Antonis Polemitis

CEO @Uni_of_Nicosia. Preparing for a radically different future - of Bitcoin-wielding AIs, digital biology and transformed social systems.

[Antonis Polemitis @polemitis]

The next six months are going to be extremely interesting at @UNIC_ENG.

More in the coming weeks

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

1/ "Yep, that's me. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation…"

Where have we been?

We announced a lot of things a few months ago and then we went quiet.

Why?

[Antonis Polemitis @polemitis]

Sorry that it has been quiet

Been working on many things...

[Antonis Polemitis @polemitis]

👀👀👀

[Bharat Krymo @krybharat]

gm all inclusive metaverse community 🙏

[Antonis Polemitis @polemitis]

well done @IFFunic @MScDigital team

https://t.co/BhVdvFqmme

[Nick Assimenos @Assimenos]

The M5 Competition was the largest forecasting competition of all time with 100,000+ entries from Forecasters and Data Scientists from 100+ countries.
Join @spyrosmakrid @polemitis (and team) for the M5 Conference in New York next month (6-7 December)

[Alex Alexakis @alexalexakis]

University of Nicosia does it again!

Teaching digital currencies since 2013 with @aantonop and @polemitis, and now launching @unicmetaverse, introducing courses on metaverse and NFTs, an incubator for startups in the space and more, while making an announcement with a CrypToadz

[Antonis Polemitis @polemitis]

well done @IFFunic @MScDigital team

https://t.co/BhVdvFqmme

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

1/ So what specifically is the @UNIC_ENG Open Metaverse Initiative? A quick 🧵

UNIC is the largest university in Cyprus, a comprehensive university with 7 schools, 20 academic departments and 100+ degree programs offered on-campus and online and 14,500 degree-seeking students

[Antonis Polemitis @polemitis]

@nntaleb @PZalloua @spyrosmakrid interesting. just saw this!

nice work gents

[Antonis Polemitis @polemitis]

@andreashvit @ekontemeniotis thank you for your kind words

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

13/ We are so impressed with everyone. Keep up the great work and the good fight for open systems.

We are with you all the way.

WAGMI!

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

12/ This is a mega project and we want to do it together with you. We are looking for people to collaborate in all areas, from teaching/research to policy/outreach to entrepreneurship.

And of course, course participants.

get in touch here https://t.co/2piNfGwJPb or DM us

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

11/ We are rolling out NFTs on campus:
a) a new permanent NFT gallery this month
b) different systems in the Spring Semester
c) our crypto conference @DecentralizedEu will have a significant NFT/metaverse track this year

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

10/ We support innovation and entrepreneurship in the field.

We are currently incubating two startups in the NFT space that will launch this fall.

We intend to support both entrepreneurs and creators in the space on an ongoing basis

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

9/ On the research and policy side, we are launching a new research center (the Center for an Open Metaverse) on metaverse related topics and the Open Metaverse Alliance, a coalition of organizations committed to open metaverse principles

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

8/ So we are ready to lean in again.

On the teaching side:

a) We are launching a free MOOC focused on NFTs/metaverse in Feb 2022. There is a great roster of guest lecturers that we will announce next week

b) We have begun development of an MSc in Metaverse Systems

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

7/ We have been monitoring the NFT and emerging metaverse space very carefully since late last year.

We are convinced that NFTs add an important decentralized social layer to the world.

We are 100% supportive of the NFT community's focus on an Open Metaverse.

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

6/ Eight years later, how did we do?
a) over 100,000 students attended at one crypto course
b) over 1,000 masters students in total
c) largest team (40+) faculty and staff focused on crypto
d) are the academic lead for EUBOF, the strategic blockchain advisory body to the EC

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

5/ In 2013, we announced that we would accept BTC for tuition, teach an open MOOC taught by @aantonop and @polemitis and launch an MSc.

Each of those were the "first time" done in the world by any university.

[UNIC Open Metaverse Initiative @unicmetaverse]

4/ But that is not why you are here.

In Fall 2013, UNIC was the first university in the world to unequivocally state that Bitcoin was a major breakthrough in distributed systems, would have huge social implications and was an important topic for teaching/research.