The Transformative Power of Decentralized Open Science: The Mission and Vision of DeSci Sino

In the wave of rapid development of blockchain technology, Decentralization Open Science (DeSci) is gradually emerging as an innovative force. DeSci Sino, as a representative DeSci organization in the Chinese-speaking community, is leading the deep integration of scientific research and Web3 technology with its unique mission and diverse team.

In this interview, Dr. Qi Baowen, a council member of DeSci Sino, shares with us the development history, technological breakthroughs, and future vision of DeSci Sino. From research funding and data sharing to community governance and international cooperation, how does DeSci Sino address the pain points of the traditional scientific system? And how does it inject innovative vitality into the Chinese-speaking community through Decentralization science? Let us step into this wonderful dialogue together to understand the challenges and opportunities of DeSci, as well as the unique role of the Chinese-speaking community in the global DeSci ecosystem.

DeSci Sino Introduction

Dr. Qi Baowen is a member of the second board of DeSci Sino, primarily responsible for BD and outreach work. He holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacy from the University of Montreal, Canada, and has served as a researcher at the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan and Harvard Medical School in the United States. He is also a mentor for industry at Sichuan University, a visiting professor at Shenzhen University, and the president of the Canadian branch of the Association of Chinese Biomedical Technology in the United States.

DeSci Sino is a Web3.0 community dedicated to promoting Decentralization open science in the Chinese-speaking community. Since its establishment in 2024, the DeSci Sino community has rapidly developed, attracting members from diverse backgrounds, including scientists, Web3.0 developers, legal experts, investors, and educators. Through a series of online activities and offline gatherings, DeSci Sino has played an important role in enhancing public understanding of science and DeSci, as well as advancing the global DeSci movement.

The DeSci Sino team is primarily composed of a council, project groups, and members. The council consists of ten members responsible for coordinating, addressing complex issues, and formulating long-term strategies. Project groups are established according to professional fields or tasks, such as scientific research, technology development, community promotion, etc. Nearly a thousand members participate in community building, and all members can submit proposals, which after preliminary screening enter the voting phase, ensuring broad participation from the community.

Decentralization Technology in the Field of Science

DeSci Sino focuses on the application and development of Decentralization technology in the scientific field, mainly including the following aspects:

1. Research Funding and Innovation: Through blockchain's smart contracts, funds can be directly allocated to specific research projects, reducing the interference of intermediary institutions. Researchers can tokenize project outcomes and receive corresponding rewards, thus attracting more people to participate in research and driving technological innovation.

2. Open Data and Sharing: Utilizing the immutability and transparency of blockchain to promote the open sharing of scientific data. Decentralization technology enables researchers to share sensitive information such as clinical trial data and genomic data, while ensuring privacy and data security through encryption technology.

3. Academic Publishing and Peer Review: The application of blockchain technology in academic publishing and peer review has brought profound changes to scientific communication. It reduces publisher monopolies, allowing research results to be published instantly and recorded on the blockchain, ensuring originality and transparency. The review process is made transparent to prevent academic misconduct, establishing a more trustworthy and open research ecosystem.

Data Sharing and Protection

DeSci Sino is incubating projects that address issues related to data sharing and protection. For example, using Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) technology for data privacy and intellectual property protection. FHE allows computations to be performed directly on encrypted data without decrypting it, thereby ensuring that data privacy is always protected during processing.

The application scenarios of FHE include:

1. Analyze patient medical data to study diseases without disclosing patient privacy.
2. Different research institutions need to collaborate and share data, but there are trust issues between them.
3. Provide computing power for the Decentralization computing platform while protecting the privacy of data contributors.

Using FHE can facilitate research collaboration across institutions and borders, allowing different entities to share data in a secure environment. By combining FHE with blockchain, Decentralization identity, smart contracts, and other technologies, a complete decentralized scientific computing and data management platform can be built.

Challenges Facing DeSci

The main challenges faced by DeSci in practical advancement include:

1. Unstable funding sources: Open science may undermine the economic incentives of the traditional research funding system.

2. The Credibility and Quality Control of Scientific Data: In an open scientific environment, the lack of quality audits may lead to the spread of pseudoscience, data errors, or low-quality research.

3. Technical and Infrastructure Limitations: The public and some scientists have a limited understanding of Decentralization technology, hindering its use and adoption.

4. Challenges of Community Governance and Trust: The interests of scientists, the public, businesses, and funders may conflict.

5. Legal and Ethical Issues: The sharing of sensitive data may pose risks of privacy breaches, and how to protect scientists' inventions and patents in an open environment is also a challenge.

Acceptance of the Chinese-speaking community and the promotion strategy of DeSci Sino

The acceptance of DeSci in the Chinese-speaking community is closely related to the academic background, professional fields, and understanding of blockchain technology among community members. Younger scholars and professionals who are sensitive to new technologies tend to have a higher acceptance, but some individuals are skeptical about the complexity of blockchain technology and its prospects for application in scientific research.

DeSci Sino has adopted the following strategies to expand its influence:

1. By disseminating bilingual content in Chinese and English, it makes it easier for non-native English-speaking Chinese communities to understand and participate.

2. Organize online lectures and workshops, inviting industry experts, researchers, and technology developers to share their experiences.

3. Co-host offline salons, hackathons, and tech innovation forums to build a bridge between researchers and Web3 developers.

4. Create educational materials for beginners, including the principles of Decentralization science, application cases, and practical guides on how to participate.

5. Hold themed forums at top universities such as Peking University and the University of Hong Kong to promote young researchers' preliminary understanding of DeSci.

Advantages of International Cooperation and the Chinese-speaking Community

DeSci Sino actively participates in international DeSci conferences and forums, sharing the achievements and experiences of the Chinese-speaking community. At the same time, it establishes connections with internationally renowned DeSci project parties to jointly explore decentralized models in fields such as research funding and drug development.

The advantages of the Chinese-speaking community in the global DeSci perspective include:

1. A large group of researchers and engineers, especially in the fields of life sciences, materials science, and artificial intelligence.

2. National-level scientific research funding and innovation policies have provided support for the rapid development of science and technology.

3. The research data resources and sample quantities in China and other Chinese-speaking regions are vast, possessing irreplaceable value for researchers worldwide.

4. The deep cooperative relationship between enterprises and universities provides a solid foundation for the transformation of research and industrialization.

5. The Chinese-speaking community is one of the largest Web3 user markets in the world, with a high level of acceptance of blockchain technology.

However, the Chinese-speaking community also faces some challenges, such as regulatory uncertainty, differences in intellectual property protection and data security laws, as well as the inertia of traditional research systems.

Future Outlook of DeSci Sino

Looking ahead to 2025, DeSci Sino has set the following development goals:

1. Member scale and community building: Strive to achieve a 50% increase in community members by the end of 2025, enhance the activity level of community members, and launch multi-language support.

2. Education and Promotion: Collaborate with universities and research training institutions to develop DeSci-related courses and教材, and create an online platform focused on DeSci education.

3. Brand Building: Enhance the global recognition of DeSci Sino in the research community and become an important participant in the global Decentralization research ecosystem.

4. Sustainable Development and Funding: Explore decentralized fundraising models, design and launch independent decentralized economic models.

Through these efforts, DeSci Sino is committed to becoming an important force in driving innovation and transformation in the global research field for the Chinese-speaking community.