Frontier Registry: Open Science Implementation Tool

Frontier Registry aligns well with the Gitcoin OSS grant's objectives and requirements, particularly in its innovative application of blockchain technology to address challenges in scientific research and open science implementation. The project's focus on data provenance, IP authentication, and promoting open collaboration while protecting individual researchers' rights, is particularly noteworthy.

Github READ.ME file

Project Overview

Frontier Registry is an innovative research infrastructure tool designed to support STEM research and researchers by facilitating data provenance and intellectual property (IP) authentication. Our platform leverages blockchain technology and AI to create a transparent, immutable, and accessible ecosystem for scientific research. FAIR - findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable - research principles are our defining framework.

Project Landing Page with 2’ Video can be found here

Current MVP

Key Features

• Blockchain-based smart contracts for immutable and transparent data and IP traceability
• Integration with and enhancement of the direct object identifier system (persistent object identifiers)
• IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) for decentralized storage
• AI integrations for enhanced provenance and accessibility using learning engineering methodologies (in development)

Alignment with Gitcoin Grant Objectives

Open-Source Principles

• MIT license for the current MVP iteration
• GitHub repository

Novel Utility and Unmet Needs

• Addresses the critical need for IP traceability and data provenance in scientific research
• Promotes open, accessible collaboration while protecting individual researchers' IP rights

Target Areas

• Educational Tool: Facilitates understanding and implementation of open science practices
• Social Impact: Leverages Web3 technology to promote collaborative and transparent scientific research

User-Centric Design and Functionality

• Intuitive interface for researchers to manage data and IP authentication
• Seamless integration of blockchain technology into existing research workflows

Ecosystem Growth

• Introduces blockchain and IPFS technologies to the scientific research community
• Expands the Web3 community by bridging the gap between blockchain and academia

Innovation in Application

• Novel application of blockchain technology for scientific research data management and IP protection
• Integration of AI for enhanced data provenance and accessibility

Project Goals

• Uplevel the existing MVP with advanced functionalities, including AI integrations
• Employ Learning Engineering methodologies for UX improvements
• Expand user base within the global research community
• Facilitate faster, more transparent, and collaborative scientific discoveries

Business Model

• Enterprise and government-level licensing with per-user variables
• Freemium and subscription plans for individual users
• Sliding scale pricing for users in economically disadvantaged regions

Impact on Scientific Research

• Addresses bottlenecks in research publication and accessibility
• Provides the necessary research infrastructure for #OpenScience compliance
• Protects individual researchers' IP rights while promoting open collaboration
• Enhances reproducibility and transparency in scientific research
• Provides traceability for AI-generated research, addressing potential ethical concerns

TEAM

• Paige Donner, Founder

Paige is an active member of the wider Gitcoin community and has been a steward for Gitcoin since 2023. She has been building Frontier Registry since 2021 and is one of the original DeSci projects. This will be the first time she submitted for an OSS GG round. Paige participates regularly in the UNESCO Open Science Working Groups since 2021. She has earned her NASA TOPS (Transform to Open Science) Badge which can be viewed at her ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9843-9596

Paige was a featured speaker and workshop presenter on DeSci and Frontier Registry at ETHCC 2023. Links to the workshop video, slides and presentations are available on the above ORCID site.

LinkedIN

• Toru Ichikawa, Lead Developer

Toru is a seasoned FullStack developer as well as AI/ML engineer. He is fluent in RUST as well as Solidity. His full profile page with all links to portfolio and socials is here: Toru Ichikawa Portfolio Page He is listed as Lead Dev in our Github Repo ‘Soroban Smart Contracts’

Recent Activity

July 2024 - Stellar Kickstart Bootcamp - Successfully Completed

August 2024 - SCF Kickstart Funding - 6 Week build phase for Soroban smart contract integration

October 2024 - Shortlisted for grants (still pending) for AI:ML integration and mainnet deployment

Past Milestones:

April 2024 - Shortlisted for DARPA (defense advanced research projects agency) Adult Tools Workforce Development Challenge

ETHCC 2023 - Chosen for ETHVC Track

January 2023 - First MVP published and released with Mumbai testnet integration

How Frontier Registry Addresses Gitcoin's Objectives

• Freedom: Protects individual liberties by authenticating IP ownership and data provenance
• Fairness: Promotes inclusivity and diversity in access to and benefits from AI-enabled services in research
• Open Source: Fully committed to open-source principles, allowing for community contributions and improvements
• Innovation: Applies blockchain and AI technologies to solve critical issues in scientific research infrastructure

In GG22 OSS Frontier Registry will be use any funds raised and matched from the Gitcoin OSS QF community impactfully and responsibly. The community will be investing in a project that not only aligns with its core objectives but also has the potential to revolutionize how scientific research is conducted, shared, and authenticated in the Web3 era.

Frontier Registry dApp

More Project Background:

Frontier Registry is a research infrastructure tool for Open Science implementation. Its focus is to support STEM research and researchers by allowing them ease of functionality for Data Provenance and Intellectual Property authentication.

The main features and functionalities are that it is built using smart contracts and deployed on a blockchain so that there is immutable yet transparent traceability both for data and IP. It acts as a publicly accessible registry and builds on the direct object identifier system (persistent object identifier) in that it adds blockchain transaction hash traceability and IPFS (interplanetary file sharing) data pointers. Its current and most updated MVP iteration has an MIT license github repo. The original release of January 2023 still has a private repo, both held under the same account owner on Github (Paige Donner).

#The project's current focus is to uplevel the existing MVP with more functionalities which also include AI integrations.

Two Minute Explainer Video

Further details about Frontier Registry and how it meets the grant eligibility requirements:

*FrontierRegistry is the science publishing data management platform we’ve built to Alpha release that integrates blockchain technology for IP traceability, and AI for provenance and accessibility.

• With catalytic scientific research innovation tools like AI, quantum computing (such as the one used at Oak Ridge Federal Lab in Tennessee and El Capitan at Lawrence Livermore Labs), and Machine Learning, we believe that innovations in STEM research, especially of these transformative technologies like fusion energy and biopharmaceuticals, will come much more rapidly.

BUT, we must have the research infrastructure - the systems - in place that allow for Fairness - open, accessible collaboration and thus rapid-fire iterations and improvements, while also protecting Freedom - the ‘Lego Building Blocks’ of individual researchers’ Intellectual Property.

Frontier Registry - protects Freedom of scientific research by providing the necessary infrastructure to authenticate provenance and ownership of Intellectual Property. In this way it addresses the SFF objective for Freedom: Ensuring the continuation of other individual liberties such as privacy, private property, and freedom of association.

Frontier Registry - provides for Fairness of scientific research and collaboration by providing a means for open access *to and of *research and the implementation of Open Science through accessibility of data. By facilitating open information sharing, the tool provides the levers of accessibility for underserved and underrepresented populations within the global research community both during the research process and once the data is produced and released for review. In this way, Frontier Registry addresses the SFF Fairness objective: Fostering and demanding inclusivity and diversity of representation in access to AI technologies, and benefits from AI-enabled services.

When these issues, as well as the politicization of funding sources and agendas for pre-ordained research outcomes, are systems engineered against and de-risked, will we have a global scientific research culture that allows for transformative technologies, such as fusion energy, to take its rightful place on this planet and be used for the good of all and not just the enrichment and enjoyment of a few.

We must also responsibly, and with enforceable commitment, leverage against the ‘extinction level event’ that general artificial intelligence could impose on humanity. ‘The most dangerous thing you can do with AI is to let it write code,’ is a line from the Doc, Don’t Look Up. So what happens when AI is unleashed on a large scale into scientific research practices?

FrontierRegistry is positioned as a tool that has responsibility and ethical conduct engineered into its structure. At a minimum, it allows for traceability, transparency and reproducibility of research including whether, if and when that research is AI generated.

With FrontierRegistry, our open source, on-chain platform for scientific and engineering data provenance, research and IP authentication, we are providing the solution to bottlenecked research getting published in a timely and accessible way, while still protecting individual researchers’ IP rights.

FrontierRegistry’s business model is for licensing at enterprise and government level with per user variables. For individual users we offer Freemium and subscription plans on a sliding scale, for users who might be in economically disadvantaged regions.

Summary: How Frontier Registry aligns with the Gitcoin grant's objectives and requirements:

1. Open-Source Principles and Project Activity:

   • Frontier Registry has an MIT license GitHub repo for its current MVP iteration, which satisfies the open-source licensing requirement.
   • The project has been active since at least January 2023, indicating established development activity.

2. dApps & Apps Objective Alignment:

   • Frontier Registry offers a novel utility by integrating blockchain technology for IP traceability and AI for provenance and accessibility in scientific research.
   • It addresses unmet needs within the ecosystem by providing infrastructure for data provenance and IP authentication in STEM research.

3. Target Areas for Funding:

   • Educational and Onboarding Tools: Frontier Registry can be seen as an educational tool that helps researchers understand and implement open science practices.
   • Social Impact Applications: The project leverages Web3 technology for social good by promoting open, accessible collaboration in scientific research.

4. Round Specific Criteria:

   • User-Centric Design and Functionality: Frontier Registry focuses on practical utility within the Web3 space for researchers. It offers simple sign-in functionality so that non-blockchain native users interact with a friendly,efficient tool.

   • Contribution to Ecosystem Growth: The project contributes to expanding the Web3 community by introducing blockchain and IPFS technologies to the scientific research community. Frontier Registry democratizes access to research, indirectly contributing to financial inclusion in the research community.

   • Innovation in Application Use Cases: Frontier Registry demonstrates a novel use case by applying blockchain technology to scientific research data management and IP protection.

5. General Eligibility:

   • The project adheres to ethical conduct and legal compliance standards.
   • It promotes inclusivity by providing accessibility for underserved and underrepresented populations within the global research community.

You can also check us out on Giveth

For any further information, please contact Paige Donner @paigedonner or on LinkedIN