DeSci: The trillion-dollar knowledge economy reconstruction revolution of scientific democratization

1. Industry Background and Current Situation Analysis

1.1 Overview of DeSci

Every technological revolution reshapes the organization of production factors. The emergence of blockchain technology has achieved "trust automation" for the first time through mathematical protocols, making on-chain confirmation of intellectual property, decentralized circulation of data assets, and value distribution dominated by smart contracts possible. Through the on-chain storage of knowledge and data, DeSci( decentralized science) is leading a disruptive paradigm revolution in technology, attempting to liberate science from the closed ivory tower, and the underlying logic of human production relations is undergoing a paradigm-level leap.

Previously, the DeSci sector experienced a wave of heat in the secondary market, which has now gradually cooled down. In the previous wave, it was a manifestation of anticipated finance, appearing in the form of Memecoins, but we cannot deny the DeSci sector because of this. On the contrary, we should conduct an in-depth analysis at this moment to understand the real value behind DeSci and its future impact on the shift in technological paradigms.

The core concept of DeSci includes the following key aspects:

1. Incentive Mechanism: Reshaping the Distribution of Research Value

DeSci has fundamentally changed the value distribution model in traditional research by introducing a blockchain-based incentive system. Researchers can gain academic recognition and economic rewards through token economics, NFT papers, or reputation systems, which not only encourages the wide sharing of knowledge but also provides new avenues for the monetization of research outcomes.

2. Decentralization: Restructuring the Power Structure of Scientific Research

In traditional research models, funding allocation and result evaluation are often controlled by a few centralized institutions, leading to uneven resource distribution and limited innovation. DeSci democratizes resource distribution through community-driven models such as DAOs(, decentralizing power to the research community.

3. Lowering the threshold for scientific research: Promoting the democratization of research

DeSci has significantly lowered the participation threshold for scientific research through decentralized infrastructure ) such as open data platforms, distributed computing resources, etc. (. Whether they are researchers from developing countries, independent scientists, or citizen scientists, they can equally access global scientific research resources and contribute.

4. Data Transparency: Rebuilding the Academic Trust System

The traceability feature of blockchain technology provides a technical guarantee for the transparency and verifiability of research data. From experimental design to data collection and then to the publication of results, every link can be recorded and publicly verified. This can effectively curb academic misconduct and enhance public trust in scientific research.

The essence of DeSci is a return to the nature of science------science should be a common wealth of all humanity, not the exclusive domain of a few institutions or elites. In the traditional research model, the creation and dissemination of knowledge are controlled by layers of intermediaries, causing science to gradually deviate from its original intention of openness and collaboration. DeSci attempts to break down these barriers through technological means, allowing science to return to its decentralized essence. It is not only a technological innovation but also a revolution in scientific philosophy.

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)# 1.2 The Essential Differences Between DeSci and Traditional Scientific Research Systems

1.2.1 Collaborative Mode: From Fragmentation and Confrontation to Organic Coordination

The traditional research system presents a typical "triangular fragmentation" structure: funding agencies ###, government/enterprises (, and the scientific community form a closed loop of interests, yet lack a value alignment mechanism.

• Funding bodies often evaluate research output through short-term KPIs, forcing scientists to pursue "publishable results" rather than addressing substantive issues;

• Scientists have to invest a lot of energy in project applications and compliance processes to secure continuous funding, rather than in-depth research;

• Publishers monopolize academic dissemination channels, charging exorbitant subscription fees ), while the global research publishing market generates annual revenues exceeding 19 billion USD (, without providing reasonable returns to knowledge producers.

This fragmentation leads to over 30% of global research funding being wasted each year, approximately $60 billion, on duplicative research or experiments that cannot be reproduced. DeSci reconstructs the tripartite relationship through a smart contract-driven collaborative framework:

• Funders can pool funds through the DAO and set long-term goals such as "anti-aging" ), with the community voting to decide resource allocation;

• Scientists receive token rewards for their contributions in data, open-source code, or experimental replication, with economic returns directly linked to actual value creation;

• The role of publishers is replaced by NFT papers and decentralized storage, reducing the cost of knowledge dissemination by over 90%.

(## 1.2.2 Crossing the "Valley of Death": From Linear Break to Closed Loop Acceleration

The traditional "valley of death" phenomenon in the transformation of industry-university-research essentially stems from the dysfunction of the knowledge transfer system: basic research ) papers ( → application development ) patents ### → commercial transformation ( products ) is led by different entities at each stage and lacks an incentive mechanism for connection. For example, the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) invests $45 billion each year, yet only 0.4% of basic research results enter clinical trial phases; the core issue lies in: pharmaceutical companies lock experimental data to protect trade secrets, leading to repeated trial and error ( costing $2.6 billion per drug ) just in the preclinical research stage; at the same time, venture capital tends to favor later-stage mature projects, making it difficult for early breakthrough research to gain support.

DeSci aims to break the barriers of benefit distribution in traditional scientific research by introducing blockchain and Web3 technologies, promoting more efficient scientific collaboration. Unlike the island attributes of traditional models, DeSci enables deeper collaboration among funders, scientists, and publishers through decentralized mechanisms, addressing issues of funding, data sharing, and transparency of research results. DeSci constructs a transformation accelerator through technological-economic paradigm innovation:

• Technology IP Tokenization: For example, the Molecule platform converts drug development intellectual property into IP-NFTs, allowing investors to purchase rights in segments. Research shows that this method shortens the financing cycle for early-stage biopharmaceutical projects by 60%;

• Data Liquidity: Platforms like Ocean Protocol establish data trading markets, allowing researchers to securely share data and gain profits through privacy computing technology, with over 20PB of biomedical data already on-chain.

• Community Support Mechanism: VitaDAO utilizes a "research-development-commercialization" three-stage token distribution model, allowing foundational researchers to continue receiving a 5%-15% ongoing share through smart contracts after a drug is launched, creating a closed-loop incentive.

• Efficient Fund Allocation: Through DAO and tokenized economic models, DeSci provides transparent and efficient funding support, avoiding resource waste. For example, VitaDAO funds anti-aging research through DAO and supports 24 projects.

• Decentralized Publishing: DeSci changes the way research results are produced and disseminated, ensuring transparency and verifiability of results through blockchain technology, reducing publishing costs, and diminishing the monopolistic influence of traditional publishers.

• Ownership of Research Achievements and Transparent Review: The immutability of blockchain ensures the ownership of research achievements, while smart contracts record the review process, enhancing review transparency and ensuring fairness and efficiency in research.

Overall, DeSci promotes the transparency, efficiency, and collaboration of scientific research through decentralized technology, addressing various shortcomings of traditional research models. It not only changes the funding distribution, data sharing, and publication processes, but also accelerates the transformation of research results through community collaboration, promoting a more open and inclusive science and creating a more promising research environment.

(## 1.2.3 Value Distribution: From Centralized Extraction to Ecological Win-Win

In traditional systems, scientific research value is monopolized by a few centralized nodes:

• The gross margin of publisher Elsevier has long maintained at 37%, far exceeding that of tech giants like Apple )24%(;

• The processing fee for a single paper in the top journal "Nature" can be as high as $11,390, yet 97% of reviewers work for free;

• Pharmaceutical giants rely on patent barriers to obtain exorbitant profits ). The average net profit margin of the top ten pharmaceutical companies globally is 18.7% ###, while original discoverers are often marginalized.

In contrast, DeSci reconstructs allocation logic through programmable value streams:

• Contribution Quantification: Utilizing on-chain reputation systems like DeSci Labs' Karma score ( to convert behaviors such as paper citations, code submissions, and experimental replications into tradable credit assets;

• Dynamic Allocation: Smart contracts automatically allocate profits. For example, the BioDAO project injects 30% of patent income into the community treasury, distributes 45% to researchers based on contributions, and rewards early investors with 25%;

• Long-tail activation: African scientists share laboratory equipment through LabDAO, reducing research costs by 70%, and securing global funding support through data contributions.

The difference between DeSci and traditional scientific research is not only an upgrade of technical tools but also a reconstruction of production relationships. When scientific breakthroughs are no longer constrained by institutional boundaries, geographical limitations, or power rent-seeking, humanity may enter a new era of "collective intelligence explosion." Just as the GitHub open-source community gave rise to ChatGPT, the collaborative innovation of millions of researchers in the DeSci ecosystem may solve complex problems that a single country or enterprise cannot tackle in the next decade, such as therapies for Alzheimer's disease or controlled nuclear fusion ). The ultimate goal of this transformation is to return science to its purest essence: evidence-based, open sharing, and serving the well-being of all humanity.

(# 1.3 Market Size and Key Participants

)## 1.3.1 Market Size

Currently, the market size of the DeSci field has approached $1 billion. Although it is still in the early exploration stage, its compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is expected to exceed 35% in the next five years, demonstrating the potential for exponential growth. This growth is not only attributed to the mature application of blockchain technology but also benefits from the pain point of imbalanced global research funding distribution: the traditional research market invests over $200 billion annually, but a large amount of funding is wasted due to bureaucratic processes and inefficient management by centralized institutions. The rise of DeSci is restructuring this landscape: through tokenized incentives, decentralized governance, and open-source collaboration, its market size is expected to exceed $50 billion by 2030, becoming a vertical track in the Web3 field that runs parallel to finance and AI.

The potential of DeSci has attracted dual attention from both the crypto industry and academia. Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has repeatedly emphasized the disruptive significance of DeSci for "open science"; crypto leaders such as CZ, the founder of a trading platform, Arthur Hayes, the co-founder of a trading platform, and Brian Armstrong, the CEO of a trading platform, have endorsed it through investments and support. In addition, top investors like Paradigm co-founder Fred Ehrsam and former CTO of a trading platform Balaji Srinivasan have regarded DeSci as a core direction for "next-generation research infrastructure." Leading VCs such as a16z, Polychain Capital, and Digital Currency Group are also making moves, with biopharmaceutical DAOs like VitaDAO( and decentralized data protocols like Ocean Protocol) becoming key targets for capital investment.

![The Scientific Equity Movement: The Trillion-Dollar Knowledge Economy Reconstruction Revolution]###https://img-cdn.gateio.im/webp-social/moments-a51170741a971745bbc3896ce12161d3.webp###

(## 1.3.2 Main Players

)( 1.3.2.1 Molecule

Molecule was established in 2021 and is a decentralized protocol dedicated to disrupting the traditional biotechnology research and development model. The project aims to create a brand new financing ecosystem for early biological research and innovatively bring biotechnology intellectual property )IP( on-chain, pioneering the concept of IP-NFT, and is hailed as "a certain DEX in the field of biotechnology."

Based on IP-NFT, Molecule has built a marketplace aimed at conversion research, designed to facilitate efficient connections between researchers and funders. On the Molecule Discovery platform, researchers can submit research proposals, and funders can evaluate the proposals and connect with