DeSci Berlin Opening Talk: Paul Kohlhaas

Summary

In this insightful presentation, the speaker explores the intersection of decentralized science (DSci) and Web3 technologies, emphasizing the need for open, collaborative approaches to accelerate scientific progress. Drawing from personal experiences, the speaker discusses the challenges and opportunities in funding and conducting scientific research using decentralized models like DAOs. The goal is to make science more transparent, accessible, and participatory, empowering scientists and communities alike. With an emphasis on innovative models, the speaker envisions a future where research is driven by open collaboration, efficient funding mechanisms, and a strong community-driven approach to solving global challenges.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker's journey into decentralized science (DSi) is atypical, involving biohacking communities and blockchain technology, without a formal scientific background.
• 😀 The main goal of DSi is to accelerate scientific progress and solve humanity's biggest challenges, including curing diseases, addressing aging, understanding the universe, and reversing climate change.
• 😀 DSi aims to make science more open, transparent, and collaborative, providing scientists with ownership and financial autonomy, similar to the open-source software and blockchain movements.
• 😀 A key focus of DSi is to create permissionless science, enabling anyone, regardless of their credentials, to participate and accelerate research.
• 😀 Despite challenges, DSi has made significant strides in funding and supporting innovative research projects, with over 10 bio DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) and 1,000+ research projects funded globally.
• 😀 The space faces cultural divides between web3 and traditional science, and bridging these requires shifting mindsets in both communities about direct-to-consumer research and long-term thinking.
• 😀 Flywheels, mechanisms for self-sustaining ecosystems, are essential to accelerating research. For example, DSi can create models where funding, research, and monetization of IP are continuously cycled back into the system.
• 😀 Web3 technologies, including DAOs and IP tokens, enable open collaboration without compromising commercial viability, which helps to scale research and make it more accessible.
• 😀 One of DSi's challenges is how to translate scientific research into real-world applications quickly, through community feedback loops, direct consumer involvement, and tokenization of research.
• 😀 The speaker envisions a future where scientists spend more time conducting research than fundraising, where patients and communities govern and fund cures directly through DAOs, making science more sustainable and decentralized.

Q & A

What was the speaker's journey into the decentralized science (DSi) space?

The speaker's journey into DSi was unconventional as they were not a scientist by training. They spent time in online biohacking communities as a teenager, which sparked an interest in open collaboration. This experience was later applied in the blockchain and web3 space to accelerate science.

Why does the speaker believe accelerating science is important?

The speaker believes accelerating science is essential to solving humanity's biggest challenges, such as curing diseases, understanding the universe, and addressing climate change. They also want to create more open, transparent, and collaborative ways of conducting research.

What does the speaker mean by 'open science' and 'permissionless science'?

Open science refers to making scientific work transparent, accessible, and collaborative. Permissionless science means that anyone, regardless of their background or affiliation, should have the ability to engage in scientific research and contribute to its advancement.

What are some of the challenges in merging web3 with science?

Merging web3 with science presents challenges due to cultural differences between the two. Scientific progress can take years, whereas the web3 community often emphasizes quick profits. There is also a need for more direct connections between science and the communities it aims to benefit.

What was Molecule's first project and what did it teach them?

Molecule's first project was the funding of psychedelic research at the University of Toronto, focusing on psilocybin. The project raised much less than expected, teaching Molecule the difficulty of catalyzing individuals to fund a single research project and the need for a broader community approach.

What is Vita DAO and how did it contribute to DSi?

Vita DAO is a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that was initiated to fund aging and longevity research. It helped create a community around these research projects and has funded multiple labs and universities globally, helping establish decentralized science (DSi).

What is the current state of DSi, according to the speaker?

Since 2021, DSi has seen massive growth, with over 10 bio-DAOs launched and significant research funding. Despite a downturn in the crypto market, DSi has managed to maintain strong community interest and attract involvement from major web3 figures, with over 50,000 community members and $8 million in research funding.

What are the challenges in accelerating science through DAOs?

One of the challenges is bridging the gap between the long, complex timelines of scientific progress and the fast-paced, profit-driven mindset of web3 communities. Additionally, there is a need to make web3 technologies more usable and long-term-focused to align with the slower pace of scientific research.

What is the role of flywheels in accelerating decentralized science?

Flywheels in DSi serve as self-sustaining loops where funding, research, and monetization of IP feed back into the system, accelerating further research and enabling a continuous cycle of growth. They help create incentives for both scientific contributors and the community to participate and drive research forward.

What does Molecule aim to achieve with IP Tokens (IPTs)?

Molecule aims to use IP Tokens (IPTs) to create early liquidity and price discovery for scientific IP. IPTs enable open collaboration without losing commercial viability and allow for incentivizing reviewers and contributors on an asset-by-asset basis, providing a new model for funding and advancing research.