Blockchain Labs Launch

1. Timisoara, January 14, 2019
Prof.dr.ing. Carmen Holotescu
Dean Faculty of Engineering
Director Center for Open Education & Blockchain
"Ioan Slavici" University of Timisoara, Romania
Blockchain in Education. Education for Blockchain
--- Blockchain Labs Launch ---

2. Content
1. Blockchain technology
2. Blockchain initiatives & policies in EU
3. Blockchain in Romania
4. Blockchain in Education
5. The need for Blockchain learning
6. Blockchain experience and Blockchain
Labs

3. https://github.com/trottier/original-bitcoin
Definition (1)
The blockchain term, originally
block chain, was first coined in
2009, by (the still unknown)
Satoshi Nakamoto, in the
original source code for the
virtual currency Bitcoin: "Nodes
collect new transactions into a
block, hash them into a hash
tree"; "when they solve the
proof-of-work, they broadcast
the block to everyone and the
block is added to the block
chain." (Nakamoto, 2009).
http://www.metzdowd.com/pipermail/cryptography/2008-
October/014810.html

4. Definition (2)
Blockchain technology enables the creation of a
decentralized environment, where the
cryptographically validated transactions and data are
not under the control of any third party organization.
Any transaction ever completed is recorded in an
immutable ledger in a verifiable, secure, transparent
and permanent way, with a timestamp and other
details.
In March 2018, Merriam Webster Dictionary added the definitions for Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and
Initial Coin Offering (ICO).
twitter.com/MerriamWebster/status/970667988964831232

5. Technology
Explaining decentralization, Vitalik Buterin (24y), the
creator of Ethereum, states that it assures fault tolerance,
attack resistance and collusion resistance. Also,
blockchain is decentralized on two of the three possible
axes in software decentralization:
• politically decentralized - no one controls it;
• architecturally decentralized - no infrastructural central
point of failure;
• logically centralized - there is one commonly agreed
state and the system behaves like a single computer.
https://medium.com/@VitalikButerin/the-meaning-of-
decentralization-a0c92b76a274
Ethereum (ethereum.org) is an open-source blockchain platform, described in a white paper by Vitalik
Buterin in 2013 and launched in 2015, and is designed for a large variaty of applications, as opposed
to the Bitcoin platform, mainly crypto-currency oriented.

6. How a blockchain works
http://usblogs.pwc.com/emerging-technology/a-primer-on-blockchain-infographic/
http://usblogs.pwc.com/emerging-technology/category/blockchain/
Blockchain explained / demo https://www.eublockchainforum.eu/knowledge, https://anders.com/blockchain, https://blockchaindemo.io
Mining: process of adding transactions to a blockchain by hash verification processes, with a high
consume of hardware, energy, time.
A new block: created on Bitcoin network at each ~ 10 min (https://blockchain.info/stats), on Ethereum network at
each ~ 15 s (https://ethstats.net).

7. Comparison of Blockchain Platforms
https://primetrade.ai/blog/comparison-of-blockchain-platforms, https://www.bitdegree.org/tutorials/top-10-cryptocurrencies, https://blog.goodaudience.com/the-top-
10-cryptos-explained-85cddbe4f281, https://cointelegraph.com/news/from-pos-to-dbft-a-brief-review-of-consensus-protocols
Blockchain platforms

8. https://cointelegraph.com/news/from-pos-to-dbft-a-brief-review-of-consensus-protocols, https://101blockchains.com
Consensus algorithms

9. linkedin.com/company/blockchainheadhunter/
Blockchain types

10. Advantages
— self-sovereignty - users identify themselves and
maintain control over the storage/management of
personal data;
— trust - the technical infrastructure offers secure
operations(payments or issue of certificates);
— transparency and provenance - to perform
transactions in knowledge that each party has the
capacity to enter into that transaction;
— immutability- records are written and stored
permanently, without the possibility of modification;
— disintermediation- no need for a central controlling
authority to manage transactions or keep records;
— collaboration - ability of parties to transact directly
with each other without the need for mediating third
parties.
Blockchain in Education JRC Report - https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/blockchain-education
https://www.stateofthedapps.com

11. https://medium.com/@matteozago/50-examples-of-how-blockchains-are-taking-over-the-
world-4276bf488a4b, https://www.oracle.com/transformational-technologies
Use cases

12. Timeline
Predictions for 2019 - https://media.consensys.net/welcome-to-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-19-blockchain-predictions-for-2019-8b2e542bf86a ,
https://medium.com/@cassiopeiaservicesltd/cassiopeia-trends-to-watch-in-crypto-and-blockchain-for-2019-d4d7b08b3449, https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-
releases/2018-10-15-gartner-identifies-the-top-10-strategic-technology-trends-for-2019?
https://medium.com/@matteozago/50-examples-of-how-blockchains-are-taking-over-the-world-4276bf488a4b,
https://medium.com/ethex-market/how-2018-became-the-year-of-buidl-88a763ed0b2a
#BUIDL (build useful stuff)
not only
#HODL (hold on for dear life)
70% of Central Banks are working on digital
currencies - Bank for International Settlements,
https://www.bis.org/publ/bppdf/bispap101.htm.
95% of companies surveyed are investing in
Blockchain tech - Deloitte,
https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consulting/articles/in
novation-blockchain-survey.html.

13. EU Initiatives and Policies (1)
• Blockchain Technologies are considered strategic for EU (340 million EUR could
be committed from 2018 to 2020 for blockchain related projects) - https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-
market/en/blockchain-techonologies
• EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum was launched on 1 March 2018, as a
knowledge hub on blockchain - http://www.eublockchainforum.eu
– Blockchain Policy and Framework Conditions Working Group (30 members)
– Use Cases and Transition Scenarios Working Group (30 members) - a member is Vlad
Zamfir (Ethereum, Researcher and Blockchain Architect)
– Online Forum - http://eublockchain.mobilize.io
• European Blockchain Partnership was signed on 10 April 2018 (Romania on 29 May
2018) - https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/european-countries-join-blockchain-partnership

14. EU Initiatives and Policies (2)
• European Parliament resolution on distributed ledger technologies and blockchains:
building trust with disintermediation, 3 October 2018:
– http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P8-TA-2018-0373&language=EN&ring=B8-2018-0397
– https://medium.com/@operagroup/eu-parliament-passes-blockchain-resolution-737d0ce99e38
• Digital Education Action Plan adopted by EC includes 11 actions to support
technology-use and digital competence development in education - https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-
in-the-eu/digital-education-action-plan_en
– Action 3 Digitally-Signed Qualifications: Launch of the digitally-signed qualifications
component in Europass (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu) end of 2019
• CEN-CENELEC Focus Group on Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies (FG-BDLT)-
Recommendations for Successful Adoption in Europe of Emerging Technical
Standards on Distributed Ledger/Blockchain Technologies, 20 September 2018 -
https://www.cencenelec.eu/STANDARDS/SECTORS/ICT/BLOCKCHAINLEDGERTECHNOLOGIES
• Blockchain for Europe – Association of four major blockchain companies (Cardano,
Fetch.AI, NEM and Ripple) with the goal of promoting and guiding regulation around
blockchain technology across the European Union, December 2018
– https://distributed.com/news/ripple-cardano-and-others-form-blockchain-europe-hope-guide-regulation
– https://medium.com/nem-europe/leading-global-blockchain-companies-launch-blockchain-for-europe-association-d60bc03d485e

15. EU Blockchain Partnership Activities
slideshare.net/SuomenStandardisoimisliitto/kimmo-makinen-valtiovarainministerio-eu-blockchain-partnership-agreement-kuulumiset

16. Reports
• Blockchain innovation in Europe
• Blockchain for Government and Public Services
• Blockchain and the GDPR by EU Blockchain - https://www.eublockchainforum.eu/reports
• Distributed Ledger Technologies in Public Services - https://www.gov.scot/publications/distributed-ledger-technologies-
public-services/
• European Blockchain analysis by BOND (Blockchains Boosting Finnish Industry), May 2018 -
https://www.vtt.fi/sites/BOND/publications
• Blockchain in Education JRC Report - https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/blockchain-
education

17. Romanian Blockchain ecosystem
• The ecosystem comprises a large typology of initiatives:
– Blockchain projects
– Companies and Start-ups
– Mining
– Media and News
– Conferences and Events
– Hackathons
– Payments
– Communities
– Academic Courses
– Training
– Research
– Influencers
• Romania doesn’t have any governmental initiative to develop blockchain
projects based on EU funds; only 65 projects are under development in
Romania, representing less than 0.8 percent of over 8,200 active
blockchain projects at European level, as shown by the Initiative for
Competitiveness (INACO)
Check http://www.openeduchain.io

18. Blockchain in Romania (1)
• Bitcoin Magazine - https://bitcoinmagazine.com - co-founded by Mihai Alisie and
Vitalik Buterin (2011); #8 on "Top 100 most influential companies in blockchain"
(https://richtopia.com/top-lists/top-100-blockchain);
• Bitcoin Journal - https://ibitcoin.ro - Romanian journal specialized in
cryptocurrency;
• WebDollar – http://webdollar.io – P2P blockchain directly in browser (on
Ethereum), group coordinated by Ionut Budisteanu;
• Veros - https://veros.org – cryptocurrency developed by Under Development Office
(http://www.forbes.ro/articles/30-sub-30-inovatori-tehnologie-82293);
• Liquidity - https://liquidity.world - a new ICO (Initial Coin Offering) launched at the
beginning of 2018 by a former Romanian Minister of Communications. Liquidity will
be an open platform for decentralized financial applications, similar with Ethereum;
• Scienceroot - https://scienceroot.com - a blockchain-based scientific ecosystem,
which will host a collaboration platform, a funding platform and a journal, a few
team members from Timisoara;

19. Blockchain in Romania (2)
• Restart Energy Democracy - https://restartenergy.io - a blockchain-based energy
ecosystem developed by RED - Restart Energy, which is the fastest growing private
energy and gas provider in the EU (developed in Timisoara);
• TEND (http://tend.swiss) permits the co-ownership of special objects and assets,
being developed on Ethereum by a company in Cluj-Napoca;
• MedNet - eHealth project based on blockchain, aiming to protect patients' personal
data in the context of a new set of European regulations; MedNet was winner
project at the first eHealth hackathon organized in Romania, in October 2017 -
http://health-hackathon.see40.org;
• Tremend - http://tremend.ro, Qualitance - https://qualitance.com and Product
Lead - https://productlead.me are Romanian companies developing blockchain
projects;
• Influencers: Dr.Mihaela Ulieru, President, IMPACT Institute for the Digital Economy,
Adjunct Research Professor, Carleton University- theimpactinstitute.org; Sorin
Cristescu – Blockchain Competence Centre Leader at European Commission (DIGIT)
- https://steemit.com/busy/@sorin.cristescu/the-blockchain-competence-center-
blkcc

20. Blockchain in Romania (3)
Poziția Băncii Naționale a României în legătură cu monedele virtuale -
http://www.bnr.ro/page.aspx?prid=14338
• Tax for digital currency transactions if the earnings exceeds 600 lei per year - Law
30/2019, in force on January 20, 2019.
• In March 22, 2018, the United Blockchain Association (UBA – RO)
(http://www.unirom.io) was launched, having 40 members, with the aims to inform
and educate the Romanian public, and to provide the necessary tools to invest
safely in a friendly legislative environment.

21. Blockchain in Education (1)
• Digital certification using an an open infrastructure for credentials
• Intellectual property management (scientific papers, research)
• Funding tracking from higher level authorities
• Students’ payments, grants management, students’ services (e.g. academic
records, transcripts), credit transfer, learning portfolios
• Pedagogical enhancement: anonymous marks/student performance comparison
leading to personalised learning, reputation, proof of learning
Pioneers:
• University of Nicosia -
https://digitalcurrency.unic.ac.cy
• Open University UK - http://blockchain.open.ac.uk
• MIT USA - http://certificates.media.mit.edu
https://www.slideshare.net/inamor/open-education-blockchain-and-flexible-learning-pathways

22. https://verify.unic.ac.cy/verify, https://digitalcurrency.unic.ac.cy

23. http://blockchain.open.ac.uk

24. http://certificates.media.mit.edu, https://www.blockcerts.org

25. Blockchain in Education (2)
• Maltese Educational Institutions – Malta is the first nation-state to deploy
blockchain technology in education, issuing digital diplomas, training certificates
and equivalency statements, using the BlockCerts standard - http://connectedlearning.edu.mt/news;
• Many other universities worldwide offer digital certificates, among them:
• Central New Mexico Community College (https://www.cnm.edu),
• British University in Dubai (http://buid.ac.ae ),
• 3 Greek universities will using the Cardano platform (https://www.cardano.org);
• Several universities, including the University of Nicosia, The King’s College in New
York, Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, or Varna in Bulgaria, accept the
digital currency for tuition payments.

26. Blockchain in Education (3)
Other free or open source projects for digital certificates: http://opencertificates.co, https://medium.com/badge-
chain, https://appii.io, https://www.uport.me, https://educhain.io, https://smartdiploma.io.
Check https://github.com, https://gitcoin.co
MicroHe – http://www.k4all.org/project/microhe
OEPass - https://oepass.eu
https://oepass.eu/towards-a-universal-system-for-recording-educational-credit-oepass-microhe/
https://www.slideshare.net/anthonycamilleri/open-credentials-for-open-education-moving-the-needle-forward

27. Blockchain in Education (4)
Blockchain universities and learning communities - blockchain is used in the regulation
of contracts and payments, to assess learning and to record academic progress, a kind
of Uber for learning. Tuition payment could be done by peer-teaching other students.
Such projects are:
Woolf University - https://woolf.university, blockchainedu - https://www.blockchaineducation.school, fathom -
https://fathom.network, BitDegree - https://www.bitdegree.org, ODEM - https://odem.io, SuccessLife - https://successlife.com,
Smart City University Dubai - https://dubai10x.ae
Blockchain for Science https://www.blockchainforscience.com - project aims to bring science towards
reproducible results, autonomous and free data handling and incentivisation of true
innovation
Disciplina https://disciplina.io - a new blockchain platform for projects in the educational and
recruiting spheres, aiming to provide the transparency of work and to maintain
confidentiality and reliability of information added by system participants

28. European Parliament Resolution about
Blockchain in Education
• Stresses the potential of DLT for verification of academic qualifications, encrypted
educational certification (e.g. ‘blockcerts’) and credit transfer mechanisms;
• Stresses that lack of knowledge about the potential of DLT discourages European
citizens from using innovative solutions for their businesses;
• Highlights the need to establish non-profit-making entities, for example research
centres, that would be innovation hubs which would specialise in DLT technology in
order to perform educational functions regarding the technology in Member State;
• Calls on the Commission to explore the possibility of creating an EU-wide, highly
scalable and interoperable network that makes use of the technological resources
of educational institutions in the Union(…); also encourages Member States to
adapt specialised curricula at university level in order to include the study of
emerging technologies such as DLT;
• Recognises that for DLT to be trusted, awareness and understanding of the
technology need to be improved; calls on the Member States to address this
through targeted training and education.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P8-TA-2018-0373&language=EN&ring=B8-2018-0397

29. Need of Education for Blockchain
https://blockchaintrainingalliance.com/blogs/news/blockchain-
career-paths
• Besides development, the blockchain
careers comprise product design, data
analysis, machine learning, legal and
public service, consultants or subject
matter experts. Job offers can be found on
dedicated portals such as CryptoJobsList,
CryptoJobs, BlockchainJobz, and
BlockchainJobs or HiredCrypto -
https://discover.coinsquare.io/blockchain/careers-in-blockchain.
• Blockchain and Bitcoin-related jobs are
the fastest growing in today’s labor
market (together with Robotics, Machine
Learning) - http://www.upwork.com/press.
• On LinkedIn - blockchain-related job
adverts have tripled in the last year -
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/job-hunting-blockchain-related-postings-linkedin-have-tripled,
https://economicgraph.linkedin.com/research/linkedin-2018-emerging-jobs-report

30. Education for Blockchain
42% - one course, 22% - more than one
81% - Math & Science, 15% - Business & Finance, 4% - Social Science
https://blog.coinbase.com/the-rise-of-crypto-in-higher-education-81b648c2466f

31. MOOCs for Blockchain learning
• Blockchain: Foundations and Use Cases - https://www.coursera.org/learn/blockchain-foundations-and-use-cases; Coursera
and ConsenSys Partner to Offer a Free Blockchain Course - https://ethereumworldnews.com/coursera-consensys-free-
blockchain-course/
• Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies, offered by University of Princeton, based on the
book https://d28rh4a8wq0iu5.cloudfront.net/bitcointech/readings/princeton_bitcoin_book.pdf - https://www.coursera.org/learn/cryptocurrency
• IBM Blockchain Foundation for Developers - https://www.coursera.org/learn/ibm-blockchain-essentials-for-developers
• Blockchain 360: A State of the Art for Professionals, offered by EIT Digital https://www.eitdigital.eu/ -
https://www.coursera.org/learn/blockchain-professionals
• Blockchain Specialization - https://www.coursera.org/specializations/blockchain; comprises 4 MOOCs: Blockchain
Basics, Smart Contracts, Decentralized Applications (Dapps), Blockchain Platforms
• Blockchain for Business - An Introduction to Hyperledger Technologies -
https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:LinuxFoundationX+LFS171x+3T2017/course
• Blockchain in the Energy Sector, offered by EIT Digital https://www.eitdigital.eu/ -
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/blockchain-energy-sector
• University of Nicosia: Introduction to Digital Currencies - https://digitalcurrency.unic.ac.cy/free-introductory-mooc - is
the 1st MOOC in Digital Currencies globally, and the 1st course of the MSc in Digital Currency
degree programme - https://digitalcurrency.unic.ac.cy
• CryptoZombies, an ingenious online course for building games on Ethereum - https://cryptozombies.io
• Cognitive Class, MOOCs organized on Learning Path, uses https://open.edx.org - https://cognitiveclass.ai;
Blockchain for Developers - 3 courses: Blockchain Essentials, IBM Blockchain Foundation
Developer, Build an IoT Blockchain Network for a Supply Chain
MOOC directories: https://www.class-central.com https://www.mooc-list.com/

32. Getting involved: current and future projects
• Center for Open Education and Blockchain (October 2015)
• Course about Blockchain Development (Ethereum, Hyperledger, Hashgraph) at
University “Ioan Slavici” of Timisoara – the 1st university course (academic years
2017-2018, 2018-2019);
• OpenEduChain - http://openeduchain.io – digital certificates for
universities/educational and training institutions;
• Academic events about Blockchain: OEW, eLSE Conference Workshops;
• Blockchain Labs With SIFR France;
• Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances project proposal:
– Learning Ecosystem
– MOOCs on Blockchain
– Master Program
– Sandbox for edu Dapps.

33. Thank you!
Carmen Holotescu
Twitter: @cami13
tinyurl.com/cholotescu
openeduchain.io
Credit first 2 images Pixabay