The Immutable Research Institute (IRI) is a newly formed non-profit foundation focused primarily on educating the public on blockchain usage and functionality. IRI also works with business and political leaders to foster broad mainstream blockchain adoption, and bringing new ideas and innovative solutions to token utilization.
As blockchain networks gain utility they are coming under more scrutiny than ever by lawmakers and regulators. Even as more people get involved the barriers to entry remain high, as individuals are unsure how these new technological systems work and how they will be treated in the eye of the law.
Members of the blockchain community will need to expand existing organizations and start new organizations to organize the community. New users need to be educated on the ways that blockchain systems work. Government agents and legislators need help understanding what frameworks would allow new technologies to interact with old statutes. That is why we are forming our organization.
The mission of IRI will be to educate the public about blockchain technology and advocate for good regulatory frameworks that support the industry. IRI will be based out of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, which is the home of the University of Illinois as well as the headquarters of companies like Runtime Verification and Wolfram Blockchain Labs. Our directors are members of the Champaign Blockchain Meetup group sponsored by the University of Illinois Research Park with ties to the public policy world and traditional finance.
To engage with the community we hope to continue our work with the Champaign Blockchain Meetup group bringing high-quality events to the public. We have a YouTube channel filled with presentations from our previous speakers and hope to expand the amount of information we can contribute. We also plan to host more technology discussions, hackathon events, and educational programs where users can learn about the blockchain by experimenting with digital objects on chain.
Additionally, Illinois is a hub of technology and finance in the Midwest United States and has a progressive outlook on blockchain with the Illinois Blockchain Technology Act officially recognizing Smart Contracts as legally binding and immutable blockchains as legally acceptable ledgers. What will make IRI distinct and valuable in the realm of blockchain advocacy groups is that we intend to focus our regulatory advocacy at State level policy within the United States. Focusing efforts on State policy allows easier access to the process since local legislators are closer to their constituents.
We hope you will join us in this new endeavor!