DeSci: how does it help in empowering scientists?

According to classical economic theory, scientific progress plays a vital role in the flourishing of the economy. It drives innovation, productivity, competitiveness, job creation, and quality of life, all of which are critical for economic growth and prosperity.

On the other hand there are several bottlenecks for scientists to make progress and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their fields:

1. Funding: securing sufficient funding for research can be a major challenge, especially for early-career researchers or those working in fields that are not considered a priority by funding agencies.
2. Access to resources: researchers may face barriers to accessing necessary resources such as data, equipment, or expertise.
3. Publication bias: the tendency for journals to prefer publishing positive or novel findings can lead to a bias in the scientific literature, making it difficult to get research that does not support a particular hypothesis published.
4. Time and effort: the scientific process can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, and researchers may face competing demands on their time and energy.
5. Communication and collaboration: it can be challenging for researchers to communicate and collaborate effectively, especially if they are located in different countries or institutions.
6. Reproducibility and replicability: ensuring the reproducibility and replicability of research findings is critical for the validity and reliability of scientific knowledge, but it can be difficult to achieve in practice.
7. Regulation and bureaucracy: researchers may face regulatory and bureaucratic barriers that can slow down the research process or prevent certain types of research from being conducted.

How can modern technology be utilized for empowering scientific research and enhancing capabilities for scientists to keep doing their job better?

As a sample, modern technologies such as machine learning and data analytics can help scientists to analyze and interpret large datasets, enabling them to extract insights and make discoveries that would be difficult or impossible using traditional methods. Cloud computing and distributed computing platforms can provide scientists with access to vast amounts of computing power, allowing them to perform complex simulations and analyses that would be impractical using traditional computing resources. Online collaboration platforms and tools can help scientists to share data, collaborate on projects, and communicate with colleagues in real-time, regardless of their location. We can see that modern technology actually can help with accessing resources and data processing.

And what is about funding? Backing sufficient funding for research can be a real challenge. And one of the approaches for solving it is decentralized science or DeSci.

What is DeSci? Generally speaking, it is a framework for conducting and organizing scientific research in a decentralized manner, using decentralized technologies such as blockchain and distributed computing. The goals of decentralized science are to:

1. Increase transparency and accountability in the scientific process: decentralized systems can help to ensure that data and results are transparent, traceable, and verifiable, which can help to reduce the risk of misconduct and improve the credibility of research findings.
2. Promote collaboration and sharing of knowledge: decentralized systems can facilitate the sharing of data, resources, and expertise among researchers, regardless of their geographical location or institutional affiliation. This can help to break down barriers to collaboration and accelerate the pace of scientific discovery.
3. Empower individuals and communities: decentralized systems can enable individuals and communities to participate in and contribute to scientific research, even if they are outside the traditional scientific establishment. This can help to democratize the scientific process and increase diversity in research.
4. Enhance reproducibility and replicability: decentralized systems can help to ensure that research findings are reproducible and replicable, which is critical for the validity and reliability of scientific knowledge.
5. Democratize fundraising process via tokens offering procedure and aggregating opportunities of private investors.

Overall, the goals of decentralized science are to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness of the scientific enterprise, and to ensure that the benefits of scientific research are shared widely. And it’s one of the present-day and fashionable approaches to develop new capabilities and industries, enhance people’s health and improve the efficiency and productivity of businesses.