Zero-Knowledge Peer-Review Protocol for DeSci on Cardano (open source)

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We will develop a POC of an open source peer-review protocol using zero-knowledge proofs on Cardano, enhancing privacy and reducing bias in academic research (DeSci).

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

All project outputs, including developed software and documentation, will be fully open source under the Apache 2.0 or MIT License.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Background:

A Zero-Knowledge (ZK) peer-review protocol primarily addresses the problem of maintaining confidentiality and integrity in the peer-review process:

1. Reviewer Anonymity: One of the fundamental aspects of the peer-review process is preserving the anonymity of reviewers to prevent any bias or influence from the authors. However, ensuring true anonymity while confirming the reviewers' credibility and qualifications is challenging. A ZK peer-review protocol can prove that reviewers meet certain criteria without revealing their identities or specific credentials.
2. Conflict of Interest: Ensuring that reviewers do not have a conflict of interest with the authors or the content of the manuscript is crucial. A ZK protocol can verify that no conflicts exist without needing to disclose the identities of the reviewers or detailed information about their background.
3. Integrity of the Review: Ensuring that the review process is thorough and meets certain standards without revealing the specific details of the review process can be challenging. A ZK protocol can prove that reviewers accessed all necessary sections of a manuscript and performed required evaluations without revealing which parts were scrutinized or the content of the evaluation.
4. Fraud Prevention: The peer-review process is susceptible to fraud, where individuals might bypass thorough review due to personal bias or other unethical reasons. A ZK protocol can help ensure that all procedural steps were followed properly without fabricating or omitting crucial steps, all while keeping the process details confidential.
5. Trust and Credibility: By transparently proving that reviews are conducted according to high standards while preserving the confidentiality of the process, a ZK peer-review protocol enhances the trust and credibility of the publication process among authors, reviewers, and readers.

Technical Framework:

1. Cryptographic Setup with ZK Proofs

• ZK-SNARK Circuits: We need to develop cryptographic circuits that can generate and verify ZK proofs. These circuits will handle tasks such as confirming reviewer qualifications, ensuring anonymity, checking for conflicts of interest, and validating the thoroughness of the review process without revealing specific details.
• Trusted Setup: We need to conduct a multi-party computation ceremony to generate the common reference string (CRS) needed for the ZK-SNARKs, ensuring that no single party can tamper with the cryptographic proofs.

2. Smart Contracts to manage the peer-review workflow:

• Reviewer Registration: Reviewers need to be verified and registered based on their anonymous credentials and ZK proofs of their qualifications and conflict-free status.
• Manuscript Submission and Assignment: We need to handle the submission of manuscripts and their assignment to appropriate reviewers, ensuring that all actions are logged and transparent without compromising privacy.
• Review Verification: We need to check ZK proofs submitted by reviewers that validate their review activities.
• Decentralized Storage: We need to store non-sensitive metadata, while sensitive data like reviewer identities or detailed review content can be encrypted and stored off-chain if necessary.

3. UI/API to interact with a peer-review system:

• Simple API/UI for manuscript submission, review submissions, and status checks via wallet integrations.
• Privacy-Preserving Access Control: Ensure that only authorized users (e.g., journal editors, reviewers) can access specific functionalities.

POC Objectives and Scope:

• Demonstrate the technical feasibility of using ZK-SNARKs on Cardano for a peer-review protocol.
• Development of cryptographic circuits for ZK proof generation.
• Validate the cryptographic setup, smart contracts, and overall system architecture.
• Assess the user experience and flow of the protocol and the simple UI. 

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

We think, we can bring the following two aspect as a positive impact of this proposal to Cardano:

1. Attracting Academic and Institutional Interest

The protocol serves as a practical demonstration of Cardano's potential in the academic environment, particularly in improving the peer review process - a crucial element in scientific publications. This could attract interest from universities, research organisations and academic publishers looking to leverage blockchain technology for transparent academic workflows. Connecting with such reputable institutions could significantly increase the adoption of Cardano for both institutional and decentralised science (DeSci).

Impact Metrics:

• Count the number of new partnerships or collabortions with academic institutions and research bodies formed due to the ZK peer-review protocol.
• Measure the uptake of the protocol among universities and scholarly publishers.

2. Catalyst for new applications and innovations

The successful implementation of ZK proofs for peer reviews can inspire similar applications in other areas that require confidentiality and integrity, such as electronic voting systems, private medical data management and confidential business processes. Each new application expands the use cases for Cardano and can attract new developers and entrepreneurs to the platform.

Impact Metrics:

• Track the number of new apps developed within the Cardano ecosystem that utilize ZK proofs, focusing on different sectors like healthcare and voting systems.
• Monitor increases in developer activities related to ZK technology on Github

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Know-how & Collaborations:

TrustLevel has a proven track record of successful participation and contribution in the voting and reviewing processes across multiple platforms, including Project Catalyst, Arbitrum, and SingularityNet, over the last few years. Our experience has equipped us with a deep understanding of the nuanced challenges and specific requirements of effective voting and reviewing systems.

We have active collaborations with the following teams in Cardano:

- Lidonation: Reputation-Scores for Catalyst Reviewers (https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/11/cardano-use-cases-concept/reputation-scores-for-catalyst-proposers-and-reviewers-by-lidonation-and-trustlevel)

- Photrek: Development of a community tool for voting calculations and community engagement in SingularityNet (https://proposals.deepfunding.ai/graduated/accepted/ed600af3-885c-45bc-a874-56d2dde371ce)

- SidanLab and MeshJS: Smart Contract Development (https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/11/cardano-open-developers/aiken-open-source-smart-contract-library-by-meshjs-and-trustlevel)

Feasibility:

• Pilot Testing: We will conduct a series of pilot tests to refine the system, using real-world data and scenarios to ensure that the system performs as intended.
• Feedback Loops: Implement feedback mechanisms to gather insights from the community, which will be used continuously to improve the system.

Contributions:

We have published several articles and pots detailing our findings and insights into the reviewing and decision-making processes:

• Impact Assessments: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JEti-4I9l-3LsAvf_JaTRXVsIRgPooffhcGO1zQjzr0/edit?usp=sharing
• Proposal Evaluations in Grant programs: https://medium.com/@dominik_36234/from-chaos-to-clarity-proposal-evaluations-in-web3-grant-programs-22d13222c69e
• Analysis of Decentralized Innovation Funds: https://medium.com/@dominik_36234/searching-for-signals-of-trust-in-an-ocean-of-noise-lessons-from-the-fellowship-part-2-acad30e9ae45
• Reputation Protocols: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ghLOLB9sUMuyxlQ8GXkSsH10_k0gPN3R90FyD3ZBwm0/edit?usp=sharing

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

M1: Literature Review and Framework Design

Duration: 1 month

Objectives:

• Comprehensive review of existing literature on ZK proofs and blockchain-based peer-review systems.
• Design of the cryptographic framework, including ZK-SNARK circuits, to ensure reviewer anonymity, conflict of interest checks, and review integrity.

Deliverables & Acceptance Criteria:

• A literature review document summarizing findings and relevance to the project.
• A detailed framework design document, including initial ZK-SNARK circuit designs.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Published documents, specification and code on Github repository.

M2: Development of ZK Proofs and Smart Contracts

Duration: 2 months

Objectives:

• Develop and implement ZK-SNARK circuits as per the designed framework.
• Create smart contracts for reviewer registration, manuscript submission, and review verification.

Deliverables & Acceptance Criteria:

• Functional ZK-SNARK circuits ready for integration.
• Deployed smart contracts on Cardano testnet, with documentation on their functions and interactions.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Published documents, specification and code on Github repository.

Milestone 3: UI/API Development

Duration: 1 month

Objectives:

• Develop a simple API/UI for manuscript submission, review submissions, and status checks.

Deliverables & Acceptance Criteria:

• A fully functional UI/API integrated with the backend smart contracts and ZK circuits.
• User testing report detailing the usability and accessibility of the interface.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Published documents, specification and code on Github repository.

M4: Documentation and Closeout Report

Duration: 1 month

Objectives:

• Documentation of the entire development process and system architecture.
• Prepare a closeout report and video

Deliverables & Acceptance Criteria:

• Complete project documentation package.
• Closeout report and video.

Evidence of milestone completion:

• Published documents, specification and code on Github repository.
• Submitted closeout report and video.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

TrustLevel was founded by Dominik Tilman with the vision to develop methods and protocols to make the reliability of data and information measurable. Since then, we have received various grants (Cardano, SingularityNet, Arbitrum) and projects that have continuously improved our knowledge and developed tools and enabled us to provide better reviewing and voting processes and systems in decentralised communities. All our outputs are open-source. 

TrustLevel Core Team: 

• Dominik Tilman: Project Lead
• Dominik has been actively engaged since Fund 3 in Project Catalyst and involved in multiple funded projects. All proposals are either successfully delivered or on track. He is founder of TrustLevel.io & Conu21.com and has 15+ years experience in innovation management and company building.
• Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikstumpp/; www.trustlevel.io; www.conu21.com 
• Roman Preuss: Full-Stack Developer
• https://de.linkedin.com/in/roman-preuss-0b145558
• Josch Rossa: Full-stack developer and LLMs
• https://github.com/josros
• Alex Ramalho: Full Stack AI Developer
• https://alexramalho.dev
• Sergey K.: ML + Blockchain Developer
• https://www.linkedin.com/i

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1: Literature Review and Framework Design

Total Budget: 30,000 ADA

• Personnel (cryptographers, blockchain experts): 20,000 ADA
• Tasks include conducting literature reviews and designing cryptographic setups and ZK-SNARK circuits.
• Resources and Tools: 5,000 ADA
• Includes access to academic journals, software for cryptographic design, and collaboration tools.
• Documentation: 5,000 ADA
• Preparation of framework design documents and initial reports.

Milestone 2: Development of ZK Proofs and Smart Contracts

Total Budget: 30,000 ADA

• Development Team (developers, smart contract engineers): 22,000 ADA
• Development of ZK-SNARK circuits and smart contracts for the peer-review system.
• Testing and Simulation Tools: 5,000 ADA
• Software and platforms for testing smart contracts and ZK proofs on the Cardano testnet.
• Project Management and Coordination: 3,000 ADA
• Management of the development process and coordination among team members.

Milestone 3: UI/API Development

Total Budget: 30,000 ADA

• UI/UX Designers and Front-end Developers: 18,000 ADA
• Design and development of the user interface and integration with backend systems.
• API Development and Integration: 8,000 ADA
• Development of APIs for interacting with smart contracts and handling data securely.
• User Testing and Feedback Collection: 4,000 ADA
• Conducting user testing sessions and collecting feedback for improvements.

Milestone 4: Documentation and Closeout Report

Total Budget: 10,000 ADA

• Technical Writers and Documentation Specialists: 6,000 ADA
• Compilation of comprehensive documentation and user guides.
• Closeout Report Preparation: 4,000 ADA
• Analysis of project outcomes, preparation of final project reports, and recommendations.

Rates are calculated with 150 Ada per hour (75 Dollar per hour at 1 ADA = 0.5 USD)

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Strategic Investment: Investing in the development of a ZK peer-review protocol pushes the boundaries of what's currently possible with blockchain technology in academic settings. By leveraging ZK-SNARKs, the project introduces advanced cryptographic techniques that enhance privacy and security for the peer-review process. This not only could strengthen Cardano's position as a leader in blockchain innovation but also serves as a key differentiator in a competitive market, potentially attracting new projects and developers to the platform.

Expertise and Complexity: Costs reflect fair compensation for specialized skills in data analysis and software development. The budget allocations align with prevailing rates in the industry, determined by the experience and skill set of professionals.

Risk mitigation: As a team, we willingly accept the currency risk of being paid in ADA, demonstrating our commitment and adaptability in a dynamic cryptocurrency environment. A decrease in the ADA price is a risk we bear, while any increase allows us to expand the scope.