International School of Advanced Studies

Methodologies play an increasingly important role in the management and definition of Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology. A key aspect is the design of new fault-tolerant distributed consensus mechanisms, cryptographic primitives, and distributed protocols. Consensus mechanisms ensure the integrity of information stored in blockchains, improve system efficiency, and enhance defense against attacks. Other research areas cover, but are not limited to, architectures and software engineering focused on Blockchain. Notations for modeling and analyzing smart contracts can support progress in Blockchain-oriented software and reduce technological barriers for non-expert users. Optimization aspects will also be considered to ensure efficient execution of smart contracts. It is necessary to define formal specifications and advanced technical approaches for automated verification and new approaches for testing smart contracts and auditing blockchain transactions. Blockchain technologies rely on the adoption of various infrastructures such as Ethereum, IOTA, the Hyperledger ecosystem, etc. In this regard, recent challengers in supporting security, scalability, reliability, interoperability, and performance issues in Blockchain and smart contracts across multiple Blockchain platforms will be addressed. Tools, including open-source software, that enable new scenarios such as token sales, are of great interest as well. Issues related to Blockchain in the metaverse will also be explored.