Publications and Research
Document Type
Working Paper
Publication Date
Summer 8-15-2017
Abstract
Scientific funding within the academy is an often complicated affair involving disparate and competing interests. Private universities, for instance, are vastly outpacing public institutions in garnering large, prestigious grants. Inequities also extend to the kinds of research funded, with government, corporate, and even military interests privileging certain types of inquiry.This work proposes an innovative type of research fund using cryptocurrencies, a fast growing asset class. Although not a total funding solution, staking coins, specifically, can be strategically invested in to yield compound interest. These coins use central hub technology to collateralise the network and speed transaction pace. Additionally. These staking coins pay dividends to hub holders, so an institution that purchases central hubs could potentially engage in a lucrative form of dividend reinvestment. Using cryptocurrencies as a new funding stream, it is possible that simply garnering large amounts of capital and creating a non-profit “institute” could also be the future of funding scientific research. A perfect example is the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, a “sandbox” that doesn’t require specific goals for continual funding. It is no doubt that consortiums for scientific research akin to Parker’s are the future, a future that crypto investment funds can help to bring about.
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