Curtin University in Australia has introduced a new ‘Cryptocurrency Ph.D. Scholarship Fund’ designed by Curtin data scientists. Through this program, people will be able to donate cryptocurrency to fund Ph.D. students who want to pursue a degree in the fields of crypto blockchain technology, cybersecurity, data analytics etc.
This program uses a Web 3.0 payment platform, which will enable real-time payments from donors to the university on both Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains. The platform has been developed in partnership with Nelnet International and Centrality. Centrality will also let students use this platform and other tools, which can help them in developing decentralized applications.
Different projects and fields of study offering this scholarship will be announced by the university while a number of scholarship donors will mark their donations for specific fields of their interest.
According to Professor Garry Allison who is an Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Excellence at Curtin University, this scholarship fund is a great way to give cryptocurrency traders a chance to help such Ph.D. students grow and develop these new technologies.
Rohan McDougall, the Commercialization Director of Curtin University said that this program will build on the Curtin University’s expertise in data science. He also said that the interest in applications of blockchain technology is continuously increasing despite the volatility of cryptocurrency.
Jerome Faury is Centrality Group’s General Manager. He remarked that as “cutting edge” technologies like Web 3.0 and Industry 4.0 evolve, their partnership with Curtin would ensure that “graduates can use up-to-the-minute skills.” He hopes that the students will contribute to “building a more equitable digital economy” and “put consumers back in control of their data”.
As Curtin is working on this fund with Nelnet International and Centrality, the Nelnet International Managing Director David Heffernan has appreciated Curtin for this initiative and said that they are looking forward to work with Curtin and Centrality by providing them with a platform for such blockchain applications.
Curtin is not the first university to take a cryptocurrency-inspired initiative. Many universities around the world have announced plans involving blockchain and cryptocurrencies in the last few months. Examples include Dublin City University which collaborated with tech company network Ireland ICT Skillnet to offer master’s degree and University of British Columbia graduate training program in blockchain tech.
Academic research and promotion of blockchain is integral to its survival, which is why initiatives like these that incentivizes and encourages students to get involved are always appreciated.
