The US State Department has announced a new initiative focused on blockchain technology and is seeking an intern to work on the project.

Called “Blockchain@State”, the new working group will be overseen by the Office of Global Partnerships, CoinDesk reported.

“[T]he Department of State cannot afford to wait to explore applications of this technology to the work of international development and diplomacy. Thus, the goal of this project is to help the Office of Global Partnerships and its partners on the Blockchain working group to bring the Department of State into this exciting conversation”, the online post reads.

The initiative will primarily focus on research applications of blockchain or distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) in the U.S. foreign policy. The intern will track the developments in blockchain implementations and use cases, as well as prepare weekly briefings for the blockchain working group.

“Reporting to the Director for Innovation and the Acting Special Representative for Global Partnerships, the e-Intern will track developments in Blockchain technology and prepare bi-weekly briefings to keep the initiative informed of new applications in the field. The e-Intern will be asked to monitor open internet sources such as technology blogs, news sites, government webpages, and academic journals for developments around Blockchain or distributed ledger technologies in government. Additional tasks may include preparing talking points, background information for a memo, or directed research on a specific stakeholder organization”, it added.

A number of governmental departments in the United States are increasingly showing interest in blockchain technology. Federal News Radio recently reported that the General Services Administration is going to work on a federal blockchain pilot project this summer. Also, the Department of Commerce hosted a public meeting focusing on blockchain technology in December.