{"id":23415,"date":"2026-02-18T17:21:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T17:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/?p=23415"},"modified":"2026-07-03T07:06:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T07:06:48","slug":"how-do-daos-fund-scientific-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/how-do-daos-fund-scientific-research\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do DAOs Fund Scientific Research?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"scien-903269854\" class=\"scien-before-content scien-entity-placement\"><style>\r\n.amazon-support-link {\r\n    display: inline-flex;\r\n    align-items: baseline;\r\n    gap: 0.3rem;\r\n    padding: 0.35rem 0.55rem;\r\n    color: inherit;\r\n    font-size: 0.88rem;\r\n    line-height: 1.2;\r\n    text-decoration: none;\r\n    opacity: 0.72;\r\n    white-space: nowrap;\r\n    transition: opacity 0.2s ease;\r\n}\r\n\r\n.amazon-support-link:hover,\r\n.amazon-support-link:focus-visible {\r\n    opacity: 1;\r\n    text-decoration: underline;\r\n}\r\n\r\n.amazon-support-link small {\r\n    font-size: 0.65rem;\r\n    opacity: 0.7;\r\n}\r\n\r\n@media (max-width: 900px) {\r\n    .amazon-support-link small {\r\n        display: none;\r\n    }\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<a class=\"amazon-support-link\"\r\n   href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/?tag=vpf04-20\"\r\n   target=\"_blank\"\r\n   rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\"\r\n   aria-label=\"Shop on Amazon and support World Science DAO\">\r\n    Shop on Amazon <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2197<\/span>\r\n    <small>affiliate link<\/small>\r\n<\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) fund scientific research by combining blockchain infrastructure, collective governance, and programmable capital allocation. Unlike traditional grant systems, DAO funding is transparent, global, and community-directed. \ud83d\udd2c<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/how-do-daos-fund-scientific-research\/#Treasury_Formation\" >Treasury Formation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/how-do-daos-fund-scientific-research\/#Proposal_and_Voting_Mechanism\" >Proposal and Voting Mechanism<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/how-do-daos-fund-scientific-research\/#Milestone-Based_Funding\" >Milestone-Based Funding<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/how-do-daos-fund-scientific-research\/#Token_Incentives_and_IP_Models\" >Token Incentives and IP Models<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/how-do-daos-fund-scientific-research\/#Transparency_and_Global_Access\" >Transparency and Global Access<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Treasury_Formation\"><\/span>Treasury Formation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A science-focused DAO (often called a Research DAO) builds its treasury through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Token sales<\/strong> (governance or utility tokens)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Direct donations<\/strong> in crypto or stablecoins<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NFT issuance<\/strong> tied to research IP<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Protocol revenue streams<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Funds are stored in smart contracts on blockchains such as Ethereum, ensuring that treasury movements are publicly auditable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Proposal_and_Voting_Mechanism\"><\/span>Proposal and Voting Mechanism<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers submit funding proposals detailing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Research objectives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Budget breakdown<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Milestones<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Deliverables (e.g., datasets, preprints, patents)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Token holders review and vote. Governance models vary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>One-token-one-vote<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quadratic voting<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delegated governance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If approved, smart contracts release funds automatically\u2014either upfront or milestone-based. This reduces administrative friction compared to institutional grants. \u2699\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Milestone-Based_Funding\"><\/span>Milestone-Based Funding<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many DAOs implement <strong>tranche-based disbursement<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Initial seed funding<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Proof-of-progress review<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Subsequent release upon verification<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verification can occur via peer review, on-chain attestations, or community audits. This aligns incentives and mitigates misuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Token_Incentives_and_IP_Models\"><\/span>Token Incentives and IP Models<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some DAOs tokenize research outputs through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>IP-NFTs<\/strong> (intellectual property NFTs)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Revenue-sharing tokens<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Licensing mechanisms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This model allows contributors and early supporters to benefit from downstream commercialization while keeping governance decentralized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Transparency_and_Global_Access\"><\/span>Transparency and Global Access<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All transactions, votes, and treasury balances are visible on-chain. Researchers worldwide\u2014regardless of institutional affiliation\u2014can apply. This lowers barriers for independent scientists and interdisciplinary projects. \ud83c\udf0d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In summary, DAOs fund scientific research through tokenized treasuries, smart contract\u2013based governance, milestone accountability, and open global participation\u2014restructuring how scientific capital is allocated.<\/p>\n<div id=\"scien-1023495740\" class=\"scien-after-content scien-entity-placement\"><section>\r\n\r\n<h2>Support Independent Science<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Supporting independent science is not only a matter of fairness to researchers whose expertise and work are often underfunded. It is also essential for addressing <a href=\"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/who-are-science-marketers\/\">systemic failures in scientific publishing<\/a> that delay discoveries and leave important results unnoticed. In science and software, even one missing component can prevent an entire system from working.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Help valuable research and open-source infrastructure move forward.<\/strong> Please <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/donation\/\">make a donation<\/a><\/strong> to support <a href=\"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/amateur-scientists\/\">independent scientists<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/free-software\/\">free software developers<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\n\t\tOur flagship product is <a href=\"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/meritocracy\/\">AI Internet-Meritocracy<\/a> - an app, that unlike universities distributes money directly to researchers and open source developers, without bureaucracy.\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/section><\/div><div id=\"scien-2013499181\" class=\"scien-after-content-2 scien-entity-placement\"><div data-nosnippet style=\"max-width: 800px\">\r\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0\">Ads:<\/p>\r\n<style>\r\n    \/* Compact Table Styling *\/\r\n    .amazon-ad-table {\r\n        width: 100%;\r\n        max-width: 800px;\r\n        border-collapse: collapse;\r\n        margin: 10px auto;\r\n        font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\r\n        border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\r\n    }\r\n    .amazon-ad-table th {\r\n        background-color: #f3f3f3;\r\n        padding: 8px;\r\n        text-align: left;\r\n        border-bottom: 2px solid #ddd;\r\n        font-size: 0.9em;\r\n    }\r\n    .amazon-ad-table td {\r\n        padding: 8px 5px;\r\n        border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\r\n        vertical-align: middle;\r\n    }\r\n    \/* Column sizing *\/\r\n    .col-image { width: 15%; 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Buying kits supports this ecosystem.<\/p>\r\n            <\/td>\r\n            <td class=\"col-action\">\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s?k=raspberry+pi+4+starter+kit&tag=vpf04-20\" class=\"amazon-button\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">View Options<\/a>\r\n            <\/td>\r\n        <\/tr>\r\n\r\n        <tr>\r\n            <td class=\"col-desc\">\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0596002874?tag=vpf04-20\" class=\"product-title\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade<\/a>\r\n                <div class=\"product-author\">by Sam Williams<\/div>\r\n                <p class=\"product-blurb\">A detailed history of the free software movement, essential reading for understanding the philosophy behind open source.<\/p>\r\n            <\/td>\r\n            <td class=\"col-action\">\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0596002874?tag=vpf04-20\" class=\"amazon-button\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Check Price<\/a>\r\n            <\/td>\r\n        <\/tr>\r\n    <\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div class=\"affiliate-disclosure\">\r\n    <p>As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases resulting from links on this page.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) fund scientific research by combining blockchain infrastructure, collective governance, and programmable capital allocation. Unlike traditional grant systems, DAO funding is transparent, global, and community-directed. \ud83d\udd2c Treasury [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23415"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23416,"href":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23415\/revisions\/23416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/science-dao.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}