Malta continues to take the lead in the blockchain based industry with a new development in the educational sector. The University of Malta has collaborated with the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA) to establish a fund of €300,000 for blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) scholarship. The fund has been announced for students specializing in ICT, law, finance, and engineering and will be split over three years.
Students for the coming academic year can benefit from the scholarship for Master’s and Ph.D. research related to blockchain and DLT.
Scholarships will be made available for courses with at least 30 ECTS credits directly relating to DLT. Students will enjoy full sponsorship for the course.
Silvio Schembri, the digital economy parliamentary secretary, believes that the scholarship will help to attract blockchain firms to Malta, by ensuring that the necessary human resources are available locally.
“These companies need technical resources both to build and to operate by use of this technology, as well as experts in financial services, law, and managerial roles. We look forward to see the first Maltese occupying these important and well-paid roles whilst also hoping that these will expand considerably in the future as the industry continues to grow here in Malta.” stated Silvio Schembri.
University rector Alfred Vella explained that the university will make internal exercises to review degree and Master’s programmes in law, finance, ICT and other areas to include units relating to DLT, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and AI. While Prof. Vella added that intention behind the review is to make educational programmes in line with the government’s strategy to make Malta “the blockchain island”.
Malta is noted for its crypto-friendly environment and its government efforts to become the “blockchain island.” Last month, the Parliament of Malta passed three bills to provide a regulatory framework for blockchain technology, making the island a pioneer in establishing a solid legal framework for blockchain companies.
Tony Sultana, MITA executive chairman noted that the agency has been pursuing similar initiatives at other educational institutions also. The agency will also be the IT partner for the Delta Summit, a major blockchain and digital innovation event held in Malta in October.
