Input Output Global’s $4.5m blockchain research hub at Stanford University

Input Output Global, Inc. (IOG) prioritizes a peer-reviewed, academic research-driven process in its quest to develop high-assurance blockchain technologies. The research team has published 130+ research papers across a host of topics, many of which help underpin Cardano’s design principles and IOG’s novel products and services.

This week we are proud to announce our latest collaboration in the world of blockchain research with our funding of a new $4.5m ‘Blockchain Research Hub’ at Stanford University.

Read on to learn more about this new partnership, its purpose, and the brilliant minds behind it.

Novel research for the future of blockchain

Blockchain technology can improve multiple aspects of society. Yet recent incidents (i.e. bridge hacks, blockchain collapses, and regulatory threats) in this growing field demonstrate the dangers of undertaking a project without first conducting extensive research.

Peer-reviewed research ensures more rapid growth, continuous improvement, and mainstream technology adoption in a more secure manner.

It’s with this need to measure twice and cut once that IOG and Stanford’s new research hub brings together Stanford’s bright minds from various departments to:

• Tackle fundamental/foundational questions in the blockchain space
• Extensively increase the blockchain industry’s collation of scientific knowledge
• Promote the fundamental need for research in this nascent space

We’ve been dedicated to vigorous research since the inception of the business and our work forms the foundations on which Cardano has been built. Working with leading academic institutions like Stanford to set up these blockchain research hubs is key to our vision. With the Research Hub, blockchain development can grow even faster, based on the new learnings that will emerge, and the hub will add a new layer of validity to our sector that we haven’t always been afforded.” - Charles Hoskinson, CEO of IOG

This ‘Blockchain Research Hub’ will adopt a multidisciplinary approach and provide researchers with the opportunity to collaborate with the blockchain industry, enhancing the body of knowledge and viewpoints of blockchain technology.

Details of the ‘Blockchain Research Hub’

A steering committee will oversee the Research Hub by:

1. Agreeing on the research programme
2. Launching a call for proposals
3. Reviewing submitted proposals
4. Deciding which proposals qualify for funding
5. Review funded projects’ progress and outcomes

The first call for proposals opens in September 2022, and the deadline for proposals is set for November 2022.

The committee is composed of:

• David Tse (Committee Chair): Thomas Kailath and Guanghan Xu Professor of Engineering at Stanford University
• Dan Boneh: Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University.
• Ashish Goel: Professor of Management Science and Engineering, and by courtesy, Computer Science at Stanford University
• Andrew Hall: Professor of Political Economics in the Graduate School of Business, of Political Science and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
• Laurie Simon Hodrick: Visiting Professor, Fellow at the Rock Center for Corporate Governance
• John Mitchell: Mary and Gordon Crary Family Professor in the School of Engineering, and by courtesy, Professor of Electrical Engineering and of Education
• Peter Gaži: Research Fellow at Input Output Global
• Sandro Coretti Drayton: Research Fellow at Input Output Global

I am grateful for this support. The Research Hub will be a significant boost to enhance the interest in both fundamental and applied blockchain research at Stanford.” - Professor David Tse

Professor Aggelos Kiayias - Chief Scientist at Input Output Global and Professor at the University of Edinburgh - had this to say about the Research Hub:

Advancing the state of the art in distributed ledger systems is essential for realizing the full potential of blockchain technology. This is what the Research Hub at Stanford is contributing to. Input Output is a pioneer in the blockchain space both in terms of producing as well as supporting foundational and applied research. Being able to give other academics the ability to undertake their own research means we can work together to make even greater progress.”

Building on a foundation of research

This partnership with Stanford – one of the world’s leading research and education institutions – represents a logical next step in the work started by IOG.

Learn more about IOG’s work on Cardano by reading this overview of the blockchain’s foundational research.