The MEV fellowship is a grants program to support research on questions related to topics outlined in topics.md.
What does it mean to be an MEV fellow?
As an MEV fellow, you are the owner of a research question(s) outlined in a research proposal. You will shape their development, coordinate with research contributors and collaborate with the core Flashbots team on your research. A Fellow should be comfortable working independently, leading research directions for others to follow and be familiar with the standards and rigour required for academic research.
What are expected deliverables?
We expect the research questions to evolve over time and to most likely lead to more questions rather than answers. However, we ask of all fellows a few key deliverables:
- a short article published in our HackMD research publication
- a presentation given at one of our community events
How much is the grant?
The grant is a total of $15k sent in two instalments. The first instalment of $10k is sent upfront, the second instalment of $5k is sent once the deliverables have been completed.
Is there a deadline for grant applications?
No, grant fellows are accepted on a rolling basis.
What is the grant process like?
- submit an FRP based on the list of topics listed or on another topic you think is relevant to MEV research
- Your FRP will be reviewed by the research committee and a call will be scheduled with the Flashbots research coordinators
- Potential modifications to the FRPs may be suggested
- After a maximum of 2 weeks from the final submission of an FRP, the committee gets back to the submitted with an approval or a rejection of their proposal
- Should the FRP be accepted, a contract is sent to the submitter
- Once the contract is signed, the first instalment of the grant money is sent over
What is an FRP?
FRPs stands for Flashbots Research Proposal. It is a markdown document describing the approach to answering a question related to topics listed in topics.md. Similar to a research proposal for academic writing, it entails introducing what the research proposes to do and/or prove. It should incorporate systematic breakdown of the research question. It will also give an in-depth account of the methodologies, approaches or theories that will be used to support the hypothesis within the project, including a review of the relevant literature.
Can the grant be given to an entity rather than an individual?
Yes!
Do I retain ownership of my work?
Yes, all the work you produce for the grant is owned by you. Flashbots is granted a non-exclusive license to use it and we require that all grant work be shared publicly for anyone in the community to contribute to and learn from.
What belongs in a successful FRP?
FRPs should be aligned with the general research questions listed in the topics, and should articulate nicely with other successful FRPs. Each FRP is however unique, so tailored feedback will be provided on an individual basis. In terms of format, we encourage authors to follow the FRP template.
Aside from financial support, does Flashbots support MEV Fellows in other ways?
As an MEV fellow, you will have full access to the Flashbots extended team and to data that can be used for research.
Is there an opportunity to deepen my involvement with Flashbots Research?
Absolutely! The fellowship is a great way to work part-time with the Flashbots team and for both Flashbots and yourself to decide whether we find mutual fit for working together more closely (eg. full-time researcher position). Every situation is different and we're happy to accomodate for bespoke levels of involvements - let's talk about it!
What’s the point of running this program?
Flashbots is an open research organization, this program is a first step at building a sustainable open research community. We see this Fellowship as a funnel for talent that may be interested in working with us in the future for long term collaboration, on either part-time, or full-time basis and a social experiment in collective research coordination. In the longer term, we are aiming to build a self-sustaining research organization where all its work is made available to the public for anyone to benefit from and contribute to. Read more about who we are and our public commitments here.