Turkey's first university blockchain center, the Istanbul Blockchain and Innovation Center (BlockchainIST Center), was inaugurated on Friday at Bahçeşehir University (BAU).

The center aims to close the expertise gap in the market in order to make blockchain technology, a cryptographic data base that ensures secure tracking of digital transactions, be used in all areas.

The center, which aims to simultaneously use the same technologies as the rest of the world in the blockchain area, will work with students and entrepreneurs who want to conduct academic studies in this area. Istanbul Blockchain and Innovation Center Director Bora Erdamar said that a very competent team of experts from Turkey and the world will carry out worldwide projects in blockchain technologies at the center. Expressing that they will also work with many important figures from the business world, Erdamar stated, "The purpose of the BlockchainIST project is to be the most important center of research and development and innovation in Turkey in which scientific studies and publications are made in blockchain technologies. To this end, it is crucial to cooperate with other universities, the business world and government institutions."

Underlining that they aim to make Istanbul Blockchain and Innovation Center to be a research and development center which has a prestigious place in the world and can benefit everyone who is interested in this technology, Erdamar continued, "The Istanbul Blockchain and Innovation Center, established in Bahçeşehir University, is the first research and innovation center in our country to have been established within a university."

Stressing that Turkey is becoming digitalized, Erdamar noted that the country is striving to be in line with the rest of the world in digitalization. Erdamar stated that Turkey may have the opportunity to take the lead in blockchain technology, adding that this is the first time when Turkey has the opportunity to become the leading country in technology that will transform humanity. "Therefore, we are trying to lead this business with such a center. We will strive to train Turkey's human resources in blockchain and enable the country to lead the world in this area," he concluded.