The next DeSci Round on Gitcoin:

During the last Gitcoin Beta Rounds, the DeSci (Decentralized Science) community conducted the first-ever community-run featured round on the new Grants Stack and Allo Protocol. Now the DeSci community is joining forces again for managing a new Round in Q1 2024.

As outlined in the DeSci Round playbook, we distributed responsibilities among community leaders.

For the upcoming Round these responsibilities include:

• Stewardship Election - Leader: Maria Freitas/ Lana Ugrcic
• Fundraising - Leader: Manuel Olariu/ Rod Mamin/ Swift Evo
• Co-Marketing - Leader: Unknown / Alexandre/ Lana Ugrcic/ Oksana Stanevic
• Partnerships - Leader: Manuel Olariu/ Lana Ugrcic/ Tomislav Mamic

Because we still have $15K available in the DeSci multisig, we are looking to raise an additional $10K to make this an official Gitcoin Featured Round in Q1 2024.

How Did We Conduct DeSci During the Gitcoin Beta?

Setup:

• As a paid contributor in the Gitcoin Public Goods Funding (PGF) workstream, Boris Dyakov took the lead to organize the DeSci community to run a grants round during the Beta Rounds.
• A telegram group was established to govern this program, and seeded through invitations shared across all known online DeSci community spaces (telegram groups and discord servers)
• An onchain election using the Jokerace platform was established to elect an additional 4 round operators (termed Round Stewards) from the DeSci community.
• In addition to $50,000 in funding (from Gnosis Chain) previously obtained by PGF for a future DeSci round, $25,000 from MoonDAO and $10,000 from Greenpill China was raised for this round (all amounts in DAI)

Role of Round Operator:

• Boris had a deep understanding of the grants program and its operations through his role in the Gitcoin PGF workstream

Pre-Round Preparations:

• Eligibility criteria were developed based on the GR15 DeSci round and adjusted with community input via public telegram discussions.
• A 5/7 multisig was setup with the five round stewards and two Gitcoin PGF workstream leads as signers. Funds were transferred to this account.
• Grantees were onboarded via Twitter and our network into our DeSci Telegram group for further communication.
• A Twitter account was set up for DeSci Round Operations.
• We coordinated with leading DeSci projects for co-marketing and promotion of the grant round, and we continuously engaged the community for feedback.
• Project applications were reviewed prior to the start of the round.

During the Round:

• We marketed the round with committed co-marketing, proactive outreach and content marketing via all channels.
• We onboard both Grantees through our networks and Twitter and Donors via other like-minded Gitcoin Rounds like Climate Round.

Post-Round Activities:

• Over the following weeks, Boris carried out Sybil (fraud detection) analysis, after which we completed matching pool payouts.
• No KYC process was required as no projects met the minimum threshold for KYC.
• We maintained open communications with the grantees and broader community through the telegram group.
• Note 1: due to a miscommunication about funding the matching pool (via the Allo protocol and Grants Stack frontend) we only funded the round with 75,000 DAI. As such, we have 10,000 DAI in the multisig for a future round.
• Note 2: we also included a DeSci Grant Round Operations project within the round. As such, we raised an additional ~$4000 for future round operations. The use of this funding is to be decided on by the community—either for incentivizing future round operators, paying for operational costs (hiring a team for sybil analysis?), or for additional matching funds.

What Were the Achievements from the Last DeSci Round?

Strategic Planning and Organization

The DeSci Round Operators, elected as stewards by the community in an on-chain vote, played a pivotal role in defining, launching, and managing the round. They spearheaded the strategic planning and organization of the entire grants round, ensuring that it aligns with the principles of open science and advances the growth of decentralized scientific knowledge on the Web3 stack. In collaboration with the community, they defined eligibility criteria for this round. We believe that the many hours dedicated to this round by the round operators has helped establish a stronger self-directed DeSci ecosystem where rounds are run by the community, for the community.

Community Engagement and Outreach

The DeSci Round Operators engaged the Gitcoin community and beyond. They passionately spread awareness about the grants round, emphasizing the importance of decentralized science and its potential to address many of the problems which plague modern science. They actively sought out diverse voices, reaching out to researchers, developers, and enthusiasts worldwide, encouraging them to participate and contribute their unique ideas and skills to the cause. By fostering a strong community bond, they created an environment that nurtured innovation; collaboration in the realm of Decentralized Science, Regenerative Finance and Decentralized Space ecosystems.

Grant Evaluation and Selection

Tasked with reviewing submitted projects and ensuring adherence to the eligibility criteria and quality of submissions, the DeSci Round Operators diligently evaluated the submitted applications. They applied their expertise and extensive knowledge to ensure the selection process was fair, equitable, and aligned with the core principles of the Decentralized Science Grants Round. As part of the payout process, the DeSci round operators will be publishing a summary of the review process for transparency and to help future round stewards better define eligibility criteria and conduct reviews.

1. Approved: 65 projects
2. Rejected: 18 projects

Grant Management and Support

Beyond the selection process, the DeSci Round Operators continued to play an active role in managing and supporting the grantees. By moderating a dedicated telegram channel for the community, they ensured the DeSci grantees were able to have their questions and concerns answered directly by the Operators team. They provided guidance and mentorship, to grant recipients all along the grant application process, helping them navigate the challenges of using the beta version of the grants stack. By offering ongoing support, they aimed to ensure that every voice within the community felt heard.

Facilitating the DeSci Round

The DeSci Round Operators played a crucial role in finalizing a suitable grants round with the matching pool funds available from MoonDAO, GreenPill China, and previous DeSci sponsors. They meticulously worked to create an environment that encouraged generous contributions to support the Decentralized Science Grants Round view on Etherscan. By monitoring the donation process, they ensured that all stakeholders had a tangible impact on empowering decentralized science projects and fostering collaborative endeavors within the community. The funds were managed through this multisig.

Co-Marketing and Community Activation

The DeSci Round Operators actively engaged in co-marketing efforts to amplify the visibility and reach of the DeSci Grants Round. They collaborated with various partners, to conduct announcements, AMAs, and social media campaigns. By leveraging these channels, they effectively spread the word about the grants round, attracting a diverse range of researchers, developers, and enthusiasts to participate and contribute their expertise.

1. Est. Donations Made: $18,689.71
2. Matching Funds Available: 75000.0 DAI
3. Unique Contributors: 267
4. Number of Contributions: 1,042

So, What’s Next for DeSci on Gitcoin?

We're aiming to scout potential DeSci stewards, in collaboration with the community, by the end of the year, with the final election taking place at the beginning of January. At the same time, we're looking to raise funds to fill the shortfall of $10K to make this an official Gitcoin Featured Round, with a matching fund totaling $25K.

While coordinating outreach for public-private partnerships, we are also planning a variety of co-marketing events and approaching leading DeSci organizations for amplified reach.

Hopefully, we’ll make the next DeSci Round a success, supporting the entire DeSci ecosystem for the benefit of all!

We sincerely appreciate every dollar that supports this cause.