====
News
====

**18.11.22**
    We have open sourced and published an `improvement to our BLS signature aggregation <https://eprint.iacr.org/2022/1611>`_ which allows for more efficient signature verification. We have submitted this work to `Financial Cryptography 2023 <https://fc23.ifca.ai/>`_.
**01.08.22**
    We have open sourced a `fully succinct BLS signature aggregation achieved using custom SNARKs <https://eprint.iacr.org/2022/1205>`_. This allows one to define and construct accountable light client systems that, in turn, are the core cryptographic primitive used for building bridges between PoS blockchains. See `the project page <https://github.com/w3f/apk-proofs>`_ for full details.
**02.12.21**:
    Our `research on accountable light clients <https://eprint.iacr.org/2022/1205>`_ has been accepted at the poster session of `Financial Cryptography 2022 <https://fc22.ifca.ai/>`_.
**01.07.21**:
    Jonas published a blog post about `Nominating and Validator Selection on Polkadot <https://polkadot.network/nominating-and-validator-selection-on-polkadot/>`_ where he stressing the importance of building and maintaining a trusting relationship between nominators and their validators and shows how various economic and socio-economic aspects can guide that process.
**21.06.21**:
   Handan will present her paper `Coin-based Multi-party Fair Exchange  <https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-78372-3_6>`_ on `ACNS 2021  <http://sulab-sever.u-aizu.ac.jp/ACNS2021/>`_
    
**15.05.21**:
    Alistair and Samuel finished a `working paper  <https://ssrn.com/abstract=3846363>`_ on front-running in the candle auction, showing that with many rounds the format essentially turns into a second-price auction.

**29.01.21**:
    Fatemeh shared her thoughts on "Interoperability - Where are we now and what can we expect for 2021" in an online-presentation at the Bitcoin Suisse Crypto Outlook 2021. Additionally, she features an article in the corresponding `research report <https://click.mlsend.com/link/c/YT0xNjA5OTk0MzE5NjA1Nzk4MjQ3JmM9ZTNvNCZlPTU5MTY4MzA0JmI9NTEyMjM3NDg1JmQ9djBqOHo2dw==.ngxPQKz29giu1TK1fdNRJdTJ8gEWu2BFos0tuJeD7AQ/>`_. 

**16.01.21**:
    The Web3 Foundation successfully hosted the `Workshop on Real-World Decentralized Cryptography <http://rwc2021-real-world-decentralised-cryptography-workshop.w3f.community/>`_ with presentations of leading experts in topics such as distributed key generation, threshold cryptography, and multiparty computation. 

**10.11.20**:
    Is slashing a good idea? Alistair `talks <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8q16k4U2fA>`_ about slashing and how to apply it to scaling in proof of stake at the DISC 2020 workshop on "Blockchain Interoperability and Sharding".

**23.09.20**:
    Register today for `DISC 2020 <http://www.disc-conference.org/wp/disc2020/registration/>`_ (October 12-16, 2020)! W3F will host a `Workshop on Blockchain Interoperability and Sharding <https://disc2020-sharding-and-interoperability-workshop.w3f.community/>`_. Participation is free and the conference is held online.

**27.08.20**:
    Fatemeh has been program committee member of USENIX Security 2021.

**21.08.20**:
    After the first `democratic vote <https://medium.com/polkadot-network/the-first-polkadot-vote-1fc1b8bd357b>`__ in Polkadot the community decided that the “DOT” token will undergo a redenomination (1 DOT will now hold 1e10 plancks, instead of 1e12). More information can be found `here <https://polkadot.network/denomination-day-ecosystem-project-guidance/>`_.

**18.08.20-20.08.20**:
    W3F researchers and some Parity Technology developers joined together for a 2 day workshop in Berlin discussing implementations details of Polkadot components such as the AnV and XCMP protocols.

**18.08.20**:
    Token transferrability in Polkadot was enabled at block number 1,205,128.

**10.08.20**:
    Alistair has developed a design for ultralight clients that can be used for Ethereum bridges.

**01.08.20**:
    Oana joined the research team and will be working on security and privacy projects, with a focus on (ZK)snarks.

**31.07.20**:
    Our proposal to organize a workshop on Sharding and Interoperability at `DISC 2020 <http://www.disc-conference.org/wp/disc2020/>`__ got accepted.

**22.07.20**:
    Alfonso gave a talk on “Incentive Schemes and Blockchain Security” in CAS summer school organised by University of Zurich.

**20.07.20**
    The sudo module was removed by council motion and Polkadot officially becomes a self-governed and permissionless blockchain!

**02.07.20**:
    Alistair gave a `talk <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk8GWCczXHo>`__ in CV labs on shared security.

**01.07.20**:
    `Jonas <team_members/Jonas.html>`_ has started an internship research position to apply insights from behavioral economics and to analyze the human interaction with the protocol.

**28.06.20**:
    Alistair has designed a succinct GRANDPA protocol.

**23.06.20**:
    Alfonso and Alistair came up with an efficient algorithm to test the quality of solutions that can be submitted for a validator-nominatior setup on chain.

**15.06.20**:
    Jeff got invited to be on the program committee of the Financial Cryptography 2021 conference.

**09.06.20**:
    Alistair has designed a succinct GRANDPA protocol.

**01.06.20**:
    Samuel has started a part-time researcher position to analyze the theoretical properties of the auctions, which will be used to allocate parachain slots.

**26.05.20**:
    After many years of hard work, the initial version of Polkadot has finally `launched <https://polkadot.network/web3-foundation-initiates-launch-polkadot-is-live/>`__ today! During this phase, we retain superuser control of the network via a “sudo module”, which can be used easily deploy runtime upgrades containing fixes.

**15.05.20**:
    Aleixo will start his Master thesis at W3F desiging a private interoperability protocol between Polkadot and zCash.

**09.05.20**:
    Fatemeh is giving guest lecture on Interoperability at CAS courses organised by University of Applied Science of Zurich (ZHAW).

**06.05.20**:
    Al will give a talk at Layer One online conference titled “Polkadot’s cross-chain Messaging Protocol”.

**04.05.20**:
    Jeff gave a talk at Layer One online conference titled “Availability & Validity on Polkadot”.

**02.05.20**:
    The first version of the `Polkadot Overview paper <https://github.com/w3f/research/blob/master/docs/papers/OverviewPaper-V1.pdf>`__ is ready. Have a look!

**27.04.20**:
    Alfonso and Alistair prepared the first draft of the `NPoS paper <https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.12990>`__. Have a look!

**27.03.20**:
    Fatemeh is programm committee member of IWPE 2020.

**05.03.20**:
    The interlay (http://interlay.io) project has been comissioned by Web3 Foundation to work on Bitcoin-Polkadot bridge specification.

**19-20.02.20**:
    Alistair is going to attend the Standford Blockchain Conference 2020 and a co-located `Polkadot meetup <https://www.meetup.com/Polkadot-San-Francisco/events/268426884/>`__ organized by Web3 Foundation.

**10.02.20**
    Handan and Jeff attended Financial Crypto 2020 and presented their posters.

**13.01.20**
    We published a medium blogpost on `XCMP <https://medium.com/web3foundation/polkadots-messaging-scheme-b1ec560908b7>`__ giving an overall overview of XCMP and descriping a number of design decisions.

**20.12.19**
    We updated our `XCMP implementation considerations <polkadot/XCMP>`_.

**05.12.19**
    Handan has finished a paper titled: `Consensus on Clock in Universally Composable Timing Model <https://eprint.iacr.org/2019/1348.pdf>`__. It is an updated version of Ouroboros Clepsydra that doesn’t rely on existence of some syncronized parties anymore.

**03.12.19**
    Syed attended the `ECC workshop <https://eccworkshop.org/2019/>`__ in Bochum, Germany.

**02.12.19**
    A poster from Jeff on incentivized mixing and a poster from Handan on consensus on clocks have been accepted at Financial Crypto 2020.

**28.11.19**
    Alistair gave a presentation on Polkadot's governance and participated in a panel at "the Governance on blockchain systems" meetup in Geneva, Switzerland.

**20.11.19**
    Some members of the research and HR teams will present a recruitment talk for masters and PhD students at EPFL, Switzerland.

**12.11.19**
    Alistair presented a poster session about the Grandpa finality gadget at the  Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CSS) in London.

**08.11.19**
    Alfonso and Syed hosted a 3 hour Thinktank session about Polkadot in Paris, organized by LaBChain and hosted by Caisse des Dépôts.

**30.10.19**
    Fatemeh gave a talk titled 'Decentralization and privacy' and Alfonso gave a talk introducing Polkadot's at a Web3 meetup.

**12.10.19**
    Alistair will be participating in panel at an event on cross-app communication organized by Near protocol right after Devcon 5.

**09.10.19**
    At Devcon day 1, Fatemeh will give a short presentation about Polkadot's needs for p2p. On day 4, Alistair will give a devcon talk on our availabiltiy and validity scheme. Also on day 4, Alfonso will give a short presentation about governenace.

**05.10.19**
    Alistair gave a talk at the `NodeTokyo 2019 <https://nodetokyo.jp/>`__ about our NPoS solution.

**17.09.19**
    Alistair's poster on GRANDPA has been accepted as an ACM CCS poster and will be pesented in CCS'19 in London.

**16.09.19**
    Alistair will be giving a number of talks in China in the next two weeks.

**18.08.19**
    Handan wrote a paper describing the relevant time technique used in Polkadot’s block production protocol BABE with the title: “Ouroboros Clepsydra: Ouroboros Praos in Universally Composable Relative Time Model” that will be shortly available online.

**15.08.19**
    Syed and Alfonso will hold an exercise session for Polkadot’s bridge design in Copenhagen Blockchain Summer School. In addition, Alfonso will be giving a talk at the Nordic Blockchain Summit 2019.

**05.08.19**
    Alistair, Fatemeh, and Jeff are in Berlin for our networking workshop with Parity.

**22.07.19**
    Alistair gave a number of talks focusing on Polkadot’s Validity and Avalibility scheme in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Chengzhu during Polkadot China tour in July.

**28.06.19**
    Fatemeh is PC member for CBT 2019.