Graduates of the Blockchain Master’s Programme, run by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) in partnership with Nornickel, were awarded diplomas in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFT) — this happened for the first time in the Russian state curriculum.

**The first ever Russian NFT diploma is a graphic video object**

A diploma in the NFT format is a graphic video object with embedded information about the student and the year of graduation. NFT has electronic signatures of the members of the certification committee as an additional measure of authentication. Together with the NFT, the graduate receives the right to own the object, while the MIPT’s Blockchain Master’s Programme remains the issuer of the NFT collection. The NFT diplomas were issued using Ethereum on the OpenSea platform.

“The issuance of NFT diplomas is a very logical step for us. Our master’s programme focuses on the most advanced knowledge and formats. The NFT format has already successfully established itself in the market not only as a collectible, but also as a form of asset ownership. As such, digital diplomas feature all key blockchain properties: transparency, immutability, security and traceability,” said Vladimir Gorgadze, Head of MIPT’s Blockchain Master’s Programme.

“Today, we are entering a new era, where even such traditional items like university diplomas go digital. At Nornickel, we are happy to be supporting the master’s programme offering this globally demanded and unparalleled degree. As a company we seek to leverage cutting-edge technology and will continue partnering with Russia’s leading universities to improve the training of highly qualified talent in the field,” said Darya Kryachkova, Vice President for HR at Nornickel.

Fake diplomas and the authenticity of degree certificates are a serious problem in the academic sector globally, so educational institutions increasingly seek to rely on blockchain solutions.

Issuing diplomas in the NFT format makes information about the degree more transparent and enables interested parties to trace the authenticity of the diploma. Digital diplomas cannot be forged and can be instantly accessed anywhere in the world, for example, to confirm your qualifications to a potential employer.

“Today, many are sceptical about the NFT hype, but non-fungible tokens have a great potential for coming into everyday life. For example, you can sell tickets to events in the form of NFTs or use them as proof of ownership for real estate. In fact, we are talking about a secure and convenient way to confirm any property rights,” says Alexander Belenov, co-founder of the Master’s in Blockchain Program at MIPT and head of the ChainLab blockchain technology laboratory of the Idea Science Centre, the key lab of the master’s programme.

For reference

MIPT is Russia’s leading technical university featuring in the most prestigious rankings of the world’s top universities. It provides training in fundamental and applied physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, biology, computer technology, and other natural sciences and STEM fields. Today, MIPT is an advanced scientific centre with 64 new laboratories hosting internationally renowned scholars.

MIPT’s Blockchain Master’s Programme was launched in 2019 in partnership with Nornickel. Its key research facility is the ChainLab blockchain technology laboratory of the Idea Science Centre. The two-year full-time programme is designed to train students in the latest blockchain technology, the structure and rules of fundamental blockchain projects, cryptography, and information security systems. All students receive a full tuition grant and an increased scholarship from Nornickel.

The ChainLab blockchain technology laboratory of the Idea Science Centre is a research centre that develops blockchain expertise through collaboration with the international expert and scientific community, development of platforms and solutions to support blockchain projects, and training of the blockchain industry professionals.

Graduates of MIPT's Blockchain Master’s Programme receive first ever Russian NFT diplomas