The United Nations Development Programme and the Exponential Science Foundation announced a partnership to create the Government Blockchain Academy, the groups said on Monday.
The Academy will train public servants and help governments build real projects using blockchain, AI and other new tech. Preparatory work will start in 2025.
The first country programs are set to begin in 2026. The initiative will be formally unveiled at TOKEN2049 in Singapore on 1-2 October 2025.
The goal is to move governments from learning to doing, so they can tackle development problems faster and with more transparency.
What will the Academy do?
The Academy will offer courses and hands-on support, and it will run in-person workshops. It will also deliver online modules and leadership forums. Governments will get help from experts.
Teams will work with advisors to find use cases, and they will build requirements and run joint solution design sessions. The aim is to create scalable projects that match national needs.
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Five focus areas
The program will focus on five pillars. One is inclusive digital finance, and that means improving access to secure digital payments. Another is transparent governance, and the Academy will show how tamper-resistant records can reduce corruption.
A third pillar is supply chain integrity, where the goal is to boost traceability in procurement and logistics. The fourth pillar covers climate resilience, and it will explore smart contracts and tokens for clear climate finance and tracking carbon credits.
The fifth pillar is digital identity, and that work will help people get trusted credentials to access public services.
How will governments benefit?
Each country team will get structured support, and the Academy will help spot high-impact use cases. It will connect decision makers and technical teams. It will help line up industry partners and protocol developers.
That mix of training and hands-on work is meant to shorten the gap between pilots and full-scale rollouts. Officials will be able to test ideas and follow a clear path to implementation.
Voices from the partners
Irena Cerovic, who leads innovation at UNDP in Europe and Central Asia, said the program builds on a push for institutional innovation. She said governments need safe spaces to try new tools and to learn how those tools can solve real problems.
Paolo Tasca, Executive Chairman at Exponential Science, described the Academy as more than a training course. He called it a shared blueprint for public innovation that brings many partners together under one plan.
A global hub for learning
The Academy will act as a hub for dialogue and learning. It will gather protocol teams, infrastructure providers and other players. The TOKEN2049 announcement will include an industry roundtable to align partners and win support.
The organisers say the hub will promote digital inclusion, security and national sovereignty in tech choices.
Timeline and next steps
Work on the curriculum and stakeholder outreach will begin in 2025. The first national programs will launch in 2026. The plan is to run pilot efforts in early adopter countries and to scale successful projects. The Academy will track results and share lessons so other governments can learn faster.
Many governments face gaps between knowing about new tech and using it in public systems. The Academy aims to close that gap. It blends education with implementation so officials do not get stuck at the pilot stage. That could speed up solutions for public finance, procurement, climate funding and identity services.
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