Longevity Science Foundation launches decentralized blockchain voting program

Press release

Dec. 7, 2021 – Zug, Switzerland – The Longevity Science Foundation — a Swiss nonprofit dedicated to advancing the healthy human lifespan — has announced today it will use blockchain technology in its funding selection process. To do so, the foundation has created Longevity Science Foundation Points, which will be distributed to all foundation donors. These nonmonetary tokens will empower donors to vote on which projects and proposals they believe should be funded by the foundation. All projects under consideration will first be chosen by the Longevity Science Foundation Visionary Board for their technical soundness, impact and scientific quality.

A description of the full program can be found in the LSF Founding Statement (along with an executive summary).

“Beyond having a credible, strict and transparent evaluation and selection process, the LSF wishes to accommodate a system for donors to also express their opinion and vote for their favourites among the applications,” Visionary Board chairman Evelyne Yehudit Bischof said. “This program will not only encourage donor involvement but will also help us achieve our mission of bringing more longevity-based solutions to a wider audience within the next five years.”

The LSF Points are not an investment instrument and do not possess any monetary value. The LSF does not sell or exchange LSF Points for any currency — they are strictly an instrument for internal decision-making and governance. However, in addition to votes, donors can use points to earn rewards such as NFTs commemorating contributions, consultations with longevity specialists, and early access to treatments. Point transfers and report security will be managed via smart contracts on an Ethereum-based public blockchain.

“We aim to maintain full transparency while reducing bureaucratic burden in the funding process,” Bischof said. “Every funding decision the foundation makes is fully auditable applying the new blockchain program, which guarantees transparency around LSF work.”

After receiving funding proposals, a team of longevity opinion leaders pre-vets and shortlists selected proposals and defines priority vectors to deliver a comprehensive set of funding targets. These are reviewed by donors who then execute their voting rights through their holding of LSF Points. Details of the process can be found on the website.

The foundation is focused on selecting and supporting projects in four major areas of longevity medicine and health tech: predictive diagnostics, therapeutics, personalized medicine and AI. The foundation is seeking to fund projects that can facilitate and accelerate significant progress in longevity medicine as soon as possible.

The Visionary Board is composed of leading longevity researchers such as Bischof, Andrea B. Maier, Eric Verdin, Matt Kaeberlein, Michael Levitt and Alex Zhavoronkov.

Press contact:

Rachel Pipan, +31 06 422 13615, press@longevity.foundation

About the Longevity Science Foundation

The Longevity Science Foundation is a Swiss nonprofit organisation advancing human longevity by funding research and development of medical technologies to extend the healthy human lifespan. The long-term mission of the Longevity Science Foundation is to help make longevity-focused care accessible to everyone, no matter their background, by bringing cutting-edge science on aging out of the laboratory and into the mainstream. To learn more, visit www.longevity.foundation.