We are revolutionizing science funding and publishing through decentralized governance, ensuring critical basic research is supported and made accessible (that's effective altruism).
We are revolutionizing science funding and publishing through decentralized governance, ensuring critical basic research is supported and made accessible (that's effective altruism).
DeSci, short for Decentralized Science, is a movement that applies blockchain and Web3 technologies to scientific research and publishing. Its goal is to make science more open, transparent, and collaborative by reducing the control of traditional institutions over funding, peer review, and access to data.
Blockchain ensures transparency, security, and decentralization by recording data on an immutable public ledger. It enables trust without intermediaries, automates transactions through smart contracts, and provides global, tamper-proof access—making systems more efficient and fair.
The article argues that blockchain is more than a financial tool: it is an ethical invention that makes promises visible and verifiable by encoding agreements into immutable, transparent processes. This shifts trust from individuals to trustworthy processes and enables new forms of structural virtue. Read more.
Blockchain records commitments and data on a transparent ledger where the code enforces fidelity, reducing reliance on personal reputation or virtue and instead making honesty programmable through process. Learn more.
Blockchain can act as a universal, immutable library of verified research and experimental records so discoveries are not lost, hidden, or falsified, improving reproducibility and long-term knowledge preservation. More details.
‘Code = Covenant’ means that blockchain contracts are modern covenants: mathematical, immutable promises recorded in code rather than fragile paper, making justice a property of structure rather than only aspiration. Learn more.
Structural virtue refers to fairness and ethical behavior enforced by system design (rules, code, transparent ledgers) rather than relying solely on individual moral character. Blockchain enables structural virtue by embedding norms into processes. More info.
Blockchains can monitor and verify carbon commitments in real time, track emissions or offsets, and automatically reward verified environmental actions rather than just declarations. See the article for context.
By contributing to blockchain projects focused on science, ethics, and education; joining decentralized communities that prioritize transparency; and supporting organizations like Science DAO through donations. Get involved.
Yes—by automating power distribution and encoding rules into smart contracts, blockchain can make dishonest manipulation more difficult and reduce opportunities for corruption by design. Further explanation.
You can donate to Science DAO to help build moral and scientific infrastructure, join their projects or communities, and contribute expertise to blockchain initiatives that prioritize openness and cooperation.
“Fully on-chain” means that all data, logic, and assets of a project or application are stored and executed directly on the blockchain—not on external servers. This ensures maximum transparency, permanence, and decentralization, since everything runs under blockchain rules without relying on third-party systems.
It is planned to use fully on-chain for our money distribution projects.
Octant
A Golem Foundation–backed platform for public goods funding. Uses GLM (Golem token) and is focused on participatory grant rounds. Reddit+2Reddit+2
Lock GLM to get voting power and influence how funds are distributed. Reddit+1
Good for Web3-native, governance-based funding experiments.
CLR.Fund
Known for applying quadratic funding (QF), the same core mechanism that Gitcoin uses to match small donations more heavily. Gate.com
More modular: you can build custom matching pools / grant mechanisms.
Giveth
A Web3-focused donation and grant platform. While not exactly the same as Gitcoin Grants, it supports funding public-good crypto projects, DAOs, social impact projects. (Not always QF-based, but very mission-aligned.)
Liberapay
A non-profit platform for recurrent donations. Very good for open-source maintainers, creators, public goods. Wikipedia
Doesn’t take a fee on donations (in many cases), so efficient for sustained support.
Open Collective
More general-purpose, but very good for open source groups, DAOs, communities. Wikipedia
Lets groups create legal “collectives” and receive recurring or one-time funding.
Goteo
A crowdfunding platform, especially for commons, open-source, free knowledge projects. Wikipedia
Allows not only monetary contributions but also “task-based” contributions: community can help via work, not just money.
Pomelo
(Mentioned in some discussions about quadratic funding.) For example: in some blockchain contexts people use Pomelo for QF-style public goods funding. Reddit
More lightweight and flexible than large grant programs; good for small-to-medium public-good initiatives.
Funding Mechanism: Does it support quadratic funding, or is it just regular donation? QF amplifies impact of many small donors.
Token / Crypto vs Fiat: Some platforms accept crypto, others prefer fiat, or both.
Governance: Do donors or “stakeholders” get a say (voting, grant rounds)? Platforms like Octant have locking + governance.
Sustainability: Is there a recurring fund or matching pool? How are funds sourced?
Community / Network: What kind of projects usually get funded there? (OSS, social good, Web3 infra, etc.)