# Ethereum scalability research and development subsidy programs

DevFeed: [Ethereum scalability research and development subsidy programs](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/ethereum-scalability-research-and-development-subsidy-programs-16817.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ethereum.org/en/2018/01/02/ethereum-scalability-research-development-subsidy-programs>)

Author: Vitalik Buterin

Published: 2018-01-02T17:42:21Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Ethereum Foundation Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ethereum-foundation-blog.md>)

Topics: [Ethereum](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ethereum.md>), [Scalability](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/scalability.md>), [Blockchain](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/blockchain.md>), [Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/development.md>), [Python](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/python.md>)

Tags: [blockchain](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blockchain.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [ethereum](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ethereum.md>), [python](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/python.md>), [research](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/research.md>), [research-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/research-development.md>), [scalability](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/scalability.md>), [sharding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sharding.md>), [strategy](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/strategy.md>)

## AI overview

The article presents Ethereum scalability as a major technical challenge and describes two complementary approaches: sharding at the base layer and layer 2 protocols that move most transactions off-chain. It also announces subsidy programs supporting research, development, and sharding client implementations.

## Source excerpt

The Ethereum community, key developers and researchers and others have always recognized scalability as perhaps the single most important key technical challenge that needs to be solved in order for blockchain applications to reach mass adoption. Blockchain scalability is difficult primarily because a typical blockchain design requires every node in...