Genesis

bloxberg originated as a decentralized blockchain network to ensure the secure and verifiable time-stamping of research data. Scientific integrity depends on the ability to prove the authenticity and existence of data at a given time.

Recognizing the lack of an existing solution that met the specific needs of the scientific community — such as trust, continuity, performance, and independence from commercial interests — the Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL) took initiative. What began as a search for a timestamping service for researchers within the Max Planck Society quickly evolved into something much bigger.

In early 2019, the Max Planck Society brought together eleven research organizations from ten countries to co-found what would become the world’s first decentralized blockchain infrastructure built for science, by scientists. Each of these institutions shared a belief in the transformative potential of blockchain for research – not for speculation, but for verifiability, reputation, and scientific sovereignty.

The story goes that after three days of intense, controversial, and constructive discussion — snowed in at Schloss Ringberg in the Bavarian Alps — the founders passed the bloxberg Whitepaper 1.0, defining both the technical specifications and the initial governance model of the network. This marked the official genesis of the bloxberg blockchain.

Later that year, bloxberg was officially recognized as a flagship project in the German Federal Government’s National Blockchain Strategy. The project was also invited to the Federal Round Table on Blockchain in Science & Research, representing the scientific perspective in shaping national infrastructure policy.