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Ripple has expanded its university research initiative with $5M in grants in Asia-Pacific.
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The program includes new partnerships with Taiwan and Australia.
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This move is part of Ripple’s commitment to global blockchain technology innovation, which includes 1 billion XRP.
Ripple, the fintech leader in Asia-Pacific, is doubling its commitment by injecting a new $5 million into the prestigious University Blockchain Research Initiative. This money will be used to fund the next group of developers and researchers.
This move extends Ripple’s deep academic partnerships to Taiwan and Australia. It also renews its support for top universities located in established tech hubs such as South Korea, Japan and Singapore. This latest funding round, according to reports is part of Ripple’s massive 1 billion USD commitment to global Blockchain innovation.
Eric van Miltenburg is Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Ripple. He acknowledged that the APAC region is a fintech hub and a blockchain innovation hub. Miltenburg said that Ripple was proud to have invested in the region’s academic talent since the beginning.
Related: Ripple Selects Four Universities in Europe for its UBRI Program
The UBRI Program focuses on Academic Research and Student Initiatives
Since 2007, Ripple has recognized that academic research is the engine of blockchain’s greatest breakthroughs. The UBRI program aims to invest in the future of blockchain by supporting academic research and student-led initiatives. It also supports the development of blockchain-focused curriculums, which are often centered around the XRP Ledger.
The next step for the firm is to deepen this commitment in Asia-Pacific through new UBRI partnership, including the first one in Taiwan and a network that now spans over 60 universities.
Grants of up to $1 Million Dollars are aimed at core research in Korea, Japan and Singapore
The new grants are built on a foundation of success that has spanned several million dollars in the region. South Korea is a top beneficiary of the program, with Ripple having committed over $1.1million to Korea University in the past six years. The UBRI program is a South Korean initiative that focuses on blockchain scalability and privacy. The partnership builds upon Ripple’s collaboration with Yonsei University.
Related Ripple Partners With BDACS To Expand Institutional Crypto Custody In South Korea
Japan is also among the top recipients, with Kyoto University (NTU) and the University of Tokyo (UoT) receiving grants from Ripple worth more than $1.5 million to support research on decentralized finance and interoperability of blockchains. Singapore has also benefited, with Ripple providing academic grants to Nanyang Technological University and supporting the National University of Singapore. Ripple has funded the UBRI program in Singapore with more than $3 million.
