A pan-European Blockchain Regulatory Sandbox has been set up and is being operated to facilitate the dialogue between regulators and innovators for private and public sector use cases. The European Blockchain Sandbox for innovative use cases involving Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) is an initiative of the European Commission. This project provides a platform for regulators, supervisors, and blockchain innovators to work together and identify any legal and regulatory challenges for new blockchain solutions. The sandbox will allow regulators and supervisors to enhance their knowledge of cutting edge blockchain technologies. Please note that companies (including start-ups and scale-ups) and public entities with a validated proof of concept can apply. 

As part of the activities of the EU Horizon Europe programme for Research and Innovation, the European Commission has launched another call for proposals concerning Next Generation Internet (NGI), which aims to shape the future internet as an interoperable platform ecosystem that embodies the values that Europe holds dear: openness, inclusivity, transparency, privacy, cooperation, and protection of data. The call is open until 29 March 2023. NGI projects can include blockchain based solutions and can concern activities in relation to EBSI.  An info-session took place on 26 January, more information can be found here.

The International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA) hosted its Awards Gala on 31 January in Brussels. The ceremony honoured the Top Contributors, Special Awards recipients, and Most Exciting Projects of 2023. Also, INATBA presented the awards using cutting-edge Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), offering a secure and unique way of recognising and celebrating achievements, and adding a new level of prestige to awards.