PEvO roadmap: the next 18 months

It's been nearly two weeks since the launch of the PEvO beta, and it's time to lay out the current plans for its future trajectory. The core functionality is implemented, although it needs a lot more testing under real-world conditions. Content is written on-chain, but in a testing namespace - be aware of that when you use your Hive account. The platform provides free accounts to users with an institutional email address or an ORCID iD with at least 3 external publications. If you don't have either we can whitelist email addresses for testers.

When the whitepaper was written in 2016, the open science ecosystem was only just starting to sprout. Much has happened since, but the core ideas of the concept are still as valid today. The interest in post-publication reviews has even risen.

From here, the work splits into three phases:

Phase 1: Preparation for production. September 2026.

Step one is expanding the tester cohort to simulate real interactions by different users. This will surface bugs and issues that have to be fixed before we can move to a production namespace without the risk of putting incorrect data on chain. A security review of the code by independent professionals is an optional goal for this phase, dependent on cost and funding.
It also needs content policies, a code of conduct and similar moderation guidelines. Drafting these well requires input from people experienced in moderating scholarly platforms, which is one of the things we're currently looking for in advisors and contributors.

Phase 2: Standards and institutionalization. September 2027.

The current feature set is largely complete in regard to evaluation, but for the publishing part to be useful to researchers it requires a lot more integrations. Metadata has to be mapped to standard scholarly metadata formats including Dublin Core, JATS XML, COAR Notify, and others required for institutional and indexing integration. This work requires a more systematic approach than the quick development of the beta meant to demonstrate the concept.
To be able to issue DOI numbers and access some institutional APIs, PEvO also needs a legal umbrella. Work is underway to form a Portuguese non-profit association as an appropriate legal structure. Still looking for volunteer founding and board members.
Funding for this phase has been requested through an NLnet NGI Zero Commons application submitted for the June 2026 round.

Phase 3: Field establishment. October 2027 onward.

The focus will be on adoption: having a presence at conferences, contacting research groups and institutions, creating publications about PEvO's design and participating formally in standards bodies. Future sustainability becomes a real question, with European research infrastructure programs, foundation funding, and donations as likely targets. The reputation algorithm requires fine-tuning with real usage data, which only becomes meaningful at scale. Governance also matures at this point: an elected board, transparent reporting, community participation through voting.

If you want to help shape the future of the project, get in touch. Be aware that plans will evolve; this is a rough roadmap, not a fixed timeline.