News about Blockchain

The European Innovation Council (EIC) Prize on Blockchains for Social Good has awarded €5 million to six winners selected in a call to identify scalable, deployable and high-impact blockchain solutions for societal challenges. The winning solutions propose blockchain applications for fair trade and circular economy, increasing transparency in production processes and quality information, improving accountability and contributing to financial inclusion and renewable energy.

After a competitive process following a call for tenders announced in October 2019, the European Commission has selected a consortium consisting of INTRASOFT, the University of Nicosia, the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), and subcontractors (including Bitfury Group, OpenForum Europe AISBL, White Research, PLANET S.A.) as the new partner to operate the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum, taking over the role from the consortium led by ConsenSys A.G.

The European Commission and the European Blockchain Partnership support blockchain initiatives that can help address challenges posed by the Coronavirus outbreak. The International Association of Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA) launches the COVID-19 Solutions Task Force, which aims to build a database of the blockchain solutions that address challenges caused by the Coronavirus outbreak.

The European Commission is looking for novel blockchain solutions for the European Blockchain Service Infrastructure. The call for tenders for the pre-commercial procurement is expected to be published in September 2020. Check out the material of the open market consultation: this consultation offered a unique opportunity to stakeholders to provide feedback on the scope of the future PCP and to be involved in and co-create the future development of EU-wide blockchain solutions.

The video and presentations from the 3 April webinar organized by the European Assistance For Innovation Procurement (EAFIP) are available. They provide guidance for public buyers on how to proceed in the short, middle and long term in procuring the supplies and services required to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. Get in touch with EAFIP to submit your application for assistance now. For public procurers interested in assistance for COVID-19 related innovation procurements, EAFIP now also offers the possibility of a pre-application check and guidance.

Are you a European public procurer that wants to receive free of charge local assistance in preparing and implementing your next innovation procurement? The European Assistance for Innovation Procurement initiative can help you in procuring innovative ICT based solutions. Don't miss the extended deadline for the call for assistance that is open now until 31 May 2020! The focus of the call has been widened to include also ICT solutions for realizing the green deal and to tackle COVID-19.

As start-ups from across the world converge in Helsinki for this year’s edition of global start-up event Slush, European firms focused on AI and blockchain are set to learn more about how to benefit from a new EU investment fund aimed at boosting innovation in these two key technologies.

Sweden has joined the Innovation Radar, an initiative supported by the European Commission, which identifies high potential innovations and the key innovators behind them in Horizon 2020 projects.

After three weeks of public voting, the decision has been made: out of 36 dynamic European innovators longlisted for this year’s Innovation Radar Prize, 12 will move to the next phase and compete in the final.

Already EUR 180 Mio of EU Funding Spent to Support Research & Innovation in Blockchain.