1. Introduction & Problem Statement
Traditional research funding suffers from significant inefficiencies: slow grant processes, lack of accountability, and misaligned incentives between funders and researchers. According to studies, up to 40% of funded research fails to produce reproducible results, yet researchers face little consequence for these failures.
The DeSci (Decentralized Science) movement has emerged to address these issues, but existing solutions often fail to bridge the gap between crypto-native tools and the practical needs of research institutions. SciFlow addresses this by providing a hybrid infrastructure that:
- Connects funders directly with verified research labs
- Implements milestone-based payments that align incentives
- Creates immutable proof of research deliverables
- Supports both fiat and cryptocurrency payments
2. The SciFlow Protocol
SciFlow operates as a two-sided marketplace connecting Funders(research sponsors, DAOs, foundations, corporations) with Labs(verified research institutions, independent scientists, university labs).
Core Protocol Components
Bounty Engine
Protocol definition, milestone specification, bidding system
Escrow Layer
Multi-method fund custody (Stripe, Solana, Base)
Verification System
Lab tiers, reputation scoring, KYC/KYB
Dispute Resolution
3-stage arbitration with stake slashing
3. State Machine Architecture
The bounty lifecycle is governed by a rigid state machine implemented using XState. This ensures deterministic transitions and prevents invalid operations.
Bounty State Transitions
dispute_resolution state can be entered from research or review states
Each state transition is guarded by conditions that validate the current context. For example, transitioning from funding_escrow to bidding requires confirmation that funds have been secured in the escrow contract.
4. Hybrid Payment Infrastructure
SciFlow supports three payment methods, each with its own escrow implementation:
Stripe
PaymentIntent with manual capture. Funds held until milestone approval.
Solana
Anchor program with PDA escrow. Sub-second finality.
Base
ERC20 escrow contract via CREATE2 deterministic deployment.
5. Proof of Research (PoR)
Every milestone submission includes cryptographic proof anchored on-chain:
- Lab uploads evidence files (data, protocols, results) to IPFS/Arweave
- SHA-256 hash of the content is computed client-side
- Hash is submitted to the milestone evidence contract
- Funder reviews evidence via the content link
- Upon approval, hash is permanently recorded with block timestamp
This creates an immutable, timestamped record of research deliverables that can be independently verified by anyone with the content hash.
6. Staking & Slashing Mechanics
Labs must stake tokens proportional to the bounty value when submitting proposals. This stake serves as collateral for good behavior:
Slashing Conditions
- • Data falsification or fabrication
- • Protocol deviation without approval
- • Sample tampering or chain-of-custody violations
- • Repeated missed deadlines without communication
- • Abandonment of research project
Staking requirements vary by verification tier: Basic (10%), Verified (7%), Trusted (5%), Institutional (3%).
Full Whitepaper
The complete whitepaper includes detailed sections on Dispute Resolution, Economic Model, Technical Implementation, and Governance Roadmap.