DAOs vs Traditional Academic Structures
Discover how DAO employees can transform the conduct and sharing of academic research.
Furthermore, let’s learn how these creative schools are revolutionizing learning, broadening the education arena, and bringing forth new possibilities for international partnership.
Academic DAOs not only alter the approach to learning and research but also redefine professional development and cooperation.
By adopting this model, students, job seekers, and researchers will have access to new opportunities, fostering a more interconnected and reflective academic world.
Besides, in India, the inclusion of universities thus far in DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) development seems to be at its nascent stage, with few initiatives showing increasing concern about this area.
Concerning the academic sphere, DAOs offer a very different phenomenon as compared to regular education models.
However, this piece will focus on the main distinctions between two models, i.e. the Traditional Structures and the latest, DAO, with the latter stepping into several dimensions of academic reality.
(A) Organizational Structure
Traditional Academic Structures: These usually have a pyramidal structure, with commands channeled from the apex.
This approach often results in the centralization of control, where a few individuals or entities hold much sway over the course of action for an institution.
DAOs: Unlike DAOs, the organizational structure is flat and democratized.
Everyone is involved in making decisions so that each member, whether a student, educator, or researcher, has a voice and stake in the organization’s path.
(B) Decision-Making Process
Traditional Models: Transparency in the operations of conventional establishments is lacking, as some procedures and results are never visible to all stakeholders.
DAOs: The blockchain enables DAOs to achieve fairness and transparency when making key decisions.
The blockchain logs each step of voting and governance transparently, enabling evidential-based assumptions.
(C) Innovation and Flexibility
Traditional Institutions: These agencies usually have weaknesses that make their process of turning around difficult due to bureaucratic systems.
DAOs: That is what makes DAOs themselves so awesome; because of their community-enforced and nimble nature, they can change quickly.
These are a lot more in tune with their members’ needs, and share ideas better, enhancing the culture of ongoing change.
(D) Global Collaboration
Traditional Academic Settings: However, many times collaborations face geographical and institutional boundaries.
DAOs: They overcome these confinements and allow for worldwide working together as well as the exchange of ideas.
This not only improves the research and learning processes but also builds an academic community that is broader in nature.
Inference-
The juxtaposition of DAOs and traditional academic institutions exposes a paradigmatic rethink in the approach and management avenue toward learning or research.
DAOs allow a more democratic, open, and adaptable approach in line with the changing requirements of an increasingly globalized academic society.
Futuristic Acceptance of DAO in Scholarly Academics
In this new epoch, students can work together with teachers and researchers all around the world, thanks to which they tap into a community full of intelligence and creativity.
The possibilities of doing novel research and learning are huge, just due to the environment in a DAO where your ideas can thrive regardless of our conventional structures.
It is a courageous move to embrace DAOs in academia; it represents the future of inclusivity, democracy, and innovation that education and researchers duplicate.
As we make our way through this intriguing field, it is important to stay flexible and open and always heed the principles lying at the root of the DAO model.
By doing this, we would harness the power inherent in these ground-breaking establishments and thus open new chances for a more auspicious melted world future.
Indian Standpoint
Opportunities for the use of DAOs in Indian academia are developing, with several initiatives and advancements showing an increased interest in this space.
1. Polygon’s DAO Initiative: Bengaluru-based blockchain company Polygon, which was previously referred to as Matic Network, is leading India’s first DAO.
This is a big step in the Indian start-up ecosystem, emphasizing decentralized decision-making within its Decentralized Finance (DeFi) economy.
Polygon’s DAO is intended to strengthen the interconnectedness of blockchain systems and garner a decent number of users willing to engage in its domain-specific DeFi evolution.
In its vision, the company is also considering the creation of sub-DAOs for other Polygon ecosystems, which should all unite in a bigger Polygon DAO.
EduDAO
EduDAO, a global initiative financed by BitDAO, a decentralized asset manager, in cooperation with Mirana Ventures, demonstrates the potential for connecting university education to DAOs, despite the lack of a direct connection between Indian universities and this sphere.
Financed by BitDAO, a decentralized asset manager, in cooperation with Mirana Ventures, EduDAO works alongside leading educational institutions such as Harvard University, UC Berkeley, and Oxford Business School. EduDAO provides substantial funding for student projects focused on innovations in blockchain and Web 3.
The popularity of the blockchain system in Indian universities would be possible based on this model because interest in applying it is developing rapidly with courses opening.
- DAOs in Governance and Consensus Building: DAOs in India nurture the process championed by local communities.
They provide a framework that allows for decisions to be made based on the consensus between parties of community members and rewards or incentives based on their contributions or ‘proofs of work’.
This approach is considered a departure from the initial models, which were structured in hierarchical ways; it emphasizes collaborative efforts and community involvement.
4. Legal and Regulatory Aspects: Legally, the situation about DAOs remains quite fluid in India.
Experts are discussing whether tokens issued by DAO should be classified as utility or securities, and they are also addressing jurisdictional issues arising from the decentralized nature of these autonomous organizations.
These legal issues are still very fluid, and Indian DAOs, particularly relative to the global regulatory thrust as well as jurisdictional frameworks at home.
5. Academic-Industry Partnerships: Educational establishments in India such as IIT-Delhi and ICT-Mumbai are forging substantial connections with the industry that may be capable of integrating into DAO infrastructures eventually.
These partnerships concentrate on industrial consultancies, sponsored research projects, and start-ups, providing a source of inspiration for DAOs to play an active role in academic institutions.
Initiatives and programs by the government are accounted for as being highly influential in this regard, which is helping almost all these industry-academia links.
- Future Prospects for Indian Universities: Considering that DAOs in India are not yet well developed and the interest rate for blockchain technology grows – Indian universities could consider collaboration initiatives about the development of these institutions.
This may include curricular inclusion of DAO frameworks, promoting industry-academia collaborations in blockchain and DeFi, as well as structuring student-led blockchain projects supported through university-oriented DAOs.
With an increased interest in blockchain technology, the involvement of Indian universities in DAO development is still developing.
However, it appears that a promising future lies ahead with stimuli like Polygon’s DAO.
Indian universities could use these advancements to foster an atmosphere of experimentation and cooperation in the blockchain industry, potentially leading to the formation of university-based DAOs in the future.
To conclude, the DAOs in academia in India are quite embryonic at this point, but initiatives by entities such as Polygon and evolving academic-industry partnerships indicate an increasing interest in the growth of DAOs within this sector.
With the legal and regulatory framework around DAOs becoming more defined, one can expect to see increasing developments and implementation of DAO models in Indian higher education setups.
