NUS Computing to co-host and operate advanced blockchain research centre
NUS Computing will co-host and operate a blockchain research centre alongside the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to advance cutting-edge research into blockchain technology, deepen blockchain capabilities and support industry growth.
The Blockchain Research Center (BRC) will be backed by a US$20 million funding commitment from blockchain platform Klaytn over the next four years, turning it into one of the largest blockchain research centres by known funding size.
The BRC will be headed by two experts with extensive blockchain experience: Assoc Prof Prateek Saxena at NUS Computing and Asst Prof Min Suk Kang of the School of Computing at KAIST. They will work closely with an international team of principal investigators from six other universities – UC Berkeley, Princeton University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Northern Arizona University, Yonsei University and Carnegie Mellon University – to conduct BRC’s research and outreach activities.
“We are excited that researchers from seven leading international universities have come together towards this shared purpose,” said Assoc Prof Saxena, who also heads NUS’ CRYSTAL Centre, an academic research laboratory and think tank which is one of the world’s foremost centres for research on blockchains.
The BRC will be run in an open-source manner, where the results of research conducted will be shared in the public domain as research papers or open-source software.
Researchers outside the BRC can also participate in ongoing research projects or submit their own proposals. The BRC will share knowledge and research results through community outreach efforts – such as conferences and workshops – to contribute to the blockchain community at large.
NUS and KAIST’s bid to co-host and operate the BRC scored the highest out of seven submissions, all of which went through a three-round selection process and were evaluated and scored by the Klaytn Governance Council and third-party experts based on their operational competence, research execution and community engagement plans.
Last year, NUS clinched pole position out of 230 universities worldwide in the Universities for Blockchain rankings 2021 by news site CoinDesk.
“The BRC will deepen the research foundations of blockchain designs and applications. Together with Klaytn, we are delighted to be collectively creating an international platform for impactful research and to advance the global discourse on blockchains,” said Assoc Prof Saxena.
Dr Neo Yiu, Head of Technology Advocacy at Klaytn Foundation, said, “We look forward to seeing the Blockchain Research Center develop novel research capabilities for blockchains, foster global collaboration, and expand Klaytn’s research contribution back to the web3 community and blockchain/DLT industry.”
To read more about the BRC, click here.
