ApeCoin DAO 和去中心化自治组织（DAO）合法性未来的提案
TLDR
本提案旨在通过将 ApeCoin 打造成 Web 3 学术研究的领导者，提升 ApeCoin DAO 的全球合法性和影响力，吸引学术机构、研究人员和学生参与 ApeCoin 生态系统。这将提高学术界对 DAO 的认知，推动 Web 3 领域的发展，并建立一个以 ApeCoin DAO 为中心的全球认可的学术平台。
在两年内，项目计划组建一个全球专家团队，撰写并发表学术文章，并推出一个专注于 DAO 和元宇宙的高影响力同行评审学术期刊的特刊。我们还将为 ApeCoin DAO 成员每月创建微课程、网络研讨会和工作坊，以提升他们的研究技能。
常见问题解答（FAQ）
这个提案的主要目标是什么？
这个提案的主要目标是建立一个专注于去中心化自治组织（DAO）和元宇宙的同行评审学术期刊。通过这个期刊，提案旨在将 ApeCoin 打造成 Web 3 学术研究领域的领导者，提升其全球认知度和影响力。
为什么要专注于创建同行评审期刊？
同行评审期刊为经过验证的高质量学术研究提供了一个平台，这对于在学术机构、政府和国际组织中合法化 DAO 和 Web 3 技术至关重要。这也将有助于 ApeCoin 吸引更多的研究人员、学生和开发者加入其生态系统。
这个项目将如何惠及 ApeCoin 及其社区？
通过与高影响力的学术研究相结合，这个项目将为 ApeCoin 带来全球合法性。它将吸引新的专业受众到 ApeCoin 生态系统中，这些人可以为其增长和发展作出贡献。项目还将通过“研究中的应用实践经验”（APE in Research）计划，为 ApeCoin DAO 成员提供培训和指导机会。
这个项目的核心团队成员是谁？
项目由 David Warner、Dr. Kara Vander Linden 和 Dr. Lisa Goldberg 领导。他们在法律、学术研究、教育和 DAO 治理方面拥有丰富的经验，非常适合领导这项计划。
实施这个提案的关键步骤是什么？
项目将在两年内分阶段实施：
组建团队：汇集方法论专家和内容专家。
撰写和发表文章：与 ApeCoin DAO 成员合作，撰写并发表专注于 DAO 和元宇宙的文章。
启动期刊：在高影响力的学术期刊上创建一个特刊，最终推出专门的 DAO 和元宇宙期刊。
这个项目的成功将如何衡量？
成功将通过定性和定量指标的结合来评估，包括参与者反馈、技能评估、项目成果以及对 ApeCoin 生态系统的总体贡献。定期报告将在 ApeCoin 论坛上发布，关键里程碑将每六个月审查一次。
项目的总成本是多少，资金将如何使用？
项目总成本为 249 , 000 美元，将以 ApeCoin 形式支付。这些资金将用于支付项目领导的薪酬，聘请研究协调员，管理运营费用，制作教育内容，并提供研究和出版的微额拨款。
这个提案与以前的 APE_U 等项目有何不同？
APE_U 专注于为 AIP 过程和其他内部 DAO 功能提供培训和发展，而本提案则针对学术研究领域。它旨在学术界合法化 DAO 和元宇宙，补充 APE_U 的内部培训，增加对外部研究和出版的关注。
PROPOSAL NAME:
ApeCoin DAO & the Future of DAO Legitimacy
TEAM DESCRIPTION:
David Warner, JD, MA
David has been a licensed lawyer in New York State since 2005 and a senior lecturer in law, organizational behavior, and management for 15 years. He holds a Juris Doctor, two Master’s degrees (Chinese philosophy and Sociology) and is entering the third year of a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh, focusing on DAOs and the Metaverse. David was a lead facilitator at CityDAO for three years, serving on both City Councils, running the legal and education guilds, and overseeing the creation of the City Charter. His primary focus is web 3 education and governance. DavidW can be reached by email at dwarner@mentoringresearchers.org or at daoresearchgroup@gmail.com, on discord at da 3 vid, on X at @iamdavivi, and on telegram at @da 3 vidw.
Kara Vander Linden, EdD
Dr. Kara Vander Linden has been a research professor for over 20 years. She earned a doctorate in education from Fielding Graduate University with specializations in grounded theory and grounded action and higher education. She has a master’s in special education from the University of North Carolina and a BA in mathematics from Queens University. In 2021 , Dr. Vander Linden founded the Institute for Research and Theory Methodologies (RTM) and the Glaser Center for Grounded Theory (https://www.mentoringresearchers.org/), which trains, mentors, supports, and connects students, faculty, and researchers worldwide. She teaches at Saybrook University, is a peer reviewer for the Grounded Theory Review and several other journals and collaborates with researchers around the world. Kara can be reached by email at kvanderlinden@mentoringresearchers.org.
Lisa Goldberg, EdD
As a career educator, Dr. Lisa Goldberg has taught for over 30 years in both the public school and as an adjunct professor at Saybrook University, where she has taught research and writing courses and overseen research projects by dissertation students. She earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Fielding Graduate University, a master’s in education from Millersville University, and a BA in geography from Wittenberg University. Dr. Goldberg is the President of the Board of Directors at the Institute for Research and Theory Methodologies (RTM). She works with researchers from around the world. Lisa can be reached by email at LGoldberg@mentoringresearchers.org.
PROPOSAL DESCRIPTION:
This is a two-year proposal to develop a peer-reviewed academic journal for DAO and Metaverse Studies, and to brand ApeCoin as the reference point for legitimized Web 3 scholarship. There are currently no peer-reviewed journals specifically about DAOs. There’s only one shot at being a first entrant, and ApeCoin can go down in history by creating the first DAO and Metaverse Studies peer-reviewed journal for integration with the formal university education system across the planet.
There is a HUGE difference between a Google search and a peer-reviewed, published academic article. Google provides unverified “facts” from third parties. Peer-reviewed academic papers are accepted as legitimized knowledge by universities, governments, and international organizations, bringing potentially millions of dollars in grants and onboarding a tremendous global community of students, professors and scholars.
This project addresses three key issues that ApeCoin is currently facing:
Awareness Outside of Web 3 : By exposing academic institutions and their students to ApeCoin DAO, it is very likely that some of them will become active DAO members and contributors.
Attracting Builders: Almost every academic institution has ties to existing VC funds and accelerators. Exposing this community to ApeCoin DAO could serve as an onboarding ramp for builders who otherwise wouldn’t look at ApeCoin or ApeChain as part of their development plans.
Continuous Improvement: By having academic researchers dive deeply into the workings of DAOs using scientific methods, it will help to uncover potential improvements to how the DAO could operate, allowing ApeCoin to continually improve.
This proposal combines my experience in higher education, Web 3 , and DAOs with Kara and Lisa’s experience in academic research and publishing, utilizing Kara’s nonprofit research center to forward skill and competency based education.
This project will help drive culture forward into the metaverse, supporting the future of the Web 3 space and bringing the ApeCoin brand to the forefront of research. Through our “Applied Practical Experience” (APE) program, members of ApeCoin DAO can be involved, supported, mentored and funded in studies as content experts, researchers, and writers, and ApeCoin can also be a topic for publishable studies.
Ultimately, this proposal seeks to give ApeCoin global legitimacy. In 2021 , Forbes Magazine ran an article about the importance of DAOs. In 2022 , the World Economic Forum discussed DAOs as the future of corporations in their Davos Agenda. In 2023 , the World Economic Forum released both a report and White Paper on DAOs. While DAOs are recognized internationally, there is no formal academic journal where they are being researched. ApeCoin can be the center for this world of knowledge.
There are three basic steps in our plan:
Build the Team: Build a team of methodology experts who study DAOs and the metaverse and join them with content experts (particularly from ApeCoin DAO).
Write the Articles: Work with members of ApeCoin DAO to write articles that focus on ApeCoin (in addition to other DAO and metaverse-related subjects).
Publish the Journal: Create a special edition in a high impact factor peer-reviewed journal.
What is a Peer-Reviewed Journal and Why Does it Matter?
A peer-reviewed journal is essentially an academic magazine, which is published 2 - 4 times per year. Each issue contains approximately 10 - 15 articles, written by scholars with a doctoral degree (PhD, EdD, MD, JD). Most major universities have journals. When an article is submitted, it gets sent out to other professors or PhD’s (i.e. “peers”) to give feedback. This feedback process may happen multiple times before an article is approved for publication, and the process can take over a year. If an article gets published, it becomes part of society’s knowledge, validated and legitimized. This verified “knowledge” is presented as the truth when published in peer-reviewed journals.
In this way, universities maintain a monopoly on knowledge. Professors are required to publish articles in these journals to keep their positions and get promotions or tenure. Open-source publishing costs can be thousands of dollars per article, which means that most articles are only available via expensive subscriptions. If a researcher is not sponsored by a university, publishing is difficult and expensive. Publishing determines, in large part, the rank and legitimacy of a university.
The number of scholars who read and cite these articles in their own research determines the significance of the article, and helps to legitimize the knowledge. If ApeCoin has articles that are highly cited, this creates a strong value proposition for ApeCoin DAO and for the knowledge that it creates. Universities are immensely important, highly centralized Web 1 institutions. There are no online discussion boards for peer-reviewed journals, no feasible way to interact with the authors or comment on articles. To respond to an article, typically a new article needs to be published. Obviously, this is an antiquated system, primed for technological disruption.
What are Content Experts and Methodology Experts?
Content experts are people with real-world practical experience who need not have academic knowledge or training. Content experts at ApeCoin DAO might include people who have experience, skill or competencies with DAOs, metaverses, online communities, crypto, and other Web 3 projects.
Methodology experts are people, typically PhDs, who know how to formally conduct research that aligns with institutional review board (IRB) and academic standards, whether it’s quantitative or qualitative studies, and how to properly format and present these studies to academic journals for publication.
What is the “Applied Practical Experience in Research” (APE in Research) Program?
APE is a program for members of ApeCoin DAO who are interested in research. This program brings together content experts with practical experience in Web 3 and combines their real-world experience with academic research and methodology experts in order to work together on publishable research projects. This helps to promote equality by bridging the gap between academic scholars and non-academic innovators and builders, and fosters the sense that we all have a collective responsibility for knowledge production.
The APE program will involve live (online) workshops, one-on-one team and individual mentoring, asynchronous videos, and moderation of a channel devoted to research discussions. Workshops will be led once a month by David and/or Kara and other members of RTM, to explain different forms of quantitative and qualitative methodologies in a practical way, and to discuss potential research ideas.
Asynchronous videos will cover similar topics related to research, writing, methodology and publishing. Channel moderation will provide a full-time location to recruit new members of the DAO and Metaverse Journal Research Group and to discuss research questions and ideas. One-on-one mentoring will be provided by Kara, David and other members of RTM both for research teams and for individuals who are learning how to research and publish in a methodologically rigorous, peer-reviewed journal.
How Does this Differ from APE_U? (APE_U Programme Specifications .pdf).
APE_U, proposed in AIP- 408 by the 2024 Governance Working Group (GWG), is a strategy to provide training and development, particularly for the AIP process, with education-based initiatives over the next year. The purpose of APE_U is to “embed educational services as a pivotal element in supporting future ecosystem development.” APE_U seeks to provide mentorships and training to AIP proposal authors, stewards, secretaries and various teams within ApeCoin DAO, and to establish ApeCoin DAO as a new standard of quality for DAO governance and ecosystem building.
This aligns perfectly with the present proposal, as our proposal targets a different and equally critical area of education - that of academia for the purpose of legitimizing the DAO and metaverse space and for the creation of new knowledge. Our proposal seeks to establish ApeCoin DAO as a standard of quality for research and publishing of peer-reviewed articles, which is also a pivotal element of educational legitimacy.
In alignment with APE_U, our proposal also champions the idea of mentorships and training. We provide this through our “Applied Practical Experience” (APE) Program for research, methodology, writing and publishing of academic articles, which will help to bridge the gap between traditional scholars and modern intellectuals and builders, demonstrating a commitment to a collective responsibility for knowledge production.
APE_U targets primarily AIP authors, internal leadership teams and the wider community. Our proposal continues the focus on the wider community and adds an important focus on researchers, scholars, and educators who can help bring Web 3 and ApeCoin DAO to a large, external, international audience. We also continue the focus on training and upskilling members of ApeCoin DAO, involving and mentoring them in academic research and writing. In this way, we focus both on internal education as well as external amplification of knowledge to a significant, global audience.
Why Not Just Build an Accredited University Instead?
I have worked for years on this idea with CityDAO, cooperating with numerous other DAOs and international universities. Ultimately, I have learned two main lessons: ( 1 ) it takes many years and millions of dollars to become a truly accredited university in America and ( 2 ) the first step is legitimacy, not accreditation.
It is common knowledge that American universities have become bloated, bureaucratic, prohibitively expensive, unaffordable for many and out of touch with reality. At the same time, university degrees are considered a necessity for many career paths. Accredited institutions have a near monopoly on legitimized education, determining who is “qualified” based on knowledge rather than skill and competency. Therefore, many people in Web 3 have considered the creation of an accredited university. The primary purpose of accreditation, in addition to legitimacy, is to use and receive federal funds, and to transfer credits.
However, it is extremely expensive and time consuming to get a university accredited. A recent survey showed that Vanderbilt University College of Arts and Sciences spends over 500 hours and $ 2 . 92 million per year on accreditation, and that Duke University spends about $ 1 . 5 million per year. Other studies have suggested that these numbers may be inflated, but that accreditation is still very expensive.
There is no question that a Web 3 university will come in time. A Web 3 university would likely be owned and governed by the students and teachers through a DAO, rather than by short-term profit-driven investors or inefficient, bureaucratic structures. It would involve personal ownership of data, staked tuition and treasury management through trustless smart contracts, non-fungible soulbound token diplomas, and immutable academic metadata tied to a proof of humanity for verification. The creation of a true Web 3 university will be a gradual process. It will be built brick by digital brick.
Web 3 is built on the premise that decentralized networks will likely replace or expand traditional centralized organizations. Legitimacy is what will allow these networks to flourish. Legitimacy is the reason that we’re focusing on publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals. Based on our decades of academic experience, publishing is the key to legitimacy. Our goal in this proposal is to bring DAOs and the metaverse into universities and academic research, with ApeCoin as the reference point for the future of the space.
Has This Been Proposed Before?
This proposal builds on a proposal by Russell called “Ape University”, which was first discussed in August 2023 , and then proposed and withdrawn in October 2023 . This proposal also builds on a CityDAO project called the “DAO Journal”, which was initially sponsored by CityDAO and passed a Snapshot vote on September 18 , 2023 .
Conclusion
ApeCoin is a token made to support what’s next. What’s next is the future of knowledge creation, the cultures of the metaverse, and applications of the novel DAO organizational structure. What’s next is the realization of the value of skill and practice-based content experts working alongside conventional scholars in the field of academic publishing, disrupting the traditional paradigm where only academics have access to the creation of new knowledge. Publishing in peer-reviewed journals will provide additional legitimacy not only to ApeCoin DAO, but to the entire DAO and metaverse space.
As a fundamentally postmodern movement, this proposal will show that ApeCoin DAO stands ready to reexamine and redefine what constitutes a “university’’ – to show the world that centralized, petrified institutions from the seventeenth century no longer serve the needs of the modern age. Therefore, our focus is on having ApeCoin become the leader and reference point for the future of the scholarly study of DAOs and the metaverse, with a bold, disruptive focus on practical skills and competency rather than traditional knowledge-based studies.
BENEFIT TO APECOIN ECOSYSTEM:
First, ApeCoin will become the center of a large, international, professional community of researchers, scholars, professors and students who seek to understand, legitimize and improve the DAO ecosystem. This, in itself, is highly disruptive, because often researchers avoid publicly discussing their research for fear that people will steal their ideas. It then becomes quantity and speed rather than quality research that gets published. However, only high quality research is going to produce disruptive change in the world, with ApeCoin as a focal point.
Second, ApeCoin will be featured in numerous academic articles that help to build the foundation of the scholarly study of DAOs and the metaverse. There are currently almost 47 , 000 peer-reviewed journals globally and none of them are exclusively focused on DAOs. This is the perfect time for ApeCoin to enter the field and to be branded as the leader in next-level, community-led initiatives that develop new knowledge, driving culture forward into the metaverse.
Third, members of ApeCoin will have access to the “Applied Practical Experience” (APE) program, which will involve both online synchronous and asynchronous training in how to conduct research, and will provide training and mentorship for writing and publishing. Stipends will be available for mentors. Funding will help cover publishing costs for writers/authors. In addition to mentorships, training and videos, a full-time dedicated discord channel will be available for two years in order to onboard more people towards the goal of centering ApeCoin DAO as the home of DAO and metaverse related research.
Our mission is to pair content experts - particularly members of ApeCoin DAO - who have real practical experience in Web 3 with methodology experts - academic scholars and students who understand how to conduct high quality research and write and publish journal articles. These articles could be about almost anything related to DAOs and the metaverse, but we will encourage articles that focus on ApeCoin itself, making sure that the DAO and the endless possibilities for blockchain’s impact on culture are highlighted.
DEFINITIONS:
Accredited / Accreditation: A review process that determines if an institution or program meets certain standards of quality. In the US, students must attend an accredited college or university to be eligible for federal grants and loans.
Applied Practical Experience (APE) Program: A program consisting of live (online) workshops, one-on-one team and individual mentoring, asynchronous videos, and stipends for those who are interested in research on DAOs and the metaverse.
Citations: When a PhD researcher references a previous journal article in their work. The more citations an article has, the higher its impact.
Content Experts: People with practical, real-life experience who do not necessarily have academic or formal training in publishing articles.
IRB (Institutional Review Board): Enacted under federal regulations, IRBs are administrative committees that review research involving human subjects to protect their rights, safety and welfare.
Methodology Experts: PhDs who are trained to formally conduct academic research that aligns with IRB standards and to effectively publish scholarly studies.
Peer-Reviewed Journal: An academic collection of essays, reviewed by PhDs in the relevant fields, published 2 - 4 times per year.
STEPS TO IMPLEMENT:
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 1 - 6
DAO & Metaverse Working Group (David - Lead)
Developing a community of content experts and methodology experts
KPI: Locate and engage at least 20 researchers and scholars
KPI: Locating and engaging at least 40 content experts
KPI: Full-time channel moderation to onboard new members and discuss ideas
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 1 - 6
Journal Special Edition (David - Lead)
Finding suitable journals
KPI: Identify 3 - 5 potential journals
KPI: Identify 2 - 3 guest editors
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 1 - 6
Grants Process (Lisa - Lead)
Creating application process for micro-grants
KPI: Development of the grant application process and associated documents.
KPI: Identification of committee members to review and approve grants.
KPI: Develop and implement training process for training committee members.
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 1 - 6
APE Education and Mentorships (Kara - Lead)
Develop APE (Applied Practical Experience) research program
KPI: Identify topics to be covered in workshops/webinar and asynchronous video micro-courses;
KPI: Identify and contract with researchers with specific methodological expertise to develop workshops/webinar and asynchronous video micro-courses;
KPI: Locate video editors
KPI: Begin creation of the first 3 webinars/workshops & micro-course
KPI: Meetings with OpenCampus and NewCampus to make sure that this project is aligned with APE_U, providing educational synergy and complementary services to strengthen and forward ApeCoin DAO
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 7 - 12
DAO & Metaverse Working Group (David - Lead)
Facilitating connections between research methodologists and content experts to aid in the creation of teams for research articles and projects
KPI: Creation of at least 10 research teams
KPI: Continue to add additional members to DAO & Metaverse Working Group
KPI: Full-time channel moderation to onboard new members and discuss ideas
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 7 - 12
Journal Special Edition (David - Lead)
Negotiate contract with a journal for a special edition
KPI: Approved contract
KPI: Identification of at least 5 methodologist and 5 content area specialist with terminal degrees to serve as peer reviewers
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 7 - 12
Grants Process (Lisa - Lead)
Soliciting and approving micro-grants to support research and publishing
KPI: Solicit at least 20 applications
KPI: Review and approval of at least 15 applications, if they meet the criteria|
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 7 - 12
APE Education and Mentorships (Kara - Lead)
Mentoring research teams and individuals, focus on research design, ethics and methodology
KPI: Development of at least 10 research proposals
KPI: Minimum 3 synchronous webinars / workshops
KPI: Minimum 3 asynchronous micro-courses on research methods
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 13 - 18
DAO & Metaverse Working Group (David - Lead)
Continue to add additional members to DAO & Metaverse Working Group
KPI: Full-time channel moderation to onboard new members and discuss ideas|
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 13 - 18
Journal Special Edition (David - Lead)
Soliciting Articles; Managing the peer-review process; Manage copyediting and production editing
KPI: Receive at least 15 article submissions
KPI: Select high quality articles
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 13 - 18
Grants Process (Lisa - Lead)
Soliciting and approving micro-grants to support research and publishing
KPI: Solicit at least 20 applications.
KPI: Review and approval of at least 15 applications, if they meet the criteria.
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 13 - 18
APE Education and Mentorships (Kara - Lead)
Mentoring research teams and individuals, focus on gathering and analyzing data; Managing the peer-review process
KPI: Minimum 3 synchronous webinars / workshops
KPI: Minimum 3 asynchronous micro-courses on research methods
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 19 - 24
DAO & Metaverse Working Group (David - Lead)
Continue to add additional members to DAO & Metaverse Working Group
KPI: Full-time channel moderation to onboard new members and discuss ideas
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 19 - 24
Journal Special Edition (David - Lead)
Soliciting Articles; Manage copyediting and production editing; Publishing articles in special issue on DAO and Metaverse related topics
KPI: Receive at least 15 article submissions
KPI: Select high quality articles
Future Steps: If all goes well, our goal will be to continue this project and to create the first issue or our own peer-reviewed DAO and Metaverse journal.
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 19 - 24
Grants Process (Lisa - Lead)
Continue to provide micro-grants, while funds remain,
KPI: Solicit applications.
KPI: Review and approval applications, if they meet the criteria.
KPI: Collect and review reports from grantees
Time
Project Area
Details
Months 19 - 24
APE Education and Mentorships (Kara - Lead)
Mentoring research teams and individuals, focus on focus on writing and editing; Assisting authors in addressing peer-reviewed feedback
KPI: Minimum 3 synchronous webinars / workshops
KPI: Minimum 3 asynchronous micro-courses on research methods
REPORTING EXPECTATIONS:
In alignment with APE_U, we will measure success through a combination of both qualitative and quantitative metrics, aligned to the 4 steps of the Kirkpatrick Model of Training Evaluation, which are:
Reaction: Use of participant feedback through surveys and interviews to gauge satisfaction and improve the learning experience.
Learning: Skill assessments through pre- and post- research project evaluations to measure knowledge gains and skill improvement.
Behavior: Determine project outcomes through evaluation of research projects and their impact on ApeCoin DAO’s operations and objectives.
Results: Evaluate the overall contribution of the research projects to the growth and development of the ApeCoin ecosystem.
A monthly report will summarize the key developments, research projects and relevant information about progress. These reports will be made available on the ApeCoin forum. Pre- and post-project evaluations will be implemented to measure knowledge and skill gains, and surveys and interviews will be implemented to gauge satisfaction and improve the program. Reports will be conducted and published at the 6 -month, 12 -month, 18 -month, and upon conclusion at the 24 -month mark to assess the success of the program, evaluate its outcomes, and monitor its continued direction.
OVERALL COST:
Total amount requested from the ApeCoin Ecosystem Fund = $ 249 , 000 USD paid in ApeCoin.
This initiative is planned to span a period of two years. The breakdown of the funds is as follows:
$ 120 K: Three leaders to oversee the project (David, Kara and Lisa)
Leadership: ($ 60 K per year)
DAO and Metaverse Research Group: David will receive $ 30 K per year. David is the primary lead on this project. His work will include building the DAO and Metaverse Research Group which included community development and management, recruiting researchers, scholars and content experts, and overseeing the research discussion channels.
Special Edition of Journal: David will also manage the process of putting together the special edition of a journal. This will include locating a journal to publish the special edition, publicizing the special edition to researchers and scholars and pairing content areas specialist with the researchers and scholars, overseeing the article submission and peer review process, and finalizing the special edition for publication. He will also write at least two publishable papers with content experts from ApeCoin DAO. He will also assist Lisa and Kara in their areas as needed.
Grants Process: Lisa will receive $ 30 K per year. Lisa will be the primary point of contact for people applying for the micro-grants and she will manage the process from start to finish. This will include developing the grant application process. She will oversee the training of the committee that will review the applications and oversee the approval process, the distribution of funds, and reporting.
Lisa will also help oversee the work done by the research coordinator/assistant, communicate with the RTM board, and work on quality assurance tasks across all areas of the project.
Applied Practical Research Experience (APE): Kara will oversee the Applied Practical Research Experience (APE). This will include overseeing research training and mentoring in the forms of workshops/webinars, development and delivery of asynchronous video micro-courses, awarding of digital badges and POAPs, etc. Kara, as the RTM executive director, will also support and oversee the work done by Lisa, David, and the research coordinator/assistant. They will also help with APE as needed.
$ 25 K: Hire a Research Coordinator
Research Coordinator/Assistant: $ 25 K ($ 12 , 500 per year) will be used to pay a research coordinator/assistant. This person will facilitate communication across all aspects of the initiative, tracking and documenting progress on projects, managing the calendar (ex. scheduling webinars and other events), manage social media, newsletters, website and learning management system (LMS) (i.e. helping build out the asynchronous trains in the LMS once they have been designed by experts), helping enroll participants in webinars and training sessions, etc.
$ 50 K: Operational expenses, video production, workshops, online tools, POAPs, etc.
Operations: $ 50 K will be approximately used as follows:
$ 20 , 000 for the development, filming and editing of the asynchronous micro-courses, offering workshops & webinars
Asynchronous micro-courses (at least 9 )
Each course will have 6 - 10 micro-lessons of approximately 10 min each = $ 1000 for the developer/teacher, $ 500 for editing
Synchronous Webinars and/or workshops (at least 9 )
$ 200 honorarium for presenter, $ 200 for light editing
Some are webinars (lectures) $ 200
Some are workshops (interactive) $ 500
$ 4800 for two years of the LMS (platform through which the webinars and asynchronous course will be hosted)
$ 10 , 000 for digital badges ($ 5000 per year for digital badge platform)
$ 2400 accounting fees for project and grants
$ 750 Video & Data Storage (Sync)
$ 5600 for two years of Communication & Marketing expenses (Mailchimp, Zoom)
$ 5450 misc expenses & RTM overhead
$ 55 K: Research and publishing micro-grants
Micro-Grants: $ 55 K will be approximately used as follows:
10 - 20 grants between $ 500 -$ 1000 for a total of $ 10 , 000
10 - 20 grants between $ 1000 -$ 2000 for a total of $ 20 , 000
8 - 12 grants between $ 2000 -$ 3000 for a total of $ 25 , 000
Grant funds for cover hard costs associated with conducting and publishing research
In alignment with APE_U, our payment will be structured in two tranches to ensure accountability. The first half of the funding will be provided upon the passing of this AIP to facilitate the first year of this project. The second half will be provided one year from that date, contingent on a satisfactory review by the RTM Board of Directors after 6 months. The second tranche will be locked in a separate wallet until the one year mark. This will ensure that the funding is consistent with acceptable performance.
