Summary
The NEAR Research Collective (NRC) is requesting $5,250 USD equivalent in $NEAR or stable coins from the NEAR treasury to support ongoing efforts in the NEAR Certified Researcher (NCR) course and foster a thriving research community. This funding will cover operational expenses, facilitator compensation, and provide earning opportunities for students and alumni to pursue research projects.
In May, we’re concluding cohort 2 of the NCR course, focusing on assisting students with their final research projects due by June 5th. Simultaneously, we’re preparing for cohort 3 as well as working towards launching a specialized “102” course tailored for individuals seeking to delve deeper into technical aspects, thus advancing their research capabilities. We’ll also continue accepting research proposals from the community.
Investing in our educational initiatives aims to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem of researchers and innovators dedicated to advancing blockchain technology in the NEAR ecosystem and beyond.
Links
NCR BOS Course Page | Web 2 Course Page
Achievements / Objectives
Although the NRC is relatively new, we have achieved significant milestones:
- Enlisted six guest lecturers for the first 12-week NCR course.
- Collaborated with Meta Pool DAO to produce 3 articles by our researchers.
- Directed 3 researchers to the Technical Speakers Program (TSP).
- Hired and trained 2 co-facilitators Nedlar, and BGem to assist with the set-up and running of NCR course.
- Collected 7 student Final project NFT’s on the DAO from cohort 1 of the NCR course.
- Onboarded a qualified individual to be a lead facilitator in the future.
- Started accepting research proposals for alumni of the NCR course, there are 3 approved proposals that should yield valuable research papers in the near future.
- More than doubled the number of students active in cohort 2 vs cohort 1 of the NCR course (23 active students).
Our objectives for May are:
- Have at least 12 students on track to submit their final projects for cohort 2 of the NCR course.
- Have at least 1 of the research grant applicants complete their project and mint it as a NFT on the NRC’s Mintbase store.
- Have 5 or more approved research proposals total.
Objectives over Q2 include:
- Bringing on 7 or more guest lecturers for cohort 2 of the NCR course.
- Have 1 or more alumni of the NCR course be a guest lecturer in cohort 2.
- Expanding the NRC researcher role to over 100 members.
- Have at least 10 students complete cohort 2 and be added to “alumni” group.
Student activity post-course completion:
- Staying active in the NEAR ecosystem for 6 months after the course, evidenced by on-chain activity.
- Publishing research findings in the year following certification.
- 50% or more of alumni remaining active in the NEAR Research Collective (claiming bounties, participating in polls, attending weekly insight forum etc.).
Budget
| Expense Category | Amount | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Guest Lecturers | $250 | Compensation for one guest lecturer in May $250. |
| Earning Opportunities | $1,000 | Bounties for NCR students for their studies. |
| Operation | $1,500 | Support for NRC Council ($500 per member). |
| Course Facilitators | $2000 | $1000 for Lead facilitator and $500 each for 2 co-facilitators |
| Research Proposals | $500 | Funds allocated for research proposals in May. |
Total Budget: $5,250
Council Members
xvii.near
hannah17.near
earnestetim.near
For more information about the NRC, including long-term goals and objectives, check out our Charter.
We appreciate your consideration and look forward to the opportunity to continue advancing the NEAR ecosystem together.