UNIC and University of Macedonia (UOM) Receive SUI Foundation Grant for Blockchain Research

The SUI Academic Research Awards (SARAs) Program Supports Study on Smart Contract Programming Languages

The University of Nicosia (UNIC) and the University of Macedonia (UOM) are pleased to announce their recent award of a research grant from the SUI Foundation through its Sui Academic Research Awards (SARAs) program. The funded project, titled “COMET: Comparative Metrics and Framework for Transitioning to Sui Move,” aims to enhance the understanding of blockchain technology by examining smart contract programming languages.

Project Overview

The COMET project intends to study the relationship between the Ethereum Solidity and the SUI Move programming languages. The goal is to provide insights that could help in assessing the potential of emerging technologies in blockchain programming.

Research Focus

The research will concentrate on:

  • Comparative Analysis: Evaluating the operational capabilities and challenges of different programming languages to better understand their practical applications.
  • Framework Development: Creating a framework to aid developers in grasping and utilizing new blockchain technologies effectively.
  • Knowledge Dissemination: Sharing the research findings through academic and industry channels to enrich the broader blockchain community’s understanding.

Alignment with SUI Foundation’s Objectives

This project aligns with the SUI Foundation’s objectives to support the development of secure and efficient web3 applications. The insights gained from this study are expected to contribute modestly to the blockchain ecosystem and support the Foundation’s goal of enhancing developer and researcher engagement with new technologies.

“We are excited to embark on this project with the SUI Foundation and contribute our research efforts towards the evolution of Sui blockchain technology,” remarked Dr. Leonidas Katelaris, Managing Director at the Distributed Ledgers Research Centre (DLRC-UNIC), while Prof. Christos K. Georgiadis (Dept. of Applied Informatics-UOM), commented: “Our research will be aligned with the mission of supporting the web3 technology in terms of creating secure applications, while at the same time, engaging more developers to the blockchain ecosystem”.

Expected Impact

The project seeks to deepen understanding within the academic and development communities about blockchain technology, potentially helping developers to explore and adopt new programming languages for blockchain applications.

About the University of Nicosia

UNIC has an almost decade-long track record as the leading university in the field of cryptocurrency and blockchain, having launched the world’s first degree programme in cryptocurrency in 2014. Today, UNIC has educated over 100,000 students in academic and professional training courses, while hosting the world’s largest team of faculty and staff focused on crypto-assets and blockchains. UNIC serves as the academic lead for the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum (EUBOF), a European Commission initiative to accelerate the development of blockchain within the EU.

UNIC has also been the first to deliver an on-chain course in the metaverse that amassed over 20,000 registrants shortly after its launch. The “NFTs & the Metaverse” course was honored with the ‘Most Exciting Project in Education’ award organized by the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA) in 2023. In the same year, UNIC launched the world’s first accredited graduate degree programme focused on Metaverse, a ground-breaking programme designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills required for careers in metaverse design and management.

About the University of Macedonia

The vision of the University of Macedonia (Thessaloniki, Greece) is to provide excellent education, promote the advancement of science in the broader spectrum of economic and social sciences and arts, and in a broader view to advance education and culture by pursuing excellence in a socially sensitive and inclusive manner. The main purpose and goal of the University’s Dept. of Applied Informatics is to promote and transmit knowledge through teaching and research in the field of Computer Science with particular emphasis on the development of systems for their application in Economics, Finance, Management, and other social sciences. The team that will participate from the University of Macedonia, Dept. of Applied Informatics in the above project consists of Prof. Christos K. Georgiadis and PhD candidate Antonios Giatzis.