Blockchain Innovation at HBCUs Fostered by Ripple’s UBRI

In
a
significant
stride
towards
fostering
blockchain
innovation,
Ripple’s
University
Blockchain
Research
Initiative
(UBRI)
has
been
instrumental
in
setting
up
an
important
foundation
and
learning
environment
for
the
next
generation
of
blockchain
engineers
at
Historically
Black
Colleges
and
Universities
(HBCUs).

UBRI’s
Impact
on
Blockchain
Education

Over
the
past
six
years,
the
UBRI
has
established
a
standard
for
blockchain
education,
research,
and
inclusive
economic
growth.
With
more
than
50
university
partners
across
26
countries,
the
initiative
has
contributed
to
over
600
new
or
expanded
fintech
courses
and
1,500
academic
blockchain
research
projects.

In
a
recent
development,
UBRI
has
renewed
its
$1.05
million
partnership
with
Morgan
State
University.
This
partnership
builds
upon
the
initiative’s
initial
work
with
the
University
and
illustrates
UBRI’s
commitment
to
supporting
blockchain
innovators
across
America’s
HBCUs.
The
funding
will
lead
to
the
creation
of
opportunities
for
new
programming
and
research
for
students
and
faculty.

Partnership
Highlights

Eric
van
Miltenburg,
SVP
Strategic
Initiatives
at
Ripple,
underlined
the
significance
of
the
partnership,
stating
that
HBCUs
in
the
UBRI
network
are
driving
the
growth
of
interest
in
crypto
and
blockchain
knowledge.
He
expressed
excitement
at
the
prospect
of
how
Morgan
State
will
empower
its
students
and
launch
ambitious
projects
that
will
diversify
the
XRP
Ledger
ecosystem
for
years
to
come.

Initiated
in
2018,
the
collaboration
between
Morgan
State
and
UBRI
has
bolstered
its
technological
bandwidth,
set
new
academic
excellence
standards,
and
cultivated
a
culture
of
innovation.
The
partnership
has
also
given
rise
to
innovative
programming
such
as
the
student-led
MorganHacks,
which
drew
about
150
students
from
seven
HBCUs
this
year
and
featured
an
XRP
Ledger
(XRPL)
workshop
and
Finance
Challenge
Statement
from
Ripple.

Future
Prospects

With
the
latest
investment,
Morgan
State
aims
to
boost
these
efforts,
engage
other
HBCUs,
and
combine
collaborative
research
and
real-world
applied
learning
opportunities.
The
goal
is
to
nurture
a
pipeline
of
diverse,
skilled,
and
highly
trained
professionals
ready
to
excel
in
enterprise
blockchain
jobs.
Proposed
activities
include
cutting-edge
research
endeavors,
faculty-led
projects
intersecting
blockchain,
artificial
intelligence
(AI)
and
machine
learning
(ML),
XRPL
development
workshops
and
programs,
and
an
annual
national
blockchain
and
fintech
conference.

UBRI’s
Role
in
the
Future
of
Finance
&
Technology

As
blockchain
continues
to
flourish
within
academia,
UBRI
is
set
to
expand
its
support
for
groundbreaking
research,
technical
development,
and
innovation
in
blockchain
and
crypto
on
campuses
worldwide.
Its
renewed
partnership
with
Morgan
State
will
help
breed
a
new
group
of
leaders
equipped
with
the
knowledge
and
skills
to
navigate
the
evolving
digital
economy
and
ensure
that
HBCUs
remain
at
the
forefront
of
innovation.

Image
source:
Shutterstock

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