What is DeSci Tokyo?

DeSci Tokyo, which started in 2023, is an exploratory organization aimed at addressing systemic challenges in the Japanese science ecosystem. Here’s a detailed summary of what DeSci Tokyo is and its goals:

Overview:

Purpose:

DeSci Tokyo seeks to tackle key issues in the Japanese science landscape, including declining research quality, a reduced number of Ph.D. holders, and inadequate technology transfer processes and introduce DeSci Tokyo and our vision for inventing new forms of science.

Vision:

The organization envisions transforming traditional scientific practices by introducing innovative approaches to research and data management. Site: https://desci-tokyo.jp/

2023

In 2023, we hosted three social meetups and wrote multiple articles including an academic paper.

Meetups

• DeSci Labs with Dr.Hill
• Scisets with Dr. Hsia
• AthenaDAO

Articles:

Impact Citations

https://mirror.xyz/hirotaiyohamada.eth/4kc5T0_aQU4BsUfFJC9eER1jF6h80oj4mjBHvJFmHOw

Emerging Trends in Decentralized Science (DeSci) in Japan

https://mirror.xyz/hirotaiyohamada.eth/3rNTPZLm3mRIysZ8tVvYwE5uP8aPp5N4L2egEzgtJP0

Hamada, 2024. A novel ecosystem by decentralized

science: Roles of DeSci.Tokyo. INFOSTA, 74 (3). https://doi.org/10.18919/jkg.74.3_86

We organized one of the largest DeSci conferences in the world and raising over * $ 50K * by crowdfunding and sponsorships. https://academist-cf.com/projects/290/progresses/3607?lang=en

2024

In 2024, we co-hosted a large conference, Funding the Commons Tokyo,in Shibuya, Japan.

Funding the Commons

What is Funding the Commons?

The Funding the Commons explores innovative funding models for supporting public goods and shared resources, also known as "commons." It highlights sustainable and equitable approaches, such as decentralized finance and community-driven initiatives, to address the challenges of funding common-pool resources. It hosts multiple international conferences to bring together experts and stakeholders to discuss and advance these funding models.

What was Funding the Commons Tokyo?

Funding the Commons Tokyo is a conference focusing on innovative funding models for regenerating public goods and common even though we have been facing challenges such as declining population.

Day 1:

The conference opens with talks on decentralized science and emerging technologies. Key topics include funding for deeptech, AI democratization using Web3, and lab automation. The afternoon covers Japan's economic strategy, academic metrics, and the intersection between science and citizenship. The day ends with discussions on decentralizing research and DeSci DAO architecture.

Day 2:

The focus shifts to digital public goods and institutional innovations. Day 2 highlights digital public goods accelerators, quadratic funding experiments in Japan, and blockchain solutions for social good. The afternoon covers topics like East Asia's population decline, AI in governance, and funding digital infrastructure. The conference concludes with talks on AI-Commerce alignment and designing for plurality, featuring speakers like Audrey Tang and Glen Weyl. This day emphasizes practical applications in governance, community building, and future technologies.

Speakers:

• ​Audrey Tang (Plurality.net)
• ​Glen Weyl (Plurality Institute)
• ​Aya Miyaguchi (Ethereum Foundation)
• Cheeky Gorilla (Protocol Guild)
• ​Ryota Kanai (Araya Inc.)
• Ken Suzuki (Smart News Inc.)
• Hiro Hamada (Araya Inc.)
• Gus Domel (Boost VC)
• Yusuke Obinata (Polkadot)
• Cheryl Ng (UNICEF)
• Masaaki Taira (the House of Representatives in Japan)

​Previous conferences included public goods thought-leaders such as Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum), Juan Benet (Protocol Labs), Kevin Owocki (Gitcoin), Karl Floersch (Optimism), Sarah Horowitz (Freelancers Union), Jaan Tallinn (Skype, Future of Life Institute & Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, CSER, at Cambridge University), Isabela Fernandes (Tor Project), Tom Kalil (Schmidt Ventures), and many more.

Funding Practice in Japan

Dig DAO Matching Donation Project: Innovating Digital Public Goods Funding The Dig DAO, a Web3 research group spun off from Japan's Digital Agency, is exploring new approaches to public goods and individual contribution visibility. Led by prominent figures like Joi Ito and Hal Seki, the group is running various projects, including the Dig DAO Matching Donation initiative. This project, with funding provided by DeSci Tokyo, utilizes Quadratic Funding (QF) to distribute resources to digital public goods. QF is a mechanism that allocates funds based on the number of contributors and the amount of donations, rather than just the amount of donations. This approach aims to better reflect citizens’ preferences and fund projects backed by broader communities. The Dig DAO Matching Donation project finished its first round, with an initial funding pool of ¥100,000provided by DeSci Tokyo. 18Japanese civic-tech projects joined, and the initiative is open to any public-interest project seeking to experiment with this new funding model.

DeSci Tokyo supports this initiative because:

1. It aligns with their mission to explore new research ecosystems and support methods.
2. It represents a middle ground between direct citizen funding and indirect distribution by experts or bureaucrats.
3. It allows citizens to directly support research they find meaningful.

The experiment is expected to reveal challenges, provide opportunities for social experimentation reflection, and increase understanding of its significance among a wider audience. More details: https://www.digdao.jp/en/

Future Practices in Decentralized Science (DeSci)

DeSci Tokyo is advancing the concept of decentralized science beyond traditional blockchain-based approaches. It redefines DeSci through three main perspectives: governance, infrastructure, and ecosystem.

• Decentralization in governance involves distributing decision-making power among diverse individuals rather than centralizing it.
• Decentralization in infrastructure focuses on dispersing data, intellectual property, and AI models across a broader network rather than centralizing them in specific institutions.
• Decentralization in the ecosystem emphasizes the coexistence of various independent players and institutes with unique goals and methodologies.

This broader perspective acknowledges that while blockchain can support decentralized systems, it's not a prerequisite for DeSci. Alternatives like IPFS and quadratic funding, which do not rely on blockchain, exemplify this. DeSci Tokyo aims to foster this inclusive vision by supporting smaller research groups, enhancing decentralized infrastructure for knowledge and IP sharing, and stimulating new research models. Our roadmap includes hosting conferences/meetups, experimenting with quadratic funding, and releasing a whitepaper by mid-2025. See our details : https://mirror.xyz/0xBc5CBb9ED745dAc0F9f125a4d178804EA6e2373a/oUnJj1_jtBwaiCdH7PP0g12C3Xqzf0J0kq-MrWQ91fI

Help us in this round to proceed this movement in Japan for the rest of 2024 and our future!!! Additionally, to keep you updated, please follow our X!