With blockchain gaining more momentum, academia is responding to ensure the industry has trained workers who can flourish in that particular space.

This week, the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at The University of Texas at Dallas announced a new partnership with the Blockchain Research Institute (BRI), a global independent think tank working to identify the strategic implications and opportunities of blockchain for business, government and society.

Officials said the partnership with UT Dallas marks BRI’s first relationship with an American university. The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at The University of Texas at Dallas is a campus-wide program that provides academic and experiential training to support the next generation of new ventures.

Led by its founder and chairman, Don Tapscott, BRI has created a global research initiative that counts some of the world’s most high-profile businesses — such as Cisco, Deloitte, FedEx, IBM, Intuit and P&G, among its network partners.

Network partners have access to an exclusive platform to share best practices and research projects. They also have opportunities to participate in live webinars with leading global experts.

“Welcoming UT Dallas to our membership helps the BRI’s multimillion-dollar research program support not just the commercial or regulatory world, but academia as well,” Tapscott said. “We look forward to helping the world-class researchers and educators navigate the blockchain revolution.”

Leading the UT Dallas efforts is Zhiqiang (Eric) Zheng, professor of information systems in the Naveen Jindal School of Management.

“BRI has curated a wealth of resources, such as blockchain cases, data and networking opportunities,” Zheng said. “This partnership is instrumental in facilitating the cutting-edge research and education that UT Dallas faculty and students are undertaking related to this innovation.”