A roundtable discussion is slated to take place on March 10, 2017, at the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. An initiative of the Commission on Development of Science and Education, the roundtable will be devoted to popularization and adoption of blockchain technology, especially as it pertains to the development of university innovation infrastructures and community startups.
This pending roundtable is one of a series of discussions being held as part of an open discussion platform that the Commission on Development of Science and Education of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation has formed to spotlight innovation and technological development at Russian universities.
The most important and recurring themes during the debates thus far have included the prospects of realizing the fourth industrial revolution doctrines in science and education; new possibilities and the pace of the roadmap of the National Technology Initiative; and the Institute of the Information Society development, both in Russia and around the world.
One of the key events of the discussion platform was held in October 2016. The roundtable titled “Blockchain Technologies: The Role of Youth in Legitimate Spaces of Information Technologies” was initiated by a group of young researchers from some of the leading Russian universities, primarily the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI.
The discussion sparked great interest among academic and scientific communities. It also highlighted the importance of “technologically” secure solutions within the framework of a blockchain platform, as well as the necessity of broad and open debate on “societal” risks connected with the existing challenges of such “technologically predominant platforms” used in crucial areas.
Continuing Discussions on Blockchain Technologies
New technologies in education, new avenues for the development of innovative startups, national economic and financial systems, healthcare, public administration, large data sets and global information security are the issues that require direct discussions among experts, statesmen and public figures.
Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, noted at the Sochi International Investment Forum on February 27, 2017, that many business processes and social environments will be based on the principles of blockchain technology in the future.
In keeping with this mandate, a roundtable discussion to be held on March 10 at the Civic Chamber will include prominent experts from Russia and abroad.
The chairman of the Expert Council of the Agency for Strategic Initiative, Valery Aleksandrovich Fadeev, will take part in the discussions. Fadeev is also a member of the supervisory board, the director of the Institute for Social Planning and the editor-in-chief of Expertmagazine. He will be joined by several experts from the leading universities and institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences as well as business communities who have also been invited.
Participants from the U.S. and China who will contribute their expertise on the subject are expected to include David Bailey, founder and chief executive officer of BTC Media, the world’s largest blockchain and digital currency media group, and founder and managing partner of Digital Partners, an investor into early- and growth-stage financial technology startups; Russell Moore, designer and innovation director at TSYS, an international payments services platform; and Remington Ong, partner at Fenbushi Capital’s Investment Fund, which supports startups around the world, leveraging blockchain technology across various applications.
Among the potential topics of discussion are the following:
1. Global trends in the development of blockchain technologies, including the promotion of secure technologies crucial for social development.
2. Blockchain startups and design of new innovative spaces in universities.
3. Is equal access to resources a new societal development paradigm or just a technology? What are the incumbent risks and prospects?