U.S. information technology giant IBM is reportedly planning to apply blockchain technology to help scientific research and to make available a record of its results. Sources with the knowledge of the matter informed that the company has recently filed a new patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
IBM, which had originally filed the concept in December last year, stated that it anticipates for open scientific research the integration of a blockchain and data collection and analysis. Apparently, this patent would be the latest application in a gradually increasing collection of patents the company is seeking in the blockchain segment, with the most recent award given last week aimed at AR gaming.
Sources say the new, more technical application would be addressing what the company describes as a shortage of platforms that offer the required controls and mechanisms for safeguarding scientific findings. As per the patent filing, a limited number of platforms are presently available which permit information sharing associated with scientific research and show transparent steps on data collection and analysis.
It further highlighted that platforms which do exist, do not have the necessary controls and mechanisms to provide reliable data, since only a few options are available to ensure the data will resist modifications. Looking at the broader scope, sources said the science sector will reap multiple benefits from the advent of the technology.
IBM researchers Maria Chang, Patrick Watson, Ravindranath Kokku and Jae Wook Ahn are the inventors of this new blockchain application, the sources mentioned. The company claims the system can be considered a tamper-proof record of scientific research, based on the distributed ledger technology.
Reports show that IBM is not the only company that is aiming to implement distributed ledger technology for scientific purposes. Supposedly, the Berlin-based think tank Blockchain for Science had conducted its first international conference quite recently.