ZK Grants Round

ZK Grants Round is sponsored by Ethereum Foundation. Supports projects advancing zero-knowledge proofs within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Academic Grants Round | Ethereum Foundation ESP The Ethereum Foundation is sponsoring a wave of grants to support Ethereum-related academic work. This grants round has $2M in total available funds. Proposals are due 23:59 AoE March 24th, 2025 .

All of the details you’ll need to apply can be found below. The Ethereum Foundation is sponsoring a wave of grants to support Ethereum-related academic work. This grants round has $2M in total available funds.

Proposals are due 23:59 AoE March 24th, 2025 . All of the details you’ll need to apply can be found below. Applications for this grant wave are closed.

If you're still interested in pursuing grants for a project, you can still go through our standard applications . The Ethereum Foundation is sponsoring the 2025 Academic Grants Round, a pioneering initiative aimed at empowering and expanding the frontiers of Ethereum-related academic research.

Building on the success of the previous two rounds in 2023 and 2024, this year, we welcome proposals across a wide range of disciplines, including Economics & Game Theory, Theoretical and Applied Cryptography, Consensus and Protocol Design, Networking & P2P, Client Engineering, Security, Formal Verification, and the Humanities .

Through this effort, we aim to empower researchers to explore new frontiers and deliver impactful work that propels Ethereum forward. In 2024, we received an incredible 300 applications, from 25 different countries, highlighting the global academic community’s increasing engagement with Ethereum. The breadth and quality of these submissions were truly impressive.

This year, we aim to build on that success by welcoming even more researchers and institutions from around the world to participate. We are seeking proposals that not only align with our wishlist but also introduce fresh perspectives and innovative approaches. We encourage researchers to take inspiration from the wishlist while thinking creatively about how their work can make meaningful contributions to the Ethereum ecosystem.

Researchers from academic institutions, universities, research centers, think tanks, educators, and other stakeholders with a focus on Ethereum and its ecosystem are invited to apply. Participation is open to everyone—whether as an individual or as part of a team. We welcome research contributions aligned with, but not restricted to, the topics outlined in our wishlist .

All applications must have a written proposal in PDF format Proposals must be in English Proposals must include a detailed description, budget, and timeline for the proposed scope of work Proposals must include an applicant profile Proposals must include a public repository or link to published work Here is a template for a proposal Ideas and projects at any stage of development are welcome: Applications are open to individuals, teams, and organizations.

Individual researchers with academic backgrounds, research centers, universities, think-tanks, educators and other stakeholders interested in Ethereum research Undergraduate researchers will require a postdoctoral advisor Applications are selected for funding on a case-by-case basis.

You may submit more than one application as long as each proposal is unique and meets the requirements and goals of this round Decisions will be emailed 6 weeks after the application deadline The application window opens for 6 weeks from Monday, January 20th, 2025 and closes on Monday, March 24th, 2025.

Projects must produce formal academic research Research output must be open-access with a free and permissive license Anything that is not legal within the jurisdiction where the work is taking place Financial products and services (trading platforms, investment products, stablecoins, lending or betting platforms, etc.) Art projects or social impact projects that don’t fit within the scope of this round Projects requesting retroactive funding Projects with a planned token launch or public funding round Applications are selected for funding on a case-by-case basis.

You may submit more than one application as long as each proposal is unique and meets the requirements and goals of this round. Submissions will be reviewed using the following considerations.

Note: depending on the proposal, some criteria might not be applicable: Impact of the proposed research output Quality of work and experience of the research team Clarity, conciseness, and organization of the proposal Contribution to the wishlist areas Potential of long-term involvement in the Ethereum ecosystem Analyses of visualizations that help a non-technical audience gain insight into the research The Ethereum Foundation is interested in research and academic output in the following domain areas, but don't let this restrict your creativity.

Check out our wishlist . Surprise us with your creativity! For any general support questions about your submission, please email academic-grants@ethereum.

org . Frequently asked questions Does the Ethereum Foundation have an Indirect Costs Policy? ESP has an indirect costs policy for Academic Grants .

Who can submit proposals for Academic Grants Round? Academic institutions, consortia of universities, research centres, universities, think-tanks and individuals with prior research experience. What makes for a good proposal?

In short, we need enough information to understand your goals, the research problem you're aiming to tackle, the academic output, information on previous research work, who's involved and estimation regarding time and budget. The more details you provide, the more likely we'll be able to help. Clearly showing the research area you're digging into.

Outlining the output. Is it a research paper or lab work that will culminate in an experimental report? Clearly stating the impact your research will have and how you foresee your findings being used by the Ethereum community.

Detailed description of your project, milestones, the people involved and how much time you think it will take to complete. What stage does my idea or project need to be in? If you have a follow-up idea of a previous research you conducted or if your research is aligned with the wishlist domains, we want to hear about it!

The goal is to advance knowledge that pushes the Ethereum ecosystem forward. What should the output be? We are aiming to receive academic and formal research outputs, be it a research paper, an experimental report or some sort of comprehensive research output.

Whatever the output, the information should be open-source and available for the broader community to use. The Intellectual Property can still be owned by the research team, but it is key that the output is open source. What is the budget available for this round?

This grants round has up to $1. 5 Million in total, which is to be distributed among selected projects. What is the expected duration of the research project?

We envision projects to take between 6 to 12 months, however, we are open to some flexibility depending on the project proposal. Are applications evaluated on a rolling basis or at the end of the deadline? Project submission will be evaluated after the deadline, and contact will be made with each applicant to inform them about the evaluation outcome.

What if I miss the deadline? We encourage you to submit an inquiry for support through the Ecosystem Support Program. The Ethereum Foundation has a general grants initiative called the Ecosystem Support Program (ESP) .

If you miss the deadline for this dedicated round of grants, but have a proposal that advances the Ethereum ecosystem, we encourage you to book an appointment for ESP's Office Hours .