SciWard: An Experimental Approach to Science Funding
We aim to make science fair for everyone by widening access to funding for documented contributions, including work by independent researchers and open-source developers.
SciWard is an operational beta funding system. The current beta uses custodial and administrative components; the current operating model uses centralized administrative control; independent validation remains pending.
Your donation supports a five-month public adversarial test of SciWard, with $1,000 distributed to eligible recipients. The $1,000 figure is the recipient distribution, not the complete cost of running the test.
Evidence, review & citations
Independent researchers: external evaluation is welcome, including critical conclusions. Independent-review packet →
10 stable, source-linked claims → Claim–Evidence Graph → Testing & Evidence →
Our software uses AI-generated assessments of documented contributions to guide funding allocations.
You need neither a science degree nor traditional grant writing to be considered for SciWard funding. You need documented published research or software, subject to eligibility requirements and available funds.
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How SciWard works
SciWard asks a large language model to evaluate documented public research and software contributions. Its heuristic score is framed as a share of world GDP, but is not a validated measurement of causal economic or scientific impact. The software uses these estimates in proportional funding calculations. Payments depend on available donated funds and eligibility requirements. Read about the experimental approach and its limitations.
The app beta (see also the source) has been released. We need money to make it useful. See also the project status and the paper.
Deep dive: implementation and participation
The sections below provide operational detail for researchers, developers, reviewers, and donors who want to assess SciWard beyond the landing-page summary.
Getting started
Connect your public contribution records to begin. SciWard does not require a science degree or a traditional grant proposal. Connecting an account does not guarantee eligibility or payment.SciWard does not require grant writing, which can reduce the application work compared with traditional grant proposals; actual setup time varies. Users may still need to:
- curate ORCID or GitHub records;
- establish authorship;
- respond to disputes;
- document work missing from supported sources;
- satisfy identity requirements.
Why this project matters
Unpublished research and unused resources can limit the value society obtains from science. Bowers et al. (2023), using a survey of 301 researchers, estimated approximately $6.2 billion in cumulative unused research resources at US universities. This is not an estimate of annual global losses or foregone innovation. The wider opportunity costs are difficult to quantify.
SciWard aims to support useful research and open-source software by evaluating documented contributions without making degrees or institutional affiliation mandatory. Whether this approach improves funding efficiency and fairness remains a question for testing. See the economic evidence and project goals.
- Which Services SciWard Provides for Researchers and Free Software Developers
- Why blockchain improves research funding
- SciWard vs Traditional Funding
- How SciWard funds research on-chain
- SciWard’s proposed approach to AGI safety
SciWard also proposes rewards for science marketers and reviewers who help useful work reach relevant audiences. This is an intended role in the funding model; its effectiveness remains to be tested.
How the science gets stuck
“This illustrates a dependency problem that can occur in both science and software: (image from https://xkcd.com/2347/):
The idea behind the picture is: A small but essential component can become a major bottleneck. If that component is missing—because it has not yet been discovered, published, maintained, or made accessible—the value of a much larger scientific or software system may be substantially reduced.
Predatory and deceptive publishing practices can weaken quality control and mislead researchers.
Useful work can also receive too little attention. Poor discoverability may delay recognition and downstream use.
Victor Porton describes difficulties publishing and promoting his research in his personal story. His assessment of its broader importance is a motivation for this project, not independent evidence of a measured delay to global science. Support development and testing of SciWard.
By Victor Porton, a mathematician and fullstack blockchain developer.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can independent researchers get grants without university affiliation?
Independent researchers can explore research foundations, crowdfunding platforms, open research initiatives, and alternative funding programs. SciWard’s SciWard aims to make funding more accessible by evaluating documented research contributions rather than relying only on university affiliation or academic qualifications.
2. Where can I find funding for independent researchers?
Funding opportunities for independent researchers are available through nonprofit organizations, research foundations, community-supported initiatives, and decentralized science platforms. SciWard explores an AI-assisted funding model that evaluates publicly documented research and software contributions to help allocate available donated funds.
3. Are there research grants for individuals without a PhD?
Yes. Some research funding programs accept applications from individuals without a PhD or university affiliation. SciWard’s SciWard system does not require a science degree or traditional grant writing for consideration, although eligibility requirements and available funding still apply.
4. What is open source funding, and how does it support developers?
Open source funding provides financial support to developers who create, maintain, and improve freely available software. It helps maintain essential tools, encourage innovation, and support long-term software development. SciWard explores AI-assisted funding based on documented open-source contributions.
5. Where can developers find open source grants?
Developers can explore nonprofit funding programs, technology foundations, community grants, and decentralized funding platforms. SciWard’s SciWard beta offers an experimental approach that evaluates documented software contributions through connected public records such as GitHub.
6. How can I get funding for open source projects?
To get funding for open source projects, document your contributions, maintain public repositories, share project updates, and explore relevant grant programs. SciWard’s SciWard allows developers to connect their public contribution records so that documented work can be evaluated for potential funding allocation.
7. What are the available options for open source developer funding?
Open source developer funding can come from technology companies, nonprofit foundations, sponsorships, community donations, and decentralized funding initiatives. SciWard explores another approach by using AI-assisted assessments of publicly documented development contributions to guide the allocation of available donations.
Help Turn SciWard’s Beta into Evidence
SciWard remains experimental. The next proposed milestone is a five-month public adversarial test, with $1,000 planned for distribution to eligible funding recipients. Donations support the work required to run and evaluate that test.
Fund the public test → Test proposal → Independent review →
AI-generated evaluations can contain factual errors or biases;. Public testing, auditability, and external criticism remain part of the project.