Blockpass and Edinburgh Napier University to open blockchain research lab

Hong Kong-based “regtech” provider Blockpass and Edinburgh Napier University have announced a partnership to build the Blockpass Identity Lab, which will research ways to protect online personal data from cyber criminals and others with blockchain technology.

The partners will spend £600,000 (roughly US$819,000) on the three-year collaboration, including funding for research staff, PhD student positions, and a virtualized blockchain environment, according to the announcement. One of the main goals of the lab will be to advance citizen-focussed systems for protecting privacy rights.

“We continue to see identity management at the forefront of blockchain and cryptography discussions as the price of consumer data abuses becomes clearer and more pertinent,” said Blockpass Chief Marketing Officer Dr. Hans Lombardo. “The creation of this lab in conjunction with Edinburgh Napier University will provide a space where further research and innovation can lead that discussion to newer and more advanced grounds.”

Blockpass uses blockchain technology and smart contracts to create a self-sovereign identity protocol for the Internet of Everything.

“The world is changing and cryptography is now being used to fix many of the problems we have created on the internet. It can now help create a better society, with the citizen at its core,” said Professor Bill Buchanan of Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing, the Director of the Lab. “We aim to contribute to the building of a new world, based on blockchain. Whether it is health and well-being, or the changing of our public services, it is likely to be blockchain methods that will provide the foundation for the future.”

Companies combining blockchain with biometrics for payment applications have recently received recognition and funding as the technology matures.

Article Topics

blockchain  |  cryptography  |  cybersecurity  |  identity management  |  privacy