Blockchain Research Lab

What Blockchain Research Lab does

Blockchain Research Lab gGmbH (BRL) is a non-profit research organization founded in 2018 in Hamburg, Germany, that conducts independent scientific research on blockchain technology and its socio-economic consequences. The lab is led by co-founders Prof. Dr. Lennart Ante (Managing Director/CEO), Dr. Ingo Fiedler, and Dr. Fred Steinmetz, all of whom hold doctoral qualifications and publish actively in peer-reviewed venues such as Telematics and Informatics and the European Conference on Information Systems. Its research spans distributed ledger technology, self-sovereign identity (SSI), digital twins, supply chain applications, DeFi, and the societal impact of large language models.

BRL's core deliverables are scientific publications — working papers, peer-reviewed articles, and 198+ blog entries — and multi-year funded research projects. Notable projects include DiBiChain (BMBF-funded, 2019-2022, consortium with Altran Germany and Airbus, producing a privacy-preserving blockchain protocol for product life cycle transparency), STEREO (BMWK-funded, self-sovereign digital identity linking vehicles and owners, with Christoph Kroschke GmbH and Osborne Clarke), and AVIK (BMWK-funded, automated ground-air intercommunication for mobility). The lab has also secured grants from the Ethereum Foundation (2022) and DZ BANK Stiftung (2023), and was commissioned by the Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) for an empirical study on the German online gambling black market.

The organization does not sell products or services commercially. Its revenue model consists of government and foundation grants (BMBF, BMWK, Ethereum Foundation, DZ BANK Stiftung), individual and corporate donations (with German tax-deductible receipts enabled by gemeinnützig status), and sponsored research scholarships for PhD/PostDoc (EUR 21,600-24,000/year) and Master's thesis (EUR 400-2,400) positions. Customer segments are the academic research community, government and regulatory bodies, and corporate/industry partners participating in funded consortia. Go-to-market is community-led: peer-reviewed publications, conference participation, newsletter and social channels, and consortium project leadership drive partnerships and funding rather than commercial sales motions.

Name

Blockchain Research Lab

Legal name

Blockchain Research Lab gGmbH

Website

https://blockchainresearchlab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Blockchain Research Lab is a Hamburg-based non-profit gGmbH founded in 2018 that conducts independent academic research on blockchain technology, digital identity, DeFi, and LLM societal impact, serving policymakers, regulators, academic peers, and corporate consortium partners through peer-reviewed publications and government-funded projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Blockchain Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Consortium Networks & Governance (network setup, onboarding, rules, node operations) (FSAPAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regulatory Reporting, Tax & Audit Trails (reconciliation, provenance) (FSAPAJAI), Blockchain Data & Indexing Infrastructure for Finance (Nodes, Indexers, Oracles) (FSAGAMAL)

Keywords

• Blockchain research
• Cryptocurrency research
• Digital identity research
• Supply chain blockchain
• Academic research lab

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts donations from individuals and corporations. Donations can be general (unrestricted) or project-specific. The organization is registered as gemeinnützig (non-profit) and can issue donation receipts for tax purposes.
2. Research Grants and Funding: BRL receives funding from government ministries (BMBF, BMWK), foundations (DZ BANK Stiftung, Ethereum Foundation), and public-private partnerships for conducting specific research projects.
3. Scholarship Programs: BRL offers research scholarships to talented young researchers, with funding provided by donors. Scholarship tiers include PhD/PostDoc positions (1,800-2,000 EUR/month for 1 month to 21,600-24,000 EUR/year) and Master thesis support (400-2,400 EUR).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Blockchain Research Lab is a non-profit research institution that conducts independent scientific research on blockchain technology, distributed ledger systems, self-sovereign identity, digital twins, and cryptocurrency markets. The lab publishes peer-reviewed papers, working papers, and blog posts, and delivers funded research projects on supply chain transparency, digital identity, and mobility applications for government ministries, foundations, and industry partners.

Product overview

Blockchain Research Lab is a non-profit research institution that produces academic publications and conducts interdisciplinary research projects on blockchain technology and its socio-economic implications. Their portfolio includes research publications (working papers, reports, journal articles), research projects (DiBiChain for supply chain transparency, STEREO for digital identity, AVIK for mobility), and a blog platform for disseminating findings. The organization focuses on independent science and research aimed at understanding blockchain's impact on society rather than commercial product development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DiBiChain Research Project A blockchain-based research initiative developing digital replicas of product life cycles to enhance transparency and sustainability in supply chains. Consortium project with industry partners including Airbus and Altran Germany.
• STEREO Research Project Self-sovereign identity research project creating and linking secure digital identities of vehicles and their owners using blockchain technology. Developed for mobility applications with industry consortium.
• AVIK Research Project Automated ground-air intercommunication project enhancing interaction and collaboration between vehicles and mobility actors including drones, with focus on data transmission, harmonization, aggregation, and monetization.

Quantifiable outcome

• 198+ blog posts and numerous peer-reviewed publications
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic, major and minor.

• European Blockchain Association (EBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2023BRL joined the European Blockchain Association as a member organization. This membership enables network expansion and improved collaboration capabilities with various organizations and experts across Europe. The partnership enhances BRL's research on socio-economic impacts of blockchain technology.
• Popsicle FinancestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2021BRL entered a cooperation with Popsicle Finance for a new research project in Decentralized Finance (DeFi). The project analyzes relevant DeFi ecosystems, identifies market inefficiencies, and examines options for optimizing and hedging returns with the goal of making DeFi markets less risky and more efficient.
• Altran GermanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAltran Germany serves as consortium leader for the DiBiChain project. The three-year research project (July 2019 - June 2022) funded by BMBF aims to make product life cycles more transparent and sustainable through blockchain technology.
• AirbusmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirbus is a participating company in the DiBiChain project. Research findings from the project are evaluated and implemented in an Airbus use case.
• iPoint-systemsminorStrategic or Co-development PartneriPoint-systems participates in the DiBiChain project as part of the consortium focused on product compliance and sustainability.
• Christoph Kroschke GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristoph Kroschke GmbH serves as consortium leader for the STEREO project (June - November 2020), focusing on self-sovereign identities for vehicles and their owners.
• Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften HamburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHamburg University of Applied Sciences participates in the STEREO project for digital identity research.
• Osborne ClarkeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational law firm Osborne Clarke participates in the STEREO project contributing legal and regulatory expertise for digital identity solutions.
• Bitkom e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBRL is a member of Bitkom (Bundesverband Informationswirtschaft, Telekommunikation und neue Medien e.V.), enabling active participation in current topics and discussions in Germany's digital industry association.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MIT Digital Currency Initiative: Academic research initiative at MIT focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, producing peer-reviewed research and publications. Highly comparable non-profit research mission with academic and policy audiences.
• Stanford Center for Blockchain Research: Interdisciplinary academic research center at Stanford studying blockchain technology across cryptography, economics, and policy. Direct comparable in combining technical blockchain R&D with socio-economic analysis.
• UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies: University-based blockchain research centre in London conducting interdisciplinary research and industry collaboration. Comparable in producing peer-reviewed publications and engaging industry/government partners.
• RMIT Blockchain Innovation Hub: University research hub investigating the socio-economic implications of blockchain technology. Direct comparable given shared focus on interdisciplinary research with societal and economic framing.
• Coin Center: US-based non-profit research and advocacy organization focused on the policy implications of blockchain technology. Comparable non-profit mission targeting regulators and policymakers.
• Blockchain Research Institute: Global independent blockchain research organization producing research on blockchain's strategic implications for industries and governments. Comparable in independent research positioning and enterprise/government client focus.
• Centre for Blockchain Technologies, University of Luxembourg: Interdisciplinary university research centre on blockchain applications with industry-funded projects, comparable in operating on grants and corporate consortium partnerships in Europe.

Regional players

• Bundesverband Blockchain e.V. German industry association representing blockchain ecosystem stakeholders. Comparable in German market presence and industry/policy focus, though more trade-association oriented than research lab.

Others

• European Blockchain Association: Pan-European blockchain industry network of which BRL is a member. Comparable ecosystem connector in the European blockchain policy and research space, but positioned as membership network rather than research producer.

Broad incumbents

• ConSensSys Research: Research arm of a major blockchain software company producing reports on Ethereum ecosystem developments. Comparable in publishing blockchain research, though tied to a commercial ecosystem player rather than an independent non-profit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lab_blockchain
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blockchain-research-lab-ggmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blockchain Research Lab