SciFlow Protocol

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. SciFlow provides 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

SciFlow operates as a two-sided marketplace connecting Funders(research sponsors, DAOs, foundations, corporations) with Labs(verified research institutions, independent scientists, university labs).

Before any bounty can be funded, it enters an admin ethics gate. SciFlow uses an OpenClaw-style orchestration layer (harm scan, ethics scan, quality scan) to flag risky proposals and route them for manual approval.

The bounty lifecycle is governed by a rigid state machine implemented using XState. This ensures deterministic transitions and prevents invalid operations.

Each state transition is guarded by conditions that validate the current context. For example, transitioning from funding to bidding requires confirmation that funds have been secured in the escrow contract.

SciFlow supports three payment methods, each with its own escrow implementation:

Every milestone submission includes cryptographic proof anchored on-chain:

1. Lab uploads evidence files (data, protocols, results) to IPFS/Arweave
2. SHA-256 hash of the content is computed client-side
3. Hash is submitted to the milestone evidence contract
4. Funder reviews evidence via the content link
5. 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.

Labs must stake tokens proportional to the bounty value when submitting proposals. This stake serves as collateral for good behavior.

Staking requirements vary by verification tier: Basic (10%), Verified (7%), Trusted (5%), Institutional (3%).

Disputes are handled through a three-stage process:

1. Negotiation (7 days) - Direct communication between parties
2. Mediation (14 days) - Platform-facilitated resolution
3. Arbitration (21 days) - Binding decision by expert panel

Arbitrators are selected from a pool of verified domain experts who stake tokens to participate. Their decisions can result in full or partial fund release, stake slashing, or bounty cancellation with refund.

SciFlow charges a 2.5% platform fee on successful bounty completions. Fee structure:

• • 1.5% to platform treasury for operations
• • 0.5% to staking rewards pool
• • 0.5% to dispute resolution reserve

Labs receive 97.5% of the bounty value upon milestone approvals. Funders pay the full bounty amount plus any applicable payment processor fees.

SciFlow is built on a modern tech stack:

• • Frontend: Next.js 16, React, Tailwind CSS
• • State Machine: XState for bounty lifecycle management
• • Backend: Supabase (PostgreSQL) with Row-Level Security
• • Blockchain: Solana (Anchor) and Base (Solidity)
• • Storage: IPFS/Arweave for evidence files

SciFlow will progressively decentralize governance through a DAO structure:

• • Q1 2026: Platform launch with centralized operations
• • Q2 2026: Introduce staking and reputation system
• • Q3 2026: Launch arbitrator network
• • Q4 2026: Transition to DAO governance