Knowledge Foundation Established in Switzerland to Advance Global Education Through the Application of Advanced and Emerging Technologies
Knowledge Foundation Established in Switzerland to Advance Global Education Through the Application of Advanced and Emerging Technologies
Knowledge Token®, AI, VR, and blockchain are among the technologies utilized
United Nations, MIT, Oxford University, Yale University, Stellenbosch University, and University of Pretoria research centers and clubs are among the collaborators
LUCERNE, Switzerland, January 30, 2025 — Knowledge Foundation, a newly established non-profit global education organization headquartered in Lucerne, Switzerland, today announced that it has been granted tax exempt status by the Swiss tax authorities in recognition of the foundation's charter to advance global education through the application of advanced and emerging technologies such as Knowledge Token®, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and blockchain.
The foundation's mission is to democratize access to knowledge by creating an open, inclusive educational ecosystem that spans the globe. In order to fully realize its charter, the city of Lucerne was selected as the foundation's global headquarters owing to the city's comprehensive legal frameworks and regulations for digital financial technology, favorable tax policies, extensive partnership opportunities, and a highly skilled technology workforce and education system. Switzerland, furthermore, is among the highest paying contributors to the work of the United Nations and, as a country greatly committed to multilateral development, was selected as the home country for the foundation.
Established in 2022 in partnership with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and Immersive Education Initiative, Knowledge Foundation collaborators today include the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, DFINITY Foundation, Lando & Anastasi, LLP, University of Oxford Blockchain Research Centre, MIT Bitcoin Club, University of Pretoria, Stellenbosch University, and other world-class institutions and organizations noted below.
To date the foundation has held open educational events and activities in Lucerne (Switzerland), Oxford University (UK), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), University of Pretoria (South Africa) and has directly participated in events held by its collaborators in Doha (Qatar), Atlanta (USA), Zurich (Switzerland), Luxembourg City (Luxembourg), Berlin (Germany), Cairo (Egypt), The Hague (Netherlands), Sofia (Bulgaria), and Johannesburg (South Africa).
Knowledge Token®, Hackathons, Summits and Accelerators
Together with its collaborators, the foundation designs and delivers educational content, activities and events utilizing advanced and emerging technologies such as AI, VR, AR, and blockchain for which Knowledge Token® "learn and earn" rewards are provided as detailed below:
Knowledge Token®
Knowledge Token® is a family of digital assets that serve as intellectual currency (rewarded to learners for academic achievements) while privately and securely storing the learner's corresponding academic activity (transcripts, records, certifications and diplomas). Knowledge Tokens can be used to pay for essential and non-essential products and services, and may be programmed to be redeemable only for specific goods on a specific schedule (e.g., one kilo of rice from a certain grocery store every two weeks).
Academic Hackathons
Global development of the most current rendition of the foundation's Knowledge Token® education platform commenced in March 2023 at the Oxford Knowledge Token Hackathon held at University of Oxford.
Based on the success of Oxford and subsequent Knowledge Foundation hackathons, in April 2024 the Knowledge Foundation formed a 3-year partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and DFINITY Foundation (Switzerland) to reshape the field of education via Knowledge Token® systems, protocols and standards deployed on the open Internet Computer blockchain platform.
University of Oxford (March 2023)
Summits
Knowledge Foundation Summits are conferences organized for educators, researchers, students, and the general public. Starting in 2022 the Knowledge Foundation officially became part of all Immersive Education Summits going forward. Over the past 20 years Immersive Education Summits and associated events have been hosted by Harvard University, University of Oxford, Sorbonne University, London School of Economics (LSE) and other world-class institutions detailed at https://summit.ImmersiveEducation.org
United Nations Coding4Integrity 2.0 Hackathon (University of Pretoria, South Africa, Sept. 2024)
Knowledge Accelerators (KAx)
Knowledge Accelerators (KAx) are locally-run non-profit Knowledge Foundation communities focused on growing and upskilling regional and local technology talent through smaller and more frequent hackathons, challenges, meetings, talks, discussions, break-out sessions, demos, workshops and webinars that revolve around advanced and emerging technologies (AI, VR, AR, robotics, blockchain and so forth).
United Nations Coding4Integrity 2.0 Hackathon (University of Pretoria, South Africa, Sept. 2024)
The Knowledge Foundation is also engaged in early discussions with Qatar Museums to collaborate on multilateral arts and culture education projects, and with the Web3 Foundation to explore the potential for collaborating on Open International Standards (OIS) in the field of blockchain and education.
Knowledge Foundation and Knowledge Token® originated with the not-for-profit Immersive Education Initiative, whose thousands of members service millions of learners globally.
Composed of the world's foremost experts in immersive learning and immersive learning technology, the Immersive Education Initiative is an international collaboration between educational institutions, research institutes, museums, consortia and companies.
The Immersive Education Initiative was established in 2005 with the mission to define and develop standards, best practices, technology platforms, training and education programs, and communities of support for virtual worlds, virtual reality, augmented and mixed reality, simulations, game-based learning and training systems, immersive teaching and immersive learning platforms, and fully immersive environments such as caves and domes.
About Lucerne University of Arts and Science (HSLU)
The largest educational institution in Central Switzerland, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) comprises the Lucerne Schools of Engineering and Architecture, Business, Computer Science and Information Technology, Social Work, Design, Film and Art and Music.
Through its Schools, the HSLU provides sound subject-specific education and research in Central Switzerland. It prepares its students for a professional career in their chosen field and facilitates their acquisition of the skills needed for innovative, creative and entrepreneurial thinking and action. With its strong, practically based approach and interdisciplinary excellence, the University produces experts who are capable of mastering the challenges of the 21st century.
HSLU is one of nine universities of applied sciences in Switzerland. It was founded in 1997 under the Intercantonal Council of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Central Switzerland (FHZ). The university is accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Council, and fulfills the requirements of the Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Swiss Higher Education Sector (Higher Education Act, HEdA).
Immersive Education Initiative, the world's foremost experts in immersion and immersive technology, is a non-profit international collaboration of educational institutions, research institutes, museums, consortia and companies. The Initiative was established in 2005 with the mission to define and develop standards, best practices, technology platforms, training and education programs, and communities of support for virtual worlds, virtual reality, augmented and mixed reality, simulations, game-based learning and training systems, immersive teaching and immersive learning platforms, and fully immersive environments such as caves and domes.
Thousands of faculty, researchers, staff and administrators are members of the Immersive Education Initiative, who together service millions of academic and corporate learners worldwide.
Collaborators and Summit speakers include faculty, researchers, graduate students, and executives from the world's leading academic and cultural organizations, universities, and companies, such as United Nations, United States Department of Education, Harvard University, University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Smithsonian Institution, Stanford University, NASA, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Twitter, Disney, Oracle, Computerworld, Italian Ministry of Education, the Louvre Museum and Palace of Versailles, Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), Sorbonne University (France), Keio University (Japan), Nippon TV (Japan), National University of Singapore (NUS), Government of New South Wales (Australia), Israel Ministry of Education, University of Glasgow (UK), European Learning Industry Group (ELIG), Università degli Studi di Padova (University of Padua, Italy), University of Zurich (Switzerland), Trinity College (Ireland), University of Barcelona (Spain), Italian National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain), and many more world-class organizations
Knowledge Foundation Established in Switzerland to Advance Global Education Through the Application of Advanced and Emerging Technologies
LUCERNE, Switzerland, January 30, 2025 — Knowledge Foundation, a newly established non-profit global education organization headquartered in Lucerne, Switzerland, today announced that it has been granted tax exempt status by the Swiss tax authorities in recognition of the foundation's charter to advance global education through the application of advanced and emerging technologies such as Knowledge Token®, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and blockchain.
The foundation's mission is to democratize access to knowledge by creating an open, inclusive educational ecosystem that spans the globe. In order to fully realize its charter, the city of Lucerne was selected as the foundation's global headquarters owing to the city's comprehensive legal frameworks and regulations for digital financial technology, favorable tax policies, extensive partnership opportunities, and a highly skilled technology workforce and education system. Switzerland, furthermore, is among the highest paying contributors to the work of the United Nations and, as a country greatly committed to multilateral development, was selected as the home country for the foundation.
Established in 2022 in partnership with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and Immersive Education Initiative, Knowledge Foundation collaborators today include the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, DFINITY Foundation, Lando & Anastasi, LLP, University of Oxford Blockchain Research Centre, MIT Bitcoin Club, University of Pretoria, Stellenbosch University, and other world-class institutions and organizations noted below.
To date the foundation has held open educational events and activities in Lucerne (Switzerland), Oxford University (UK), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), University of Pretoria (South Africa) and has directly participated in events held by its collaborators in Doha (Qatar), Atlanta (USA), Zurich (Switzerland), Luxembourg City (Luxembourg), Berlin (Germany), Cairo (Egypt), The Hague (Netherlands), Sofia (Bulgaria), and Johannesburg (South Africa).
Knowledge Token®, Hackathons, Summits and Accelerators
Together with its collaborators, the foundation designs and delivers educational content, activities and events utilizing advanced and emerging technologies such as AI, VR, AR, and blockchain for which Knowledge Token® "learn and earn" rewards are provided as detailed below:
Knowledge Token®
Knowledge Token® is a family of digital assets that serve as intellectual currency (rewarded to learners for academic achievements) while privately and securely storing the learner's corresponding academic activity (transcripts, records, certifications and diplomas). Knowledge Tokens can be used to pay for essential and non-essential products and services, and may be programmed to be redeemable only for specific goods on a specific schedule (e.g., one kilo of rice from a certain grocery store every two weeks).
Academic Hackathons
Global development of the most current rendition of the foundation's Knowledge Token® education platform commenced in March 2023 at the Oxford Knowledge Token Hackathon held at University of Oxford.
Based on the success of Oxford and subsequent Knowledge Foundation hackathons, in April 2024 the Knowledge Foundation formed a 3-year partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and DFINITY Foundation (Switzerland) to reshape the field of education via Knowledge Token® systems, protocols and standards deployed on the open Internet Computer blockchain platform.
Summits
Knowledge Foundation Summits are conferences organized for educators, researchers, students, and the general public. Starting in 2022 the Knowledge Foundation officially became part of all Immersive Education Summits going forward. Over the past 20 years Immersive Education Summits and associated events have been hosted by Harvard University, University of Oxford, Sorbonne University, London School of Economics (LSE) and other world-class institutions detailed at https://summit.ImmersiveEducation.org
Knowledge Accelerators (KAx)
Knowledge Accelerators (KAx) are locally-run non-profit Knowledge Foundation communities focused on growing and upskilling regional and local technology talent through smaller and more frequent hackathons, challenges, meetings, talks, discussions, break-out sessions, demos, workshops and webinars that revolve around advanced and emerging technologies (AI, VR, AR, robotics, blockchain and so forth).
Collaborators
Established in 2022 in partnership with the Immersive Education Initiative (USA) and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Switzerland), Knowledge Foundation collaborators today include the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), more specifically UNODC’s Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education and Youth Empowerment (GRACE) initiative and the Global Programme on Cybercrime, DFINITY Foundation (Switzerland), Lando & Anastasi, LLP (USA), Africa Civic Tech Innovation Network (Africa), Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (Luxembourg), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Bitcoin Club (USA), University of Oxford Blockchain Research Centre (UK), University of Zurich Blockchain Center (Switzerland), Yale University Blockchain Club (USA), Brown University Blockchain Club (USA), University of Pretoria (South Africa), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), CreaTech (Bulgaria) and ImbachDEV GmbH (Switzerland).
The Knowledge Foundation is also engaged in early discussions with Qatar Museums to collaborate on multilateral arts and culture education projects, and with the Web3 Foundation to explore the potential for collaborating on Open International Standards (OIS) in the field of blockchain and education.
About Immersive Education Initiative
Knowledge Foundation and Knowledge Token® originated with the not-for-profit Immersive Education Initiative, whose thousands of members service millions of learners globally.
Composed of the world's foremost experts in immersive learning and immersive learning technology, the Immersive Education Initiative is an international collaboration between educational institutions, research institutes, museums, consortia and companies.
The Immersive Education Initiative was established in 2005 with the mission to define and develop standards, best practices, technology platforms, training and education programs, and communities of support for virtual worlds, virtual reality, augmented and mixed reality, simulations, game-based learning and training systems, immersive teaching and immersive learning platforms, and fully immersive environments such as caves and domes.
About Lucerne University of Arts and Science (HSLU)
The largest educational institution in Central Switzerland, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) comprises the Lucerne Schools of Engineering and Architecture, Business, Computer Science and Information Technology, Social Work, Design, Film and Art and Music.
Through its Schools, the HSLU provides sound subject-specific education and research in Central Switzerland. It prepares its students for a professional career in their chosen field and facilitates their acquisition of the skills needed for innovative, creative and entrepreneurial thinking and action. With its strong, practically based approach and interdisciplinary excellence, the University produces experts who are capable of mastering the challenges of the 21st century.
HSLU is one of nine universities of applied sciences in Switzerland. It was founded in 1997 under the Intercantonal Council of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Central Switzerland (FHZ). The university is accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Council, and fulfills the requirements of the Federal Act on Funding and Coordination of the Swiss Higher Education Sector (Higher Education Act, HEdA).
PRESS CONTACTS
Aaron E. Walsh
Phone: +1 617 777 0452
Email: aaron.walsh@knowledgefound.org
René Hüsler
Phone: +41 41 757 68 00
Email: rene.huesler@hslu.ch
Craig R. Smith
Phone: +1 617 395 7000
Email: csmith@lalaw.com
Millions of Learners Worldwide
Immersive Education Initiative, the world's foremost experts in immersion and immersive technology, is a non-profit international collaboration of educational institutions, research institutes, museums, consortia and companies. The Initiative was established in 2005 with the mission to define and develop standards, best practices, technology platforms, training and education programs, and communities of support for virtual worlds, virtual reality, augmented and mixed reality, simulations, game-based learning and training systems, immersive teaching and immersive learning platforms, and fully immersive environments such as caves and domes.
Thousands of faculty, researchers, staff and administrators are members of the Immersive Education Initiative, who together service millions of academic and corporate learners worldwide.
Collaborators and Summit speakers include faculty, researchers, graduate students, and executives from the world's leading academic and cultural organizations, universities, and companies, such as United Nations, United States Department of Education, Harvard University, University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Smithsonian Institution, Stanford University, NASA, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Twitter, Disney, Oracle, Computerworld, Italian Ministry of Education, the Louvre Museum and Palace of Versailles, Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), Sorbonne University (France), Keio University (Japan), Nippon TV (Japan), National University of Singapore (NUS), Government of New South Wales (Australia), Israel Ministry of Education, University of Glasgow (UK), European Learning Industry Group (ELIG), Università degli Studi di Padova (University of Padua, Italy), University of Zurich (Switzerland), Trinity College (Ireland), University of Barcelona (Spain), Italian National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain), and many more world-class organizations
To learn more visit https://ImmersiveEducation.org
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