Ethereum Foundation Academic Grants Program

They welcome proposals across a wide range of disciplines, including Economics & Game Theory, Theoretical and Applied Cryptography, Consensus and Protocol Design, Networking & P2P, Client Engineering, Security, Formal Verification, and the Humanities. Through this effort, they aim to empower researchers to explore new frontiers and deliver impactful work that propels Ethereum forward.

They are seeking proposals that not only align with their wishlist but also introduce fresh perspectives and innovative approaches. They encourage researchers to take inspiration from the wishlist while thinking creatively about how their work can make meaningful contributions to the Ethereum ecosystem.

Funding Information

• This grant round has $2M in total available funds.
• They envision projects to take between 6 to 12 months, however, they are open to some flexibility depending on the project proposal.

Eligibility Criteria

• Projects must produce formal academic research
• Research output must be open-access with a free and permissive license

Ineligibility Criteria

• Anything that is not legal within the jurisdiction where the work is taking place
• Financial products and services (trading platforms, investment products, stablecoins, lending or betting platforms, etc.)
• Art projects or social impact projects that don’t fit within the scope of this round
• Projects requesting retroactive funding
• Projects with a planned token launch or public funding round

Selection Criteria

• Applications are selected for funding on a case-by-case basis. You may submit more than one application as long as each proposal is unique and meets the requirements and goals of this round. Submissions will be reviewed using the following considerations. Note: depending on the proposal, some criteria might not be applicable:
  • Impact of the proposed research output
  • Quality of work and experience of the research team
  • Clarity, conciseness, and organization of the proposal
  • Contribution to the wishlist areas
  • Potential of long-term involvement in the Ethereum ecosystem
  • Analyses of visualizations that help a non-technical audience gain insight into the research

Application Requirements

• All applications must have a written proposal in PDF format
  • Proposals must be in English
  • Proposals must include a detailed description, budget, and timeline for the proposed scope of work
  • Proposals must include an applicant profile
  • Proposals must include a public repository or link to published work
• Here is a template for a proposal
• Ideas and projects at any stage of development are welcome:
  • Idea phase
  • Proof-of-concept
  • Work in progress
  • Fleshed out project
• Applications are open to individuals, teams, and organizations. Individual researchers with academic backgrounds, research centers, universities, think-tanks, educators and other stakeholders interested in Ethereum research
• Undergraduate researchers will require a postdoctoral advisor
• Applications are selected for funding on a case-by-case basis. You may submit more than one application as long as each proposal is unique and meets the requirements and goals of this round
• Decisions will be emailed 6 weeks after the application deadline.

For more information, visit Ethereum Foundation.