StarkWare launches $1M fund for Bitcoin smart contract research

StarkWare, the developer of the permissionless decentralized zk-rollup Starknet (STRK), announced on X the launch of a $1 million OP_CAT research fund. This fund aims to support research into the benefits and drawbacks of implementing OP_CAT for Bitcoin smart contracts. The committee overseeing this program includes experts from Blockstream, StarkWare, ChainCode Labs, BastionZero, Lightning Labs and more. The submission deadline for research proposals is Jan. 1, 2025.