Buckle up, this is going to be an extremely interesting take on science, future of work, and DAO. More specifically, how scientists can work together in a DAO-structured organization and unlock value they couldn’t otherwise have.

I interviewed my mom who has a Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics. She’s focusing on finding the most optimal rocket engine propellant. I figured, in terms of scientific work, it rarely gets more complicated than that and if she can find virtues in DAO, others can too.

I asked her what the most important things are for continuing her research, and the answer might shock you. It turns out, it doesn’t matter if you are building rockets or selling lemonade, all you need are two ingredients, money and people. Scientific research almost always requires sponsors, typically government, corporations or universities. But there are different caveats associated with where you get your research grants from. Government typically offers grants for all types of research, but application process is often long and bureaucratic. Corporations are usually the most generous when issuing grants, but they limit the scope of research and are after a specific outcome in which they can make more money on the investment. University is a combination of both, but their ability to provide financial support is highly dependent their endowment, which usually has restrictions set in place by the donors on how the money can be spent. Getting research funded is the most important thing for scientists, and the current application process needs a drastic revamp.

In order to apply for a grant, scientists have to carefully prepare a research topic, lay out the budget, find and file to the appropriate sponsors. In addition, most sponsors will require recommendation letters, past research experiences. Validating all the documents results in a long turnaround period generally between one month to six months. Given the grants are often large, meticulous vetting process is warranted. However, there isn’t a shared database for universities, corporations, and governments which means the vetting results are not shared. Scientists don’t often apply for grants from the same organization either, which means lots of time are going to be wasted on vetting the same applicant or doing redundant background checks. Moreover, most background check service providers do not even offer a tailored background check process only for scientists that are designed for fast turnaround. The project reviewers cannot start working until the background checks are cleared. Scientists need a reliable database as lifesaving research cannot be postponed due to administrative inefficiencies!

Such database would have to contain all the information a scientist needs when applying for grants such as diplomas, ID & resume, past application results, published research paper and patents. How do you build such database from scratch? Well, you don’t have to build it from scratch because the infrastructure is already in place. Let’s say you are a scientist at a reputable university. You and your colleagues can register for a DAO, and everyone will receive a founding member NFT. As you start to apply for research grants, you upload all the application information on the blockchain. The smart contract in the DAO then binds this information to you, and it is only viewable upon request for members outside of the DAO. Everything you uploaded on to the blockchain is immutable. Blockchain assumes the role of government and grants legitimacy. Note that the blockchain will not make background check companies go out of business, because their service is still needed when new aspiring scientists join the DAO.

Now let’s move on to how the DAO can help with funding projects and other additional benefits. Most people think of “token” as “money”, or virtual currency, and that’s only partially true. Besides monetary value and fundraising, token is the key that unlocks full potential of a DAO. What I think is still missing from a science DAO is an active and involved public. Typical pharma research sponsors are only willing to invest if there is a sizable market for the drug. Therefore, when you hear an ultra-rare disease is incurable, you really should be thinking if that’s because of lack of sponsors. Priority for scientific research shouldn’t be solely determined by profitability potential because the ultimate beneficiaries of scientific research are ordinary people. For people with ultra-rare diseases, they can contribute financially together to fund research on the diseases that they actually care about the most. Scientists can then apply for grants on that specific disease and hopefully lots of lives will be saved. Another huge benefit is that the people who funded the research can also be part of the research as they provide valuable firsthand data for the research topic itself. Something like this is unimageable in today’s world, but with DAO, it can become a reality. With token ownership, sponsors will also share whatever economic benefits that comes after the research is concluded. Peer-review process can also be drastically improved with scientific DAO. Currently, there is almost no incentive for peer-review process. In a scientific DAO, peer-reviewers will receive token for their service. Sounds simple, but it can solve a problem that has been plaguing the scientific world forever. Already-famous scientists will have their paper peer-reviewed more easily than the less famous ones. In the field of science, experience doesn’t mean everything, and past results certainly won’t guarantee future performance. Incentivizing the entire peer-review process will be like adding fuel to the engine of science.

The purpose of this article isn’t really to advertise for blockchain technology. I sincerely believe DAO can save lives, make our society a better place, and I have demonstrated how it can be done. Our next article will be a deep dive on Vita DAO, which is a scientific DAO searching for the secret of longevity. Science DAO is a proven concept, and I can’t wait to tell you guys about it.