Nicosia, Cyprus, December 2021 — The Institute For the Future (IFF) at the University of Nicosia (UNIC) and the Internet of Services Foundation (IOST) are delighted to announce a scholarship program to empower women in blockchain, through which an annual cohort of talented, motivated candidates will have the opportunity to pursue the university’s leading masters program in the field. The partnership kicks off with two endowed studentships over a two-year period, with the option to increase the number of students sponsored per year as of the next intake to UNIC’s MSc program in blockchain and digital currency in spring 2022.

The exciting partnership is aimed at fostering the next generation of leaders in the space, with a declared emphasis on supporting and promoting female leads focused on blockchain technology. This aim is in line with IFF’s mission to educate leaders, develop knowledge and build communities to help society prepare for a future shaped by transformative technologies. At the same time, it aligns with IOST’s unwavering efforts in promoting the education and adoption of blockchain technology.

As part of the agreement, both parties open up the potential to collaborate in other domains of mutual interest, including but not limited to the development of educational technology courses and research and development in the field of distributed ledger technology. 

“The strategic alliance with the University of Nicosia allows us to further engage in blockchain education and research, which we believe are crucial steps toward wider adoption of blockchain technology. We believe that supporting such initiatives will help attract more talented individuals, who are going to help develop a myriad of interesting solutions and use cases,” said Kudakwashe Samkange, director of business development at the Internet of Services Foundation. “The scholarship program will contribute to a more inclusive blockchain space, in which there is generally very low representation of women. We would like to be part of resolving that,” Samkange concluded.

UNIC previously made headlines when it became the first university in the world to accept cryptocurrency — Bitcoin (BTC), specifically — for tuition payment. Indeed, UNIC is a world leader in crypto and blockchain education and research, having been the first university in the world to offer a degree in the field, as well as the world’s first massive open online course, or MOOC, focused on blockchain, which to date has seen almost 65,000 students enroll from over 110 countries. UNIC was also the first university to offer a MOOC on decentralized finance in 2021. Most recently, the university launched the UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative, focused on the academic, research and policy issues relating to the Metaverse, with a particular emphasis on open public systems and standards. This ties in with UNIC’s launch earlier this year of a robust, defensible methodology for calculating nonfungible token market capitalizations on an ecosystem basis with the proposal of NFTValuations.

“We have proudly been at the forefront of blockchain research and education, as attested to by our engagement and offering,” underlined Klitos Christodoulou, research manager at IFF. “An intricate part of that is connecting with like-minded leaders in the space to expand accessibility and inspire engagement. The partnership with IOST represents just that, expressly reflecting our commitment, via annual endowed studentships, to support, promote and inspire female leads in the blockchain space,” he concluded.

About the Institute For the Future of the University of Nicosia

The Institute For the Future is a leading global provider of education and research in blockchain and digital currencies. It is an interdisciplinary research center at the University of Nicosia, aimed at advancing emerging technologies and contributing to their effective application in industry, government and education, as well as evaluating their impact on employment, wealth inequality and our lives and societies in general. Its overall mission is to educate leaders, develop knowledge and build communities to help society prepare for a future shaped by transformative technologies. The Distributed Ledgers Research Centre (DLRC) hosted at IFF is the institute’s applied research laboratory on blockchain protocols and distributed ledger technology.

IFF: www.unic.ac.cy/iff

DLRC: www.unic.ac.cy/iff/dlrc/ 

Email: iff@unic.ac.cy

Twitter: www.twitter.com/IFFunic

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/institute-for-the-future-iff/

About Internet of Services Foundation

IOST is a high-speed, decentralized blockchain network that is based on the proof-of-believability consensus algorithm. It is a next-generation blockchain technology that offers network infrastructure to support a service-oriented ecosystem that meets the security and scalability needs of the decentralized economy. Smart contracts with post-deployment modifications, JavaScript programming language support and infinitely low development costs make the IOST blockchain a highly viable enterprise solution.

Being one of the public chain leaders in terms of adoption, performance and utility, IOST remains committed to our mission to unleash the power of blockchain. IOST currently has an ever-expanding 500,000 community members in over 20 countries, over 400 nodes, a top staking economy and symbiotic relationships with corporations around the world.

Contact and application process

Step 1: Register your interest for the MSc in blockchain and digital currency program.

Step 2: Complete your application to the MSc. The UNIC enrollment team will reach out and guide you through the required documents and process.

Step 3: Complete the IOST scholarship application, and select “IOST Women in Blockchain Scholars.”

Important notes

  • IOST encourages women (inclusive of transgender applicants) to apply.
  • The IOST Scholars application deadline is Jan. 17, 2022.
  • The IOST Scholars recipient selection is on Jan. 19, 2022.
  • The MSc program start date is Jan. 31, 2022.

For more information on enrollment and/or any queries regarding the UNIC-IOST Scholarship Programme, please contact: Hazal Aripinar, business development and enrollment manager at IFF, aripinar.h@unic.ac.cy