Earlier this month, I attended the DeSci.Berlin 2025 Conference at Molecule HQ, where scientists, blockchain developers, and investors gathered to examine how scientific research might evolve in the Web3 environment. DeSci (short for decentralised science) aims to make scientific data, publications, and funding more accessible, transparent, and equitable by leveraging decentralised ledger technologies, smart contracts, and community-driven mechanisms, notably decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs).
Community-led DAOs, powered by smart contracts and running on blockchains, aim at being core infrastructure components of the DeSci ecosystem. Their goal is to effectively coordinate scientific activities, suggesting new possibilities for how research initiatives might be funded, structured and managed. Examples of DAOs in the DeSci ecosystem are Molecule, an open-source platform for research-related IP, VitaDAO, funding research in longevity, HairDAO offering hair loss treatment, Curetopia attempting to eradicate rare genetic diseases, or ValleyDAO, offering funding for synthetic biology research. See this article by Weidener and Spreckelsen for a broader landscape of the DeSci ecosystem (as of September 2023).
While the Berlin conference covered many important aspects of DeSci, an idea that struck was that data is still the most undervalued asset in decentralised science; yet, it remains the driver of scientific progress. While traditional scientific data practices often involve centralised databases and/or repositories, DeSci initiatives opt for secure sharing of data through smart contracts, which define access rules, ownership rights, and conditions for data usage.
The Data DAO in Web3
Among many inspiring talks, such as that of Ed Boyden’s on stimulating the brain in computer software, and many other investor panels, one presentation highly relevant to our work was that of Sergii Mikhtoniuk and the work behind Kamu Data. Sergii is building what we see as one of the most promising examples of a data collaborative for DeSci. Sergii started the presentation by addressing the anomaly of data reuse, or what we refer to as data asymmetries leading to a ‘data winter’. Sergiis' presentation raised important points on the need to build a collaborative data economy and highlighted the importance of data in DeSci. Kamu Data is building a global collaborative data processing network by transforming data into a ledger, maintaining publisher accountability and maximizing trust. The datasets provided by publishers are registered on the network and each publisher maintains complete ownership and control over the datasets. The data is then processed, but it can always be traced back to its initial source; regardless of processing frequency. In sum, Kamu Data aims to solve the challenges of research data management and enable sharing and reuse of scientific data. At The Data Tank, we believe that creating trusted data reuse environments majorly contributes to a fair and responsible data economy. It was encouraging to hear someone directly confronting the challenges of ethical reuse, data trust, and long-term utility.
The Missing Puzzle Piece: DAOs and Data Stewardship
In our view, DAOs can be seen as sociotechnical systems where individuals and communities leverage digital infrastructure for a common purpose, sharing principles of collaboration and collective decision-making. In line with our definition, data stewardship represents functions and competencies to enable access to and re-use of data for public benefit in a systematic, sustainable, and responsible way. The data stewardship concept is deeply rooted in data collaboration and in enabling cross-sectoral data reuse. We see data stewards embedded in both the supply and demand sides of data.
DAO-governed data stewardship communities could also offer a promising avenue for DeSci. A potential solution could involve a DAO driven and governed by a community of active data stewards who would push for data-driven collective decisions while enabling access to their data for public good. Alternatively, a data stewardship DAO could simulate a data and AI sandboxing environment for Web3 and help with commercialising sandboxed ideas. In any case, by focusing on community-driven data governance and by incentivising data sharing, these DAOs could accelerate scientific discovery and unlock new commercial opportunities in the Web3 space.
The Future of Science or a Parallel Universe?
The DeSci.Berlin 2025 conference raised many important points about a potential future for scientific advancement. It is also worth noting that DAO investors are actively seeking to invest in promising DAOs. In addition, many biotech DAOs also got to share their stories, and some of them managed to commercialise their products faster than traditional biotech companies could – such as HairDAO. On top of this, many pharmaceutical corporations are increasingly investing in biotech DAOs, becoming strategic partners rather than competitors, for example – VitaDao.
DeSci initiatives can provide opportunities to leverage decentralised tools for enhanced data management, promote open access to research, and foster broader public engagement in scientific endeavours. All this said, a few questions remain open: Is DeSci the future of science or a parallel universe? Would a data stewardship DAO contribute towards that future? Can participatory methods and community led initiatives learn from this emerging and rapidly evolving field, positively disrupting the market?
If you’re interested to learn more about our work and have these discussions, reach us out at comms@datatank.org.
Acknowledgments:
I would like to thank Dr. Marta Poblet Balcell for her insightful feedback on the blog draft and for providing valuable resources.
