Ripple Expands UBRI to Spain, Italy, France and Ireland

Ripple adds four European universities to its blockchain research program to advance education and innovation.

The San Francisco-based blockchain payment firm Ripple has taken a significant move to strengthen its business ties with Europe. This time, Ripple is working alongside the academic community of Europe by adding more institutions to its blockchain research program.

In particular, Ripple has announced welcoming four European universities to its renowned University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) endeavor. The firm took to X to share the development with the crypto community. 

1/ Ripple’s University Blockchain and Research Initiative #UBRI, the global leader in academic blockchain and crypto research and innovation, is now expanding in Europe to support the next generation of blockchain and crypto leaders.https://t.co/KBcLVEoSk3

— Ripple (@Ripple) September 6, 2023

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According to the official notification, the new partner universities include IE University in Spain, the University of Trento in Italy, EPITA in France, and Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. The report noted that the addition comes alongside UBRI celebrating its fifth year promoting the blockchain idea.

Ripple stated that the new academic collaborations aim to advance blockchain research and education initiatives across Europe.

Ripple UBRI 

Ripple’s UBRI fosters a broad spectrum of worldwide blockchain-related research and technical advancements within university communities. The initiative plays a role in equipping the upcoming cohort of fintech professionals and global innovators. 

According to official records, UBRI features over 340 fintech courses and more than 1,020 academic research projects.

In the announcement, Ripple mentioned that in the past five years, UBRI has disbursed more than $11 million in support of its 14 partner institutions throughout Europe. It added that the spending momentum follows Europe’s pace in establishing itself as a global blockchain hub.

Moreover, Ripple cited the region’s regulatory effort in introducing the Market in Crypto Assets (MiCA) legislation.

Eric van Miltenburg, a Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Ripple, emphasized the significance of Ripple’s blockchain research endeavor. In his words:

“Four leading universities with budding talent will now benefit from brand new ways to explore, create, and grow in the worlds of blockchain and crypto.” 

Moreover, Van Miltenburg stressed the essence of equipping the coming generation with practical skills to harness blockchain potential for real-world applications. 

Notably, the report mentioned that IE University has announced plans to host a three-day virtual asset regulation workshop tailored for students. The workshop comes in light of the collaboration with UBRI.