Univ of Waterloo joins international research teams on blockchain, cryptocurrency

The Univ of Waterloo will be the only Canadian university in the University Blockchain Research Initiative, an international research effort spearheaded by Ripple, a San Francisco-based technology company specializing in digital payments and blockchain. The university will join the world's top universities to spur research and innovation in blockchain, cryptography and digital payment systems. Ripple will pour in a multi-million contribution to support Waterloo in the global initiative. Like the other universities, Waterloo will determine its own research topics and areas of focus. Ripple will extend strategic guidance and technical resources when required. The program will support Ripple Chair Anwar Hasan, professor of computer engineering and an expert in cryptography. The initiative will also bolster graduate scholarships designed to attract new talent, and a new research fund. Pearl Sullivan, dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Waterloo, notes that recent world events and the experience of partners indicate that blockchain technologies will increasingly disrupt the way business is done.