The European Commission is looking for novel blockchain solutions for the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure. The procurement contracts have been awarded to 7 contractors and the first phase of solution design is ongoing.

The EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum has just published a new thematic report. The purpose of this report is to present an updated view of the aspects related to the energy efficiency of blockchain technologies. The topic of energy consumption of blockchains, and especially of the Bitcoin blockchain, has recently triggered a lot of discussion and a debate has started on the topic of making Bitcoin a sustainable ecosystem.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) and the European Commission are announcing the first 6 Venture Capital funds under the InnovFin Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain pilot.

The European Innovation Council (EIC) Prize on Blockchains for Social Good has awarded €5 million to six winners selected in a call to identify scalable, deployable and high-impact blockchain solutions for societal challenges. The winning solutions propose blockchain applications for fair trade and circular economy, increasing transparency in production processes and quality information, improving accountability and contributing to financial inclusion and renewable energy.

After a competitive process following a call for tenders announced in October 2019, the European Commission has selected a consortium consisting of INTRASOFT, the University of Nicosia, the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), and subcontractors (including Bitfury Group, OpenForum Europe AISBL, White Research, PLANET S.A.) as the new partner to operate the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum, taking over the role from the consortium led by ConsenSys A.G.

The European Commission and the European Blockchain Partnership support blockchain initiatives that can help address challenges posed by the Coronavirus outbreak.

The International Association of Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA) launches the COVID-19 Solutions Task Force, which aims to build a database of the blockchain solutions that address challenges caused by the Coronavirus outbreak.

Are you a European public procurer that wants to receive free of charge local assistance in preparing and implementing your next innovation procurement? The European Assistance for Innovation Procurement initiative can help you in procuring innovative ICT based solutions. <strong> Don't miss the extended deadline for the call for assistance that is open now until 31 May 2020! The focus of the call has been widened to include also ICT solutions for realizing the green deal and to tackle COVID-19.</strong>