Financial Sustainability and Funding Mechanisms

Ensuring financial sustainability is crucial for a community dedicated to publishing scientific articles and promoting decentralized science. Besides tokens offerings, below follows other possible funding mechanisms and strategies:

1. Membership Fees: Implement a membership model where individuals or institutions pay a fee to become part of the community. Offer different membership tiers with varying benefits, such as access to exclusive content, early publication access, or participation in community events. The membership fees can contribute to the community's financial stability.

2. Submission fees: These charges should cover operational costs and to be distributed accordingly to members contributing to the peer review process, editing, typesetting, and hosting the articles on the community's platform. Options for facilitating payment of fees by third-parties, fee waivers or reduced fees to ensure inclusivity for authors who may have limited funding will be considered.

3. Sponsorships and Partnerships: Sponsorships from organizations, foundations, or companies interested in supporting scientific research and open and decentralized science initiatives will be sought. Collaboration with industry partners, scientific societies, or funding agencies that share your community's goals and values will also be carried out. Sponsorships can provide financial support, resources, or in-kind contributions to sustain the community's activities.

4. Grants and Research Funding: Opportunities to secure grants and research funding from governmental agencies, philanthropic organizations, or private foundations will be explored. Research projects or initiatives aligned with the community's objectives and seek funding to support those endeavors will be developed.

5. Crowdfunding: Crowdfunding platforms to raise funds from a wider audience, including researchers, science enthusiasts, and the general public who value decentralized science and open access to scientific knowledge will be utilized. deScier will continuously develop compelling campaigns highlighting the community's impact and the importance of its mission to attract crowdfunding support.

6. Institutional Support: Collaborate with academic institutions, research centers, or libraries that are invested in open science and decentralized research practices will be done. Financial support, infrastructure resources, or in-kind contributions from these institutions to sustain the community's operations will be sought.

7. Revenue from Value-Added Services: Offer additional services or products related to scientific publishing and decentralized science. These can include editorial services, training workshops, conferences, or consulting services. Generate revenue by charging fees for these value-added offerings.

8. Licensing and Partnerships for Technology: If the community develops innovative technologies, tools, or platforms to facilitate decentralized science or scientific publishing, licensing the technology to interested organizations or partnering with commercial entities will be considered. This can generate revenue through licensing fees or revenue-sharing agreements.

9. Donations and Philanthropy: Appealing to individuals or organizations passionate about advancing scientific knowledge and decentralized science is also a possibility. Provide avenues for direct donations, establish partnerships with philanthropic entities, or create a foundation dedicated to supporting the community's goals.

10. Advertisements and Sponsorship Opportunities: Explore the possibility of incorporating advertisements or sponsored content in the community's publications, website, or events. However, maintaining the integrity and independence of the community's content and ensure that any advertising or sponsorship aligns with the community's values and does not compromise scientific objectivity will be our priority.

Combining multiple funding mechanisms and diversifying revenue streams can help ensure the financial sustainability of our community. For us to carefully consider and balance the funding strategies to maintain the community's integrity, accessibility, and commitment to decentralized science is a must.