R&D · Program overview

Funding what the network needs next.

R&D backs work that closes gaps in the network before they become problems. RFPs are published as gaps are identified and applications are reviewed as they arrive, with funding released in stages as the work proves out. The strongest proposals name the gap they close and say why it matters now.

Objective

Fund what's missing

R&D funds work aimed at a specific gap in the network: something missing, thinly covered, or dependent on a single implementation. The strongest proposals name that gap plainly and explain why closing it matters now rather than later.

Most of this work sits alongside the pods, supporting what they're building without duplicating what they already own.

There are several ways R&D work pays off. It can produce findings the ecosystem uses whether or not the work continues, add a second implementation where the network currently depends on one, or take up an available route into ongoing Kernel or Revenue Development funding.

We're looking for

Work that closes a named gap in the network
Where relevant, the Kernel function or Revenue Development roadmap it would strengthen
Work that sits alongside the pods, supporting them without duplicating what they own
A second implementation where the network currently depends on just one
Findings the ecosystem can use even if the work itself does not continue
A credible route from this stage into ongoing Kernel or Revenue Development funding

Not in scope

Open-ended research with no gap named
Work with no credible path to shipping inside the grant horizon
Marketing campaigns, business development, acquisitions, and one-off incentives
Work that duplicates what a pod or an existing Kernel function already covers

Open RFPs

What we're asking for

R&D is request-driven — the usual way in is a response to a published RFP rather than an unsolicited proposal.

Coming soon

R&D RFPs Opening Soon

Focus areas listed below will regularly be updated to ensure the focus areas remain targeted to ecosystem priorities. Will be accepting applications soon!

Focus / 01

Customer-facing products built on Filecoin

In scope

Products for AI workloads, such as agent memory, tamper-evident audit logs, and training-data provenance
Products for creative, media, and archival data storage, for studios and cultural institutions
Products for compliance and regulated data, with write-once retention and audit trails
Products for real-world-asset and onchain-data teams with near-to-medium term potential to convert to ARR

Not in scope

Platform extensions (SDKs, adapters, gateways)
Unvalidated MVPs or demos
Acquisitions, channel business development, and marketing
Research-only projects

Focus / 02

Storage provider economics and growth

In scope

Recruitment programs targeting adjacent differentiated supply, such as colocation operators and regional cloud providers
Retention infrastructure for the existing provider base
Rigorous economic modeling for storage providers, published as an ongoing public resource
Financial products that reduce capital risk, such as equipment financing and revenue-sharing arrangements

Not in scope

New mining-hardware ventures
Marketing campaigns without economic modeling
One-off incentive programs

Focus / 03

AI infrastructure products on Filecoin

In scope

Verifiable-compute and audit services: productized services pairing Filecoin storage with verifiable execution
Training-data provenance products: commercial offerings that solve audit and licensing-provenance problems
Cross-stack verifiable-AI infrastructure, with owned products and customers
Machine-readable ecosystem knowledge: services that create and maintain technical documentation

Not in scope

General-purpose AI products that use Filecoin incidentally
Research-only projects
Open-source contributions without customer-facing products

Focus / 04

FIL value accrual: burn and lock mechanisms

Proposals must include a credible path to mainnet within the grant horizon.

In scope

Fee-and-burn mechanisms on stablecoin payment rails, routing payments through swap-to-FIL-and-burn
Protocol-level fee burns tied to network activity
FIL-locking primitives for storage providers and customers, through staking, escrow, or collateral
FIL-locking primitives for ecosystem participants, with lock-and-earn mechanisms
Measurement, dashboards, and verification for burn rates and locked supply

Not in scope

Research papers without implementation plans
Mechanisms without mainnet viability
Speculative tokenomics requiring broad consensus changes
One-off “buy and burn” marketing
Designs dependent on a single counterparty

Evaluation

How proposals are reviewed

Process: Three phases: AI-assisted shortlist, committee vetting, final allocation
Assessed: Against Filecoin's 2026 network objectives
Strongest: Shipped products with named paying customers within six months