NEM Philippines Signs Blockchain Partnership with Ateneo's AMBER Lab

The NEM Foundation has signed a partnership agreement with Ateneo de Manila University’s AMBER Lab in a landmark agreement to promote blockchain knowledge in the scientific and academic community.

In a media release sent to BitPinas, NEM and AMBER Lab agreed to organize activities and deliver programs and courses related to blockchain technology and to blockchain-based applications on the NEM platform. The partnership will make AMBER Lab be a pioneer in promoting blockchain in the Philippines, as well as be a major contributor of blockchain knowledge in the academic and scientific community in the country.

AMBER Lab stands for Ateneo MediXserve Blockchain Education and Research (AMBER) Laboratory. MediXserve is a blockchain-powered healthcare platform for developing countries.

Housed at the School of Science and Engineering, AMBER Lab is set to be a pioneer blockchain hub for incubation and research regarding blockchain, as well as support in spreading blockchain awareness in the Philippines.

AMBER Lab Head Dr. Regina Estuar said that the initiative is aligned with Ateneo’s mission to do more for others. Dr. Maria Luz Vilches, Vice President of the Loyola Schools said the collaboration is aligned with the university’s goal to combat poverty. “I think it is heartening to know that there is this collaboration that is not just for profit; it helps the vision of defeating poverty,” said Dr. Vilches during the launch.

In a statement, the NEM Foundation firmly believes that blockchain can fast-track scientific and technological advancement in the Philippines. As blockchain is poised to disrupt various industries, the education and research sector is a key facilitator in spreading knowledge on the academic level. This, in turn, will be able to equip young individuals with blockchain knowledge, allowing more people to meet the growing demand of the blockchain industry in the coming years.

Previously, the NEM Foundation is party to an agreement with the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority to build a blockchain hub in Cagayan. The agreement was signed during the Business Law Conference in De La Salle University, where one speaker, Atty. Rafael Padilla of SCI Ventures said to BitPinas that it’s possible for blockchain courses in universities to open at an accelerated phase in the coming years. “I envision that there will be an academic course on Financial Technology and Blockchain Technology, apart from the latter subject being integrated into the general Computer Science courses,” he said to this author in a previous report.

NEM Philippines is active in spreading blockchain awareness in various schools in the country. Emerson Fonseca, NEM PH head said in a previous statement, “Students need to understand the benefits of this new technology just like how we benefit from using the internet. How it will impact our every day lives, how it will transform businesses, how it will change the society, and how it will provide solutions to most of the current problems we encounter.”

Sources: Open Gov, NEM Press Release to BitPinas, Ateneo