A new group seeking to promote research and support blockchain firms has been formed.

The Ticino Blockchain Technologies Association was launched with the participation of the University of Southern Switzerland, also known as the Universita della Svizzera Italiana (USI), and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI).

The group’s goal is to support research and companies in the blockchain sector and promote academic studies of the technology.

Other founding members are Bitcoin.com, Copernicus Holdings, Eligma, Euronovate, Eventboost, Pangea Blockchain Fund, Poseidon Group, the Quadrans Foundation, StrongBlock.io, Superflat and the Swiss Blockchain Consortium.

“Blockchain is today a much-discussed technology. It is often said, as with the advent of the Internet, that this technology could change many things with a direct impact on a variety of sectors through improvements in supply chains, financial and payment systems, notary businesses, business processes and governments. These are time-consuming processes that require research, new skills, training, investment, experimentation, and a change of mindset.”

The group added growing interest in blockchain has led academia and private companies to start thinking about creating a center of excellence for the technology and encourage new companies focused on blockchain and make new skilled jobs.