We will apply the funds to the costs associated with research and development around open source. We are a community and do not fundraise, so we work off actual expenses. Since the area of cryptoeconomics is an unexplored field, contributions such as definitions, frameworks, and analysis of new mechanisms can be helpful. There are two types of research

- Basic research: exploring mechanism design, proving the basic properties of new mechanisms and their limitations, defining basic concepts, and clarifying their relevance.

- Applied Research / R&D: focuses on practical problem solving. We develop new mechanisms, analyze and improve existing mechanisms, design implementations, and verify robustness through simulation.

Our policy is to focus on applied research and to collaborate with Academics on fundamental research; R&D should be problem-setting based on the challenges Ethereum faces and provide timely solutions.

Due to Ethereum's open research environment and permissionless nature, we will be structured to enable an unprecedented level of collaboration among people from different backgrounds, including fundamental researchers, applied researchers, developers, and the community. This approach will capture problem solving from both theoretical and empirical perspectives.

Our current efforts can be viewed at any time on our web page.