Decentralized Science

• Graph of the DeSci landscape at https://www.vincentweisser.com/uploads/decentralized-science-landscape.jpg

Description

Ethereum:

"Decentralized science (DeSci) is a movement that aims to build public infrastructure for funding, creating, reviewing, crediting, storing, and disseminating scientific knowledge fairly and equitably using the Web3 stack.

DeSci aims to create an ecosystem where scientists are incentivized to openly share their research and receive credit for their work while allowing anyone to access and contribute to the research easily. DeSci works off the idea that scientific knowledge should be accessible to everyone and that the process of scientific research should be transparent. DeSci is creating a more decentralized and distributed scientific research model, making it more resistant to censorship and control by central authorities. DeSci hopes to create an environment where new and unconventional ideas can flourish by decentralizing access to funding, scientific tools, and communication channels.

Decentralized science allows for more diverse funding sources (from DAOs, quadratic donations to crowdfunding and more), more accessible access data and methods, and by providing incentives for reproducibility."

(https://ethereum.org/en/desci/)

Characteristics

Source: ethereum.org/en/desci/

Decentralized science vs Traditional science

Distribution of funds is determined by the public using mechanisms such as quadratic donations or DAOs. <> Small, closed, centralized groups control the distribution of funds.

You collaborate with peers from all over the globe in dynamic teams. <> Funding organizations and home institutions limit your collaborations.

Funding decisions are made online and transparently. New funding mechanisms are explored. <> Funding decisions are made with a long turnaround time and limited transparency. Few funding mechanisms exist.

Sharing laboratory services is made easier and more transparent using Web3 primitives. <> Sharing laboratory resources is often slow and opaque.

New models for publishing can be developed that use Web3 primitives for trust, transparency and universal access. <> You publish through established pathways frequently acknowledged as inefficient, biased and exploitative.

You can earn tokens and reputation for peer-reviewing work. <> Your peer-review work is unpaid, benefiting for-profit publishers.

You own the intellectual property (IP) you generate and distribute it according to transparent terms. <> Your home institution owns the IP you generate. Access to the IP is not transparent.

Sharing all of the research, including the data from unsuccessful efforts, by having all steps on-chain. <> Publication bias means that researchers are more likely to share experiments that had successful results."