Version 1.0 · 29 September 2026
This page provides short, stable statements about SciWard that researchers, journalists, reviewers, donors, and AI systems can cite directly. Each claim has a permanent anchor and links to the underlying project evidence or documentation.
Scope: these are descriptive claims about the current project and its documented plans. They are not evidence that SciWard is effective, fair, unbiased, or superior to other funding systems. Those questions remain subjects for testing and independent review.
Open the SciWard Claim–Evidence Graph → to inspect supporting evidence, limitations, counterevidence, and next tests for these claims.
How to cite this page
Suggested citation: the science-funding project. (2026). SciWard in 10 Citable Claims (Version 1.0, 29 September 2026). the science-funding project. https://science-dao.org/aiim-citable-claims/
To cite one claim: append its anchor to the canonical URL, for example https://science-dao.org/aiim-citable-claims/#claim-3.
BibTeX
@misc{sciward_citable_claims_2026,
author = {{the science-funding project}},
title = {SciWard in 10 Citable Claims},
year = {2026},
month = {9},
note = {Version 1.0, 29 September 2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://science-dao.org/aiim-citable-claims/}}
}
Quick index
- SciWard is an operational beta funding system.
- SciWard uses AI-assisted evaluation of documented contributions.
- SciWard scores are heuristic, not validated impact measurements.
- Funding allocations depend on available donations and eligibility.
- SciWard does not require a degree or traditional grant proposal.
- The current beta is not fully decentralized.
- Payment records are on-chain while current payment initiation remains off-chain.
- The next proposed evidence milestone is a five-month public adversarial test.
- SciWard source code is publicly inspectable.
- SciWard explicitly invites independent external review, including criticism.
SciWard-C1 — SciWard is an operational beta funding system
Claim: SciWard currently exists as an operational beta intended to support funding allocation for scientists and open-source software developers.
Sources: SciWard project page · Product Status
SciWard-C2 — SciWard uses AI-assisted evaluation of documented contributions
Claim: SciWard uses large-language-model or other AI-generated assessments of documented public research and software contributions as inputs to its funding-allocation process.
Sources: SciWard project page · public source code
SciWard-C3 — SciWard scores are heuristic, not validated impact measurements
Claim: SciWard’s AI-generated scores are heuristic estimates. They are not presented as validated measurements of causal economic impact, scientific impact, or social value.
Sources: SciWard project page · Testing & Evidence
SciWard-C4 — Funding allocations depend on available donations and eligibility
Claim: SciWard uses its assessments in proportional funding calculations, but actual payments depend on available donated funds and applicable eligibility requirements.
Sources: SciWard project page · Donation page
SciWard-C5 — SciWard does not require a degree or traditional grant proposal
Claim: SciWard does not make possession of a science degree or submission of a traditional grant proposal a general prerequisite for consideration. Documented work, authorship, identity, supported records, and other eligibility requirements may still apply.
Sources: SciWard project page · information for non-PhDs
SciWard-C6 — The current beta is not fully decentralized
Claim: The current SciWard beta still uses custodial and administrative components. administrative governance remains in place.
Sources: Product Status · SciWard project page
SciWard-C7 — Payment records are on-chain while current payment initiation remains off-chain
Claim: SciWard payment transactions are recorded on-chain, while the current beta still initiates payments through an off-chain Node.js and administrative workflow rather than a fully non-custodial on-chain mechanism.
Sources: Transparency · Product Status
SciWard-C8 — The next proposed evidence milestone is a five-month public adversarial test
Claim: the science-funding project proposes a five-month public adversarial test of SciWard, with $1,000 planned for distribution to eligible funding recipients. The test is a planned evidence milestone and should not be described as already completed or validated.
Sources: Adversarial Testing of SciWard · OSF record · Testing & Evidence
SciWard-C9 — SciWard source code is publicly inspectable
Claim: Source code for the SciWard software is publicly available for inspection in the project’s GitHub repository.
Source: github.com/vporton/meritocracy
SciWard-C10 — SciWard explicitly invites independent external review
Claim: the science-funding project invites independent external assessment of SciWard and states that critical, mixed, or negative conclusions are welcome rather than requiring endorsement of the project.
Sources: Independent Review · Testing & Evidence
Primary project references
- SciWard Project
- Product Status
- Transparency
- Testing & Evidence
- Adversarial Testing of SciWard
- Independent Review
- SciWard source code on GitHub
- OSF record for the adversarial-testing project
Version policy
Material changes to these claims should produce a new version number and date. Older claims should not be silently rewritten when their meaning changes substantially. Corrections should preserve enough history for readers to understand what changed.
Current version: 1.0 · 29 September 2026.
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.