Conflicts of Interest

To ensure the impartiality of the DAO, a governor is barred from submitting a proposal to the Research DAO to fund their own work. No governor can receive any funding from the DAO. The participation of governors in board meetings is voluntary and uncompensated.

A governor is barred from participating in a discussion about a funding decision pertaining to a proposal deemed to be in conflict of interest with them. Governors in a conflict of interest are also barred from voting for such proposals. Proposals in which some governors abstain for reasons of conflict of interest must still receive a majority of favourable votes across all governors (i.e., at least 5 total votes in favour). This means that proposals with more than 4 governors abstaining can never be approved.

Proposals are considered in conflict of interest with a governor if:

1. The governor is a co-author of the work in question.
2. The person submitting the proposal:
   1. Is or has ever been the advisor of the governor, for life.
   2. Is or has ever been advised by the governor, for life.
   3. Is a family member or close friend of the governor.
   4. Is currently affiliated with the same institution as the governor.

Governors must disclose any conflict of interest to the board, at their discretion, even if it does not fall within the above categories.

Governors are forbidden from receiving monetary or other forms of compensation from proposed candidates.