SBIR Phase I: Extensible system for interoperability between permissioned blockchains

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是使用b区块链来促进商业交易。行业分析师估计，有3万亿美元的价值锁定在B2B流程中，可以从特定类型的交易中受益。该项目提出了一种新的体系结构，以支持不同类型的事务和跨区块链协议，同时保持数据安全性、隐私性和其他限制。这个SBIR第一阶段项目提议开发一个模块化架构来验证不同区块链（包括运行不同底层协议的区块链）之间的状态转移。研究目标是探索新的架构，包括使用基于分散的互操作代理组提交的状态承诺的互操作协调器。然后，互操作协调器将根据提交链的共识规范验证它们的最终性。互操作协调器将作为证明请求和响应的代理，因为来自一个链的分散的互操作代理提交请求，以证明另一个链中的特定交易。目标链的证明者将构建一个加密证明并将其转发给互操作协调器，以将响应中继到请求链。作为本研究的一部分，请求代理将使用各种调查方法进行验证。所建议的项目方法与其他互操作性项目的区别在于它支持异构区块链协议和支持任意类型的事务。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to use blockchain to facilitate business transactions. Industry analysts estimate there is $3 T of value locked in B2B processes that could benefit from specific types of transactions. This project proposes a new architecture to enable different types of transactions and across blockchain protocols, while maintaining data security, privacy, and other restrictions. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop a modular architecture to verify state transfers across different blockchains (including those running different underlying protocols). The research objective is to explore new architectures, including using an interop coordinator based on state commitments submitted by decentralized groups of interop agents. The interop coordinator will then validate their finality according to the consensus specifications of the submitting chain. The interop coordinator will act as the broker for proof requests and responses, as decentralized interop agents from one chain submit requests for proof of a particular transaction in another chain. The prover of the target chain will build a cryptographic proof and forward it to the interop coordinator, to relay the response to the requesting chain. Verification will be conducted by the requesting agent using various methods to be investigated as part of this research. The proposed project approach is distinguished from other interoperability projects in its support for heterogeneous blockchain protocols and the support for arbitrary types of transactions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.