Canadian University Dubai has announced the launch of TrustPaper, the first business venture with a filed patent to emerge from the university’s business Incubator. Powered by ZipTrust, a blockchain-enabled technology, TrustPaper’s groundbreaking innovation enables secure, automatic verification of documents in just seconds. As part of CUD’s long-term commitment to sustainability and social impact, 25% of royalty proceeds from the business will be dedicated to an endowment that supports equality in education.
As the first initiative of its kind in the region, TrustPaper positions CUD as the first university to embed NFC (Near Field Communication) and copyright protection technology directly into academic credentials. This allows instant, automatic verification through a QR code or NFC chip using a mobile device, eliminating the risk of forgery or tampering, while ensuring seamless validation for documents. The innovation also stores a digital twin of the documentation in the blockchain, ensuring secure, lifelong access.
TrustPaper was officially launched under the brand promise ‘Authenticity You Can Hold’ during a ceremony staged at the CUD Hub in Dubai City Walk. To mark the launch, a dedicated space within the CUD Incubator was unveiled during the event under the theme, ‘Trust Hub’, which is set to serve as the epicentre for continued innovation in secure document solutions. The event also saw a panel discussion with university President and Vice Chancellor, Prof. Karim Chelli, alongside CUD heroes, and a fireside chat with the founders of TrustPaper.
Speaking about the groundbreaking launch, Prof. Chelli said, “This milestone represents the university’s commitment to act as a downtown engine of innovation that unites the business ecosystem to explore and develop solutions to address real-world challenges. The Incubator was established to provide a catalyst to interact with our community, to collaborate in creating the next generation of innovations that will secure a sustainable future, driven by equality. TrustPaper reflects the essence of this goal, setting a new benchmark for innovation-driven entrepreneurship that will have global technological impact. Our doors are always open to anyone with bold ideas that need the jsupport to nurture and transform them into the next market-ready solution.”
Speaking on behalf of TrustPaper, Caeser Medel, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of ZipTrust, said, “Our goal has always been to create a safer, more transparent world through innovation. By integrating blockchain, encryption, and NFC technology, TrustPaper represents an evolution in how individuals and institutions protect what matters most: the integrity of their documents and the authenticity of their identity. As a global epicentre of progress, innovation, and visionary leadership, Dubai was the natural home for this enterprise. Establishing TrustPaper at Canadian University Dubai enables us to align with a community that shares our belief in technology as a force for trust, empowerment, and positive change.”
With the creation of an endowment fund, TrustPaper represents the university’s ongoing commitment to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular those in pursuit of Quality Education; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Through its technology, CUD aims to promote equitable access to secure and verifiable academic credentials worldwide, and to link paper, the oldest medium of information, with the newest technologies, for the good of global society.
