Cardano Academy joins UNIC blockchain course with 25 sponsored places

Cardano Foundation has announced that Cardano Academy will teach Cardano fundamentals in the University of Nicosia's online blockchain course and sponsor 25 places in its advanced track.

Summary

• UNIC values the sponsored access at approximately €5,000, with advanced enrollment priced at €199.
• The university lists Feb. 8, 2027, as the course's next starting date.
• Ripple, Avalanche and Trezor participate alongside Cardano in the university's industry-led sessions.
• A separate UCLA agreement will bring Academy material into a business course in 2027.

The Cardano Foundation said in its Oct. 22 announcement that the Academy's teaching session will cover Cardano fundamentals and the extended unspent transaction output model, known as eUTxO. The Foundation described the program as a free university course beginning next spring, with sponsored access available for students taking the advanced track.

"We're also sponsoring 25 spots in the advanced track," the Foundation wrote in its announcement.

In a reply beneath the post, the organization said registration closes Nov. 2. Its announcement covers a teaching contribution and student sponsorships within UNIC's existing Blockchain and Digital Assets course.

Cardano sponsorships cover access to the paid track

The University of Nicosia lists complimentary advanced-track access as the benefit attached to the 25 Cardano sponsorships. Its course page puts their combined value at approximately €5,000 and lists the standard upgrade price as €199. Multiplying the published fee by 25 gives €4,975, consistent with that rounded valuation.

According to UNIC's course outline, the introductory track covers weeks one through eight, while advanced learners continue through week 12. The university lists John Greene, a Cardano Foundation technical writer who develops Academy scripts and animations, alongside Professor Apostolos Kourtis for the session on Ethereum and programmable blockchains.

On its partner directory, the Foundation describes UNIC as an education partner working on curriculum integration, joint research and developer education. The directory places the university alongside academic collaborators in the United States, Switzerland, Brazil and Argentina.

The Foundation's description of the relationship covers university teaching and research, while the Oct. 22 post identifies the specific Academy session and sponsored student access.

UNIC includes several blockchain industry contributors

UNIC's published syllabus assigns Trezor a role in wallet security, Avalanche participation in decentralized finance, and Ripple participation in tokenization and stablecoins. Cardano is therefore one of several blockchain organizations contributing to the course.

The university lists Feb. 8, 2027, as the starting date. Its advanced modules cover NFTs and digital ownership, regulation, blockchain scaling, and the convergence of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and connected devices.

Beyond Nicosia, the Foundation's partner directory identifies several different forms of academic cooperation. It describes an international summer school with the University of Zurich Blockchain Center and research through Ledger Labs at PUC-Rio covering decentralized finance, DAO governance, digital assets and energy-sector applications.

The same directory identifies a Cardano Project Development Lab with the University of Brasília and an education and research partnership with Argentina's Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Those entries describe separate institutional programs with different teaching and research activities.

Cardano Academy material will enter a UCLA course in 2027

In the United States, the Foundation announced a multi-year agreement with UCLA Anderson School of Management's Venture Accelerator on Sep. 28, as crypto.news previously reported in its account of the UCLA education partnership.

The Foundation's announcement says Academy content and use cases will enter Blockchain Cryptocurrency Applications in Business and Finance beginning in 2027. Alex Nascimento teaches the course, with students expected to use the material in practical applications and project-based learning.

The agreement provides five sponsored fellowships for selected early-stage companies in UCLA Accelerate. According to the Foundation, fellows will receive funding, mentorship, and access to the Cardano ecosystem, while participating companies can explore building on the network.

A masterclass scheduled for Oct. 19 formed another part of the announced program. The Foundation described team exercises on Web3 business architecture, short pitches and AI-assisted smart contract development, with sponsored certification for successful participants.

The same announcement includes sponsorship of the 2027 UCLA Draper Innovation Showcase, covering educational programming, founder engagement and networking opportunities.

Earlier Academy programs covered business leaders and public-sector staff

At Cardano Summit in November 2025, the Foundation introduced an AI and blockchain course developed with the Blockchain Research Institute.

The announcement described five modules for business leaders, including AI in a Web3 world, generative AI and blockchain, and industry applications and case studies. Enrollment was offered through Cardano Academy, with access through Coursera for Cardano community members.

The published launch details specified a 12-month availability period. The program's subject matter focused on business uses of AI and blockchain, with examples intended for people assessing those technologies inside organizations.

In March 2025, the Foundation's Brazilian public-sector partnership with state-owned technology provider SERPRO included plans to make Academy training available to its 8,000 employees, more than 2,000 of whom were developers.

SERPRO and the Foundation identified blockchain education and public-sector digital infrastructure integration as areas of cooperation. The agreement followed a December 2023 education alliance with Petrobras that involved Cardano Academy initiatives.