The forum issued a summary of observations from its Research Priorities workshop, at which it explored the state of play of blockchain research in the EU in form both technical and non-technical angles.
The first presentation looked at blockchain-related technical research from a researcher’s perspective. There are four main sets of problems in blockchain.
The second presentation was followed by a presentation on a study of the blockchain ecosystem by the Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano. According to the researchers, the number of worldwide business applications of blockchain is growing, but the number of concrete projects worldwide is still low. The market is still more focused on platforms than applications. The EU ecosystem could benefit from best practice, collaboration among academics, and blockchain education students and professionals.
The final session was dedicated to an open discussion among all participants on the subject of research priorities for the EU.