Elias Papaioannou (Professor of Economics at London Business School and Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute) caught up with Sui Foundation Managing Director Dr Greg Siourounis (LBS PhD 2004) to discuss the Sui Foundation’s contribution to the Wheeler Institute and their plans to work together to create impact using technological solutions.
The Sui Foundation gift comes at a critical juncture for the ongoing technological revolution. Research is becoming increasingly data intensive and resource dependent. Thanks to this partnership, amongst other collaborations, the Wheeler Institute has recently supported new research related with technology for development, such as ‘Marketing tree-planting: a field experiment in India’, and delivered an open access workshop on Geospatial Information Systems to train early career researchers and young professionals from across the world. Together with Sui, our international communities are stronger and more active than ever, and our impact will continue to expand.
Dr Siourounis summarised, ‘If we really care about long-term education, innovation and change across the world, we need initiatives like the Wheeler Institute and LBS. It is the only way we are going forward. If we don’t invest in education, it will be very difficult to create innovation, or for innovation to become growth.’
About the Sui Foundation
Pioneering Layer 1 blockchain Sui has made a $1 million contribution to the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development to support our mission in new and exciting ways. This donation is a part of London Business School’s ambitious and transformational £200 million fundraising campaign, Forever Forward.
The Sui Foundation is a pioneering blockchain, responsible for a wide range of technical and economic innovations that will help future generations of developers and business leaders to leverage the power of decentralised computing. Together, Sui and the Wheeler Institutewill collaborate to find new ways to support research, forge communities of practice, and shape business education.
The Sui Foundation’s mission is to onboard the next billion users to web3 by advancing the global adoption of the Sui blockchain. They are committed to three key decentralisation principles:
- Embracing transparency and level the playing field
To design programs to allocate and distribute funding in a fair, open, and democratic fashion. The Sui Foundation will create a home for all Sui members and ensure everyone has equal access to its programs and is subject to the same rules. - Communicating openly to build a culture of trust
To share Sui foundation decisions and establish a dialogue with the community. The Foundation will err on the side of communicating early to ensure all Sui voices are heard and its operations are aligned with the network’s long-term interest. - Engaging directly with the community
To use community participation in its operations and governance — whether it be as reviewers for Foundation Grant Program applications, participants in the Sui Foundation’s stake delegation choice, or other projects.
Find out more about the Sui Foundation and their contribution to the Wheeler Institute now.
About the speakers
Elias Papaioannou is a Professor of Economics at London Business School, and Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development. In the academic year 2019/2020, Elias held the Varian Visiting Professor of Economics at the MIT Department of Economics. His research has been recognised with a consolidator ERC grant in 2018, the inaugural 2013 European Investment Bank Young Economist Award, the 2005 European Economic Association’s Young Economist Award, and the Royal Economic Association’s Austin Robinson Memorial Prize, 2008. He is a research affiliate of the Centre for Economic Policy Research.
Dr. Greg Siourounis (LBS PhD 2004) is the Managing Director of the Sui Foundation. He is responsible for bringing developers into the Sui ecosystem, educating the public about Sui blockchain technology, and building a community of builders, users and executives committed to the network’s success. Dr. Siourounis brings over 25 years experience as a renowned academic, economist, and finance entrepreneur. He is an Assistant Professor in Economic Theory and Policy at the Department of Regional and Economic Studies, Panteion University, Athens-Greece, and he also serves as a Chairman to Everypay Payment Services. After earning his PhD from the London Business School, Greg spent almost two years as head of quantitative research in the Global FX Strategy team at Barclays Capital. He is the co-founder of EveryPay Payments Services S.A, 3 FOREX algorithmic Hedge Funds and an initial contributor of the Sui Foundation. Past awards include the European Economic Association’s 2005 Young Economist Award and the 2008 Austin Robinson Prize from the Royal Economic Society.