Cardano Enters Brazil Through Major University Collaboration

The Cardano Foundation has formally announced a new partnership with the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), a top-ranked Brazilian university renowned for its contributions to research and development. The collaboration, revealed on April 15, will concentrate on the advancement and practical application of blockchain technology, specifically within the energy sector in Brazil.

Cardano Partners with Top Brazilian University

PUC-Rio is recognized as one of the top five private universities in the world for excellence in research and development, and it has a broad history of partnerships within the energy industry. The establishment of this collaboration follows previous cooperative efforts between PUC-Rio and the Brazilian state-owned enterprise Petrobras, as well as the Cardano Foundation’s own involvement with Petrobras on blockchain-driven initiatives.

Through this new endeavor, PUC-Rio’s Ledger Labs—a research group concentrating on the utilization of DLT in finance and business—will receive support from the Cardano Foundation to explore various aspects of blockchain implementation. According to official statements, the initial areas of focus will include blockchain economics, decentralized finance (DeFi), governance of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), and digital assets.

“At the core of blockchain advancement are education and innovation. Through our collaboration with esteemed academic institutions like PUC-Rio, the Cardano Foundation ensures that the next generation of developers, industry leaders, and regulators can harness this transformative technology to its fullest potential—creating solutions that address real-world challenges and drive positive global impact,” Cardano Foundation CEO Frederik Gregaard commented.

The immediate emphasis of this alliance will be directed toward developing blockchain-based solutions that enhance production, consumption, and overall value chains in renewable energy fuels. Joint research and pilot projects in cooperation with Petrobras are expected to delve into specific methods of applying Cardano’s blockchain infrastructure to processes such as tracking and verifying energy outputs, optimizing workflows, and ensuring robust data integrity.

Ledger Labs at PUC-Rio will serve as the operational base for these studies. Leonardo Lima, Vice-Dean of the university and head of Ledger Labs, noted that the scope of the partnership will also encompass philanthropic endeavors geared toward social impact. “Our partnership with the Cardano Foundation marks the beginning of the development of a series of use cases, not only in the energy industry but also in the field of philanthropy, with a focus on social impact projects,” he said.

Beyond the technological and scientific research, the partnership aspires to enrich PUC-Rio’s blockchain ecosystem by hosting joint events, supporting student-led social projects, and inviting other organizations to collaborate on emerging blockchain strategies. A significant part of this development will occur through A.L.B.A (Ada Labs for Blockchain Applications), an arm of Ledger Labs that is expected to integrate standards previously introduced at the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UTN) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Foundation’s current expansion in Brazil reflects its growing footprint in the region. “Our partnership with PUC-Rio marks the Cardano Foundation’s second collaboration with a Brazilian entity this year. Last month, we announced our partnership with SERPRO, the world’s largest public IT company, and we have been collaborating with Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned energy company, since 2023,” said Rafael Fraga, LATAM Business Development Lead for the Cardano Foundation.

At press time, ADA traded at $0.605.