Imperial College London has launched a new resarch centre that will look into blockchain technology.
Blockchain is the core technology that makes Bitcoin function.
The new research centre will be called the Centre for Cryptocurrency Research and Engineering, will be led by Professor William Knottenbelt.
In making the announcement, the School of Engineering said in a newsletter: "Cryptocurrencies and their underlying technologies are set to revolutionise the world of financial payments."
The centre will now coordinate grants for resarch "directed at designing and engineering improvements to the protocols that underpin blockchain technology," it said.
