Scaling the Infinite Garden in Africa
A 2-week Ethereum research pop-up city. Bridging the gap from consumers to core protocol contributors at Africa's first dedicated Ethereum hub.
Pop-up City
Lagos Ethereum Community Hub
Date Range
13th April - 28th April, 2026
Venue
Lagos Ethereum Community Hub, Nigeria
Participants
150+ Core Researchers
Research Tracks
4 Distinct Domains
The Mission
From Consumer to Contributor
Africa's Ethereum ecosystem is ready to move beyond just using decentralized applications. ETH Research Village is designed to foster a robust Core Dev and Research culture, empowering local talent to solve protocol-level challenges and scale the global Ethereum Infinite Garden.
14-Day Deep Dive
Two weeks of intense collaboration, learning, and building in the heart of Lagos.
Week 1: The Soil & Roots
Day 1-3
Protocol Deep Dives
Understanding L1 & L2 consensus mechanisms and scaling roadmaps.
Day 4-5
Cryptography & ZK
Foundational ZK circuits and privacy-preserving architecture.
Day 6-7
Lagos Community Day
Local tech ecosystem integration and Infinite Garden meetup.
Week 2: The Branches
Day 8-10
Agentic Economy Sprints
Building AI agents with crypto rails and decentralized autonomy.
Day 11-13
Financial Infrastructure
Stablecoins, payment rails, and local financial inclusion tools.
Day 14
Closing Ceremony
Demo Day and scaling plans for the pan-African researcher network.
Research Labs
Choose your path. Each lab focuses on cutting-edge Ethereum research with hands-on projects.
Agentic Economy
AI + Crypto
ERC-8004, x402, and AI agents that can pay for things autonomously.
Privacy & Data
ZK Proofs
Zero-knowledge circuits, private payroll, and on-chain data oracles.
Decentralized Luma
Core Build
Building our own event platform with SIWE, NFT tickets, and ZK-Email.
Open Source
Public Goods
Drips Protocol, sustainable funding, and contributing to core repos.
Financial Inclusion
Stablecoins & BTCfi
MiniApps, Telegram wallets, and Bitcoin DeFi for emerging markets.
Event Activities Schedule
This curriculum maps the Ethereum Roadmap (The Surge, The Scourge, The Verge) to African necessities.
Daily Format
Morning (10:00 - 13:00)
Deep Research Seminars (Theory & EIPs)
Afternoon (14:00 - 17:00)
Builder Sprints (Research Sessions & Prototyping)
Evening (19:00+)
Cultural Integration (Fireside Chats, Music, Local Food)
Week 1: The Soil & The Roots
Focus: Protocol & Scaling
| Day | Theme | Time | Activity | Description | Type | Speaker/Facilitator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Mon | The Infinite Garden Manifesto | 10:00 - 13:00 | Welcome to ETH Research Village & Infinite Garden Vision | Program overview & expectations, Introduction to Ethereum as an ecosystem, Community bonding & onboarding session | Research | TBD |
| 14:00 - 17:00 | Vitalik's Vision vs. African Reality | The Roadmap (The Merge → The Scourge → The Verge). Understanding Ethereum's evolution and its relevance to Africa. | Research | |||
| 19:00+ | Welcome Dinner | Networking and cultural orientation in Lagos. | Cultural | |||
2Tue | The Surge – Rollups & The Superchain | 10:00 - 13:00 | Ethereum Fundamentals (Deep Dive) | Ethereum architecture overview, Smart contracts & EVM basics, Why Ethereum matters globally. | Research | TBD |
| 14:00 - 17:00 | L2 Fundamentals & EIP-4844 | Optimistic Rollups, OP Stack, Superchain thesis. Research Focus: Blobs economics - How low can fees go for mobile money replacements? Activity: Deploying a custom L3 on OP Stack. | Builder | |||
| 19:00+ | Open Q&A Session | Builder hangout and informal tech discussions. | Cultural | |||
3Wed | Core Research – ZK-EVMs & Validity Proofs | 10:00 - 13:00 | Research Methods for Web3 | How to research blockchain problems, Reading whitepapers & EIPs, Understanding on-chain data. | Research | TBD |
| 14:00 - 17:00 | ZK-EVMs & Validity Proofs | The math behind Zero-Knowledge (Starknet/Scroll/zkSync). Research Focus: Cairo vs. Solidity, Prover efficiency on low-end hardware. | Research | |||
| 19:00+ | ZK Fireside Chat | Privacy and the endgame discussions. | Cultural | |||
4Thu | Data Availability (DA) & The Modular Stack | 10:00 - 13:00 | Data Availability & Blobs | The Data Availability Problem. Monolithic vs. Modular blockchains (Celestia/EigenDA). | Research | TBD |
| 14:00 - 17:00 | Ethereum Use Cases & Case Studies | DeFi, DAOs, NFTs, Infra, African Ethereum use cases. What's working vs what's broken. Research: Using Blobstream for African data sovereignty. | Builder | |||
| 19:00+ | Lagos Night Out | Cultural integration and community building. | Cultural | |||
5Fri | Account Abstraction (AA) & UX | 10:00 - 13:00 | Problem Discovery Day | Identifying real ecosystem problems, Mapping user pain points, Problem statements workshop. | Research | TBD |
| 14:00 - 17:00 | EIP-4337 and EIP-7702 | Eliminating seed phrases. Research Focus: Session Keys for gaming, Social Recovery for unbanked users. Activity: Building a Gasless Wallet prototype. | Builder | |||
| 19:00+ | Mentor Feedback Sessions | 1-on-1 project reviews with mentors. | Cultural | |||
6Sat | Decentralized Finance (DeFi) & Stablecoins | 10:00 - 13:00 | Ideation & Concept Development | Turning problems into ideas, Ideation frameworks, Early concept sketching. | Research | TBD |
| 14:00 - 17:00 | AMMs, DLAMMs, Lending & RWA | Research Focus: Stablecoins as inflation hedges. Algorithmic vs. Collateralized. Activity: Designing a local collateral stablecoin peg mechanism. | Builder | |||
| 19:00+ | DeFi Fireside | Informal discussions on financial innovation. | Cultural | |||
7Sun | Rest & Regeneration (The Cultural Layer) | All Day | Community & Cultural Day | Community service in Lagos, local market visit, or beach excursion. 'Ethereum is Human.' | Cultural | TBD |
The Infinite Garden Manifesto
Mon
Welcome to ETH Research Village & Infinite Garden Vision
Program overview & expectations, Introduction to Ethereum as an ecosystem, Community bonding & onboarding session
Vitalik's Vision vs. African Reality
The Roadmap (The Merge → The Scourge → The Verge). Understanding Ethereum's evolution and its relevance to Africa.
Welcome Dinner
Networking and cultural orientation in Lagos.
The Surge – Rollups & The Superchain
Tue
Ethereum Fundamentals (Deep Dive)
Ethereum architecture overview, Smart contracts & EVM basics, Why Ethereum matters globally.
L2 Fundamentals & EIP-4844
Optimistic Rollups, OP Stack, Superchain thesis. Research Focus: Blobs economics - How low can fees go for mobile money replacements? Activity: Deploying a custom L3 on OP Stack.
Open Q&A Session
Builder hangout and informal tech discussions.
Core Research – ZK-EVMs & Validity Proofs
Wed
Research Methods for Web3
How to research blockchain problems, Reading whitepapers & EIPs, Understanding on-chain data.
ZK-EVMs & Validity Proofs
The math behind Zero-Knowledge (Starknet/Scroll/zkSync). Research Focus: Cairo vs. Solidity, Prover efficiency on low-end hardware.
ZK Fireside Chat
Privacy and the endgame discussions.
Data Availability (DA) & The Modular Stack
Thu
Data Availability & Blobs
The Data Availability Problem. Monolithic vs. Modular blockchains (Celestia/EigenDA).
Ethereum Use Cases & Case Studies
DeFi, DAOs, NFTs, Infra, African Ethereum use cases. What's working vs what's broken. Research: Using Blobstream for African data sovereignty.
Lagos Night Out
Cultural integration and community building.
Account Abstraction (AA) & UX
Fri
Problem Discovery Day
Identifying real ecosystem problems, Mapping user pain points, Problem statements workshop.
EIP-4337 and EIP-7702
Eliminating seed phrases. Research Focus: Session Keys for gaming, Social Recovery for unbanked users. Activity: Building a Gasless Wallet prototype.
Mentor Feedback Sessions
1-on-1 project reviews with mentors.
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) & Stablecoins
Sat
Ideation & Concept Development
Turning problems into ideas, Ideation frameworks, Early concept sketching.
AMMs, DLAMMs, Lending & RWA
Research Focus: Stablecoins as inflation hedges. Algorithmic vs. Collateralized. Activity: Designing a local collateral stablecoin peg mechanism.
DeFi Fireside
Informal discussions on financial innovation.
Rest & Regeneration (The Cultural Layer)
Sun
Community & Cultural Day
Community service in Lagos, local market visit, or beach excursion. 'Ethereum is Human.'
Speakers & Mentors
Connecting local pioneers with global leaders from the Ethereum core teams and L2 ecosystems.
Want to mentor or speak?
We are looking for core devs, L2 researchers, and on-chain analysts to support the next generation of African builders.
Apply for Residency
Join a collective of pioneers in Lagos. Limited spots available for the 2026 cohort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the ETH Research Village.
Yes, participation is free. However, residency spots (accommodation) may have a small fee or be merit-based depending on sponsorship availability.
We have limited travel support for high-impact researchers. Mention your need in the residency interest section of the form.
We welcome all levels, but this is a research-focused event. A basic understanding of Ethereum and smart contracts is recommended.
The core research sprints happen in Lagos, but workshops and keynotes will be streamed, and virtual participants can join Discord labs.
It's a metaphor for Ethereum as a decentralized, nurturing ecosystem. We aim to scale this vision with an African lens.