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Poseidon Short Term Grants
This RFP funds targeted cryptanalytic research on the Poseidon and Poseidon2 hash functions, which are used across Ethereum applications that rely on verifiable computation. It supports a defined set of open research problems identified by the Ethereum Foundation Poseidon Group, with the aim of strengthening the security evidence for Poseidon-based constructions in ZK protocols. The full list of research challenges, scope notes, and the current bounty program are maintained on the Poseidon Initiative page: https://www.poseidon-initiative.info/#h.igyegrb8v5vn
Tags
- Cryptography
- Research
Ecosystem Need
Poseidon and Poseidon2 are arithmetic-friendly hash functions optimized for the smallest circuit size over prime fields, and they are used in numerous Ethereum applications that deal with verifiable computation. Poseidon ranks among the top performers at recent STARK benchmarks, making it a promising candidate for use at Ethereum L1 in various protocols that employ ZK proofs. Establishing sufficient security evidence for Poseidon instances is therefore foundational to the resilience of Ethereum's ZK-based infrastructure, and concentrated effort on the known open problems will materially improve confidence in deploying Poseidon at the protocol level.
Hard Requirements
- Proposal must address one or more of the specific research problems defined by the Ethereum Foundation Poseidon Group, as listed on https://www.poseidon-initiative.info/#h.igyegrb8v5vn - All research outputs must be open-source and publicly available. - Authors of Poseidon and Poseidon2 are not eligible to apply. - Standard EF grant terms apply, including KYC and a signed grant agreement.
Soft Requirements
- Prior research experience in algebraic cryptanalysis, Gröbner basis attacks, resultant-based system solving, or quantum cryptanalysis of symmetric primitives. - Background in the analysis of arithmetization-oriented hash functions such as Anemoi, Jarvis, Rescue-Prime, MiMC, or comparable designs. - Capacity to produce a written research output suitable for academic publication or peer review.
Resources
Timeline
Opens: May 11, 2026
Closes: Jun 1, 2026
Estimated Project Duration: 3 to 6 months per research problem, depending on the scope of the question addressed.
