funding to 17 prestigious international institutions. Within this, each institution has the freedom to shape their own research topics alongside working directly with Ripple to delve further into the world of blockchain technology research. The aim of this, is to help enforce adoption and push the idea of the blockchain into the mainstream. With prestigious academic authorities weighing into the debate, governments, banks and authorities are more likely to listen to arguments for cryptocurrency adoption, that’s a simple fact. Moreover, this investment will see more and more students with technical expertise gain an education on the blockchain, meaning that a new generation of developers and engineers will be born out of this project. If the blockchain evolution is to take over, we need an army of educated individuals ready to make this happen, that’s exactly what Ripple wish to achieve with the UBRI project. Partner institutions here include: Australian National University College of Law, CITP at Princeton, CSAIL at MIT, IIT Bombay, Korea University, University College London, University of Nicosia, University of Oregon and the University of Waterloo. According to Ripple:This is a very exciting prospect for Ripple and the Universities involved. Moreover, it also boasts exciting implications for XRP and XRP adoption. UBRI could very well see XRP injected into mainstream academic debate. With a million and one different use-cases for XRP and Ripple, this could be the catalyst the Ripple team needs to really start being taken seriously, at a commercial level.