## Aztec Labs >< Ethereum Foundation Joint Grants Wave

A proposed structure for the joint grants wave is:

1. **Announcement** (October 2023)
- [ ] Aztec Labs -- draft a blog post announcing the grants wave and relevant areas of research (including RFPs -- Some proposed RFPs listed below);
- [ ] Aztec Labs + Ethereum Foundation -- collaborate to ensure joint grants wave is seen by potential contributors;
- [ ] Aztec Labs + Ethereum Foundation -- share RFPs with relevant individuals within each of our networks

2. **Approval Process of Inbound Proposals** (November -- January 2024)
- [ ] Aztec Labs -- manage all processes related to approval of inbound proposals, including implementation of a proper tracking system for proposals, initial validation calls with proposers, setting appropriate milestones with grantees, and providing grants agreements to grantees
- [ ] Ethereum Foundation -- the Ethereum Foundation can be involved in the approval process as desired by the Ethereum FOundation team;

3. **Ongoing Grant Period** (Q1 - Q2 2024)
- [ ] Aztec Labs -- monitor and support grantees throughout grants period
- [ ] Aztec Labs -- create materials to announce progress of grantees and contribute to the overall open source ecosystem by ensuring contributions of grantees are broadly available to other researchers in the space

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## Potential RFPs for the Joint Grants Wave

The Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that are suggested to applicants as part of this collaborative grants wave should:

1. Support independent Ethereum ecosystem builders pushing forward cutting-edge **open source research in zero-knowledge cryptography** (Note -- for-profit companies are welcome to apply, but specific grant work must be open source)
2. Benefit Ethereum in a way that aligns with Ethereum's [roadmap and core values](https://ethereum.org/en/roadmap/)

Some suggested RFPs based on that criteria, with suggested funding allocation dictated in brackets:

1. [$50k -- $100k] **Libraries for onchain verification of traditional Web2 data** -- Using Noir, developers are able to prove 'Web2 data' and enable Web2 <> Web3 integrations that previously have not been possible.

For example, [proving a TouchID signature](https://twitter.com/Zac_Aztec/will/1677606085652369409) will lead to more user-friendly wallet experiences, proving traditional finance price data (e.g. daily S&P 500 prices) will lead to more robust DeFi primitives, and proving Web2 account info (e.g., the existence of an associated Facebook or Github profile) will lead to better sybil resistance mechanisms.

2. [$30k -- $50k] **Research into the application of zero-knowledge cryptography for machine learning** -- Further research on the intersection of zero-knowledge cryptography, machine learning, and identity systems holds transformative potential for Ethereum-based applications. With the recent rise in the sheer quantity of AI agents, we believe that Ethereum can serve as the trusted and decentralized source of truth for humanity. Libraries facilitating provable machine learning using zero-knowledge, such as quantization, matrix operations, and convolution, are good candidates for this RFP.

2. [$70k -- $100k] **Debugging tools for ZK dApp development** -- As decentralized applications utilizing zero-knowledge cryptography ('ZK dApps') become increasingly prevalent in the Ethereum ecosystem, the demand for robust, efficient, and user-friendly debugging tools has surged. This research aims to address this need by fostering the development of open-source tools specifically designed for ZK dApps development.

3. [$50k -- $100k] **SNARKs for the verification of Verkle Tries** -- With Ethereum's impending transition to a Verkle trie-based state, the need for innovative techniques for provable membership and leaf insertions has become paramount. This RFP calls for the development of libraries that leverage SNARKs for the verification of Verkle tries. These libraries could further enhance Ethereum's capacity for scalable, secure, and efficient data storage.

4. [$50k -- $100k] **Libraries for Boneh-Lynn-Shacham (BLS) signature verification in Noir** -- Libraries for verifying BLS signatures using zero-knowledge would be critical for building an Ethereum Light Client using Noir.