• Ripple is funding UC Berkeley’s new Center for Digital Assets with $1.3 million in RLUSD.
• The center will focus on blockchain and digital twin research to redefine digital asset valuation.
• A startup accelerator linked to the initiative will support XRPL and digital twin projects.

Ripple has deepened its ties with academia by announcing a new partnership with the University of California, Berkeley.

The company is providing $1.3 million in its dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, to fund the launch of the Center for Digital Assets (CDA) at Berkeley’s College of Engineering.

The initiative builds on Ripple’s long-running University Blockchain Research Initiative, which has supported research and education at the school since 2018.

The new center aims to explore how blockchain and digital twin technologies can transform the way assets are valued, verified, and traded.

Ripple’s involvement also includes collaboration on joint projects with faculty and students, as well as support for an accelerator program for startups building in the XRPL ecosystem.

UC Berkeley Targets New Standards for Digital Assets

IDC says that worldwide data generated may go up as high as 181 zettabytes by 2025. As the digital content grows so large, the notion of digital assets has become all the more significant.

UC Berkeley researchers led by faculty director Tarek Zohdi aim at constructing reliable ways of quantifying the value of digital assets, from basic data as well as sophisticated digital Twins of physical assets.

The CDA’s research will go beyond cryptocurrency and NFTs. It will consider sectors where digital twins will have an instantaneous effect, for example, agriculture, manufacturing, and supply chains.

It could help crops’ digital models provide an easier way for the farmer to avail a loan. It could help factories and warehouses avoid waste as well as bring the best prices using precise digital inventory.

Ripple Supports UC Berkeley in New Digital Asset Project

Ripple and UC Berkeley are also launching the Berkeley Digital Asset Accelerator (BDAX) as part of the CDA.  In 46 applicants, 10 teams only will make the cut for the pilot cohort set to kick off this month.

Successive groups will target digital twin startups as the center solidifies both its track record as a research center and a starting point for new businesses.

It will pursue its mission under three pillars: collaborative research, talent building, and expansion of the global ecosystem. Connecting the physical and the digital worlds, the center will create new instances of ownership, trade, and entrepreneurship.

Ripple’s Lauren Weymouth reinforced the fact that the project enhances the leadership of Berkeley in the field of blockchain innovation, while UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons pointed out its ability to make innovative breakthroughs.

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