Saxion and Arizona State University join forces in blockchain research
At the opening of the academic year in September, Saxion Executive Board Chairperson Anka Mulder announced that Saxion has ambitious and well-advanced plans to collaborate with ASU, one of the largest universities in the United States. Just like Saxion, ASU is located in a region facing a shortage of technically skilled professionals. Given their technical profile and the societal challenges, the two universities have decided to join forces in the field of research. Where blockchain research is concerned, this collaboration has meanwhile taken shape. Saxion professor Jan Veuger and ASU professor Dragan Boscovic are currently exploring their knowledge agendas, research and degree programmes, and how Saxion and ASU might complement and reinforce each other's efforts in the field of blockchain research.
Reason enough for Boscovic to participate in the Saxion Blockchain Week, at the invitation of Professor Veuger. The American professor and his research group in Phoenix are actively researching blockchain applications in the healthcare, energy, agricultural and fintech sectors. Logistics and transport are two further sectors Professor Boscovic is focussing on. He sees clear parallels with the domains in which Professor Veuger is conducting research with his blockchain research group, consisting of researchers from three different schools:
“From an international perspective, the energy market and infrastructure are on the threshold of a radical transition. In the United States, but also elsewhere, the energy sector has become outdated. This applies to the technology, the infrastructure and the administrative processes related to the storage and distribution of energy. I see huge opportunities to push innovation in the energy market with blockchain technology, thus giving it a new face. Both the cash flows and the storage, distribution and purchase of wind and solar energy can be organised in a smarter way. If we use blockchain as a basis, this technology can make clean forms of energy directly available, both to individuals and to the industry. Jan Veuger sees clear parallels with clean energy initiatives in the Netherlands: "We see private partnerships emerging around clean energy, and are consequently taking leave of existing institutions and their monopoly position." Boscovic and Veuger conclude that blockchain is in fact the new architecture for trust.
According to both professors, the healthcare sector also stands to benefit from blockchain applications. In particular where it concerns the controlled, secure and more efficient exchange of data: “Patients should be and remain the owner of their own medical records. In future, the patient must be able to digitally decide for himself which institution or health professional he will allow access to his data, and to which part of his data. This will change the huge and profitable healthcare sector in the US. The current complex administrative system in the US, where unfortunately there are still people who don't have access to health insurance, may change completely as a result of these new technological applications. This will prove beneficial to patients and the position of citizens in general,” says Boscovic. He is currently testing new, blockchain technology based solutions in a laboratory environment.
Last Thursday Boscovic joined the Saxion theme day on Blockchain & Health, in which the Deventer Hospital also participated. And last Friday afternoon he was also present at the official inauguration of Jan Veuger as Blockchain professor at Saxion.