Decentralized Science (DeSci) uses blockchain to democratize research, boost transparency, and foster global scientific collaboration.
DeSci is a loose term used to describe different scenarios where blockchain is used to facilitate or enhance the process of scientific research and discovery. Traditional processes in areas such as funding, publication, and peer-review are often highly centralized to a small number of institutions and publications. This creates several challenges.
Challenges with established processes of scientific research
An issue particularly prevalent in biomedical science is the so-called “valley of death.” Used in reference to funding, it describes the point between academic research and clinical development, where even significant findings may become lost if there is no funding for development. While funding can come from various sources, including private investors or grants from academic institutions or governments, opportunities are often limited, and competition is high.
Data can also be a challenge. Research generates vast amounts of data, but discoverability between projects can be challenging due to a complex system of data repositories that are cumbersome, requiring some understanding of copyrights and IP licensing. Data integrity is also paramount, and there is often no way of knowing whether data has been preserved or has been changed or manipulated.
The accessibility of research is also an issue due to the small number of journals and research publications that operate in a relatively closed system. Researchers and peer reviewers typically receive little to no compensation for work that successfully passes the high publication bar.
Researchers often face high fees to publish their work in open-access journals. Otherwise, access to their research is restricted to those affiliated with institutions that hold expensive licenses, creating a financial barrier for many.
As such, research tends to be readily available only to a relatively small group of people in academia. Finally, funding tends to be prioritized for scientists with established reputations, as measured by the number of published papers and citations. This system creates a virtual closed loop that risks missing important opportunities for innovation.
Decentralized Science – blockchain solutions
DeSci proposes several solutions that can help to alleviate these challenges.
Funding DAOs
Decentralized autonomous organizations (AOs) have been identified as a solution for crowdfunding research or development in areas that may otherwise be unable to obtain investment. The DAO operates in a similar way to other types of funding DAO, where members contribute funds in return for governance tokens representing voting rights over fund distribution.
Examples of DeSci funding DAOs include VitaDAO, AthenaDAO, and HairDAO. VitaDAO focuses on longevity research, AthenaDAO raises funds for research into women’s health, and HairDAO supports projects that address hair loss.
On-chain knowledge
Using blockchain to store scientific data, discussions, and research can help to make it more open and accessible, as well as better align incentives for participants, encouraging widespread participation. On-chain research platforms use a native token to reward contributors who upload papers or carry out peer reviews.
ResearchHub, a self-described “GitHub for science,” is an example of an on-chain DeSci data and knowledge platform based on Ethereum.
IP-NFTs
IP-NFTs are non-fungible tokens representing a piece of intellectual property. In the context of DeSci, this could be a research paper, dataset, or patent. The IP is linked to an NFT, which contains smart contracts governing the terms of ownership and transfer.
One use case is a research agreement between a sponsor (who funds the research) and the researcher or institute. The IP-NFT can encode the terms of the agreement for the production of the research, and using this medium can help facilitate future transfer of the IP and further development.
Molecule Protocol is one example of a DeSci project focusing on IP-NFTs.
Challenges with DeSci
Although DeSci offers several novel solutions to challenges in the scientific research process, it also comes with several challenges and limitations.
On-chain storage
On-chain storage capacity is still a significant limitation across the blockchain ecosystem. Storing large amounts of scientific data on-chain could quickly get expensive. However, the ongoing development of solutions such as data availability layers could help to increase capacity and lower costs.
Legal and compliance issues
DeSci solutions must be compliant with established rules around data privacy and sharing to gain adoption among the scientific research community. Provisions such as an individual’s right to have their data erased may not be compatible with the immutable nature of a blockchain.
Further, on-chain smart contracts can only enforce what’s possible in a blockchain environment, which does not extend to full legal remedy in the event of an IP breach. Therefore, DeSci projects need to address how their solution fits into real-world scenarios that arise in the process of scientific research.
DAO governance at scale
Decentralized governance is still relatively untested at scale. With a larger number of participants, it becomes more challenging to keep voters engaged as the value of their vote becomes diluted. Issues such as governance attacks by majority token holders may need to be mitigated through token ownership rules.
A nascent segment
DeSci is still a very nascent segment with only a relatively small handful of projects in production. Therefore, many solutions need to be further tested and developed before the concepts become truly viable alternatives to existing centralized processes.
Decentralized science essentials
- Decentralized science or DeSci describes projects and platforms that use blockchain in scientific research.
- DeSci aims to address legacy challenges, including barriers to funding, data sharing, and research accessibility, among others.
- Solutions emerging from DeSci include funding DAOs, on-chain knowledge platforms, and NFTs representing intellectual property.