How does the Project work?

The Dandelion Project will be funded by voluntary donors, at a daily donation of 10 cents USD, or the equivalent in their local currency. With this funding the Project will support a research facility to research two essential technologies: Green energy technology and the mitigation of the adverse effects of ageing.

Importantly, the technologies and products derived from the Project’s research will be transferred, free of charge, to all participating nations in the form of manufacturing rights. Each nation can then nominate a compliant industry registered in their country to manufacture the goods and services. Through this we can collectively fund important research without requiring the backing of billion dollar industries or powerful countries in order to mass produce future technologies.

[Simple Overview PDF]

[Overview PDF]

The total annual sum of donations would add up to $36.50. Consider that if 1% of the population can afford donating 10c daily the yearly funds available to the Dandelion project would be approximately $3 Billion Dollars. This is higher than the GDP of twenty-six countries currently on earth.

As for this goal of a 1% global participation rate, it is entirely realistic, as the United States alone has 104.3 Million registered monthly donors which accounts for 1.2% of the earth’s population. This means that although single countries can fund the Project in its entirety, it will seek to have a global population participating.

With all that being said, simply ask yourself this question: Am I willing to offer ten cents for the chance of changing the future of the human race for the better? If the average person is willing to donate ten cents, rather than use that money on a twentieth of a coffee, then we will easily reach our target.  

As for the formal structure of the Dandelion Project, it will exist outside of a given country as an 'intergovernmental organization', an entity equivalent to the United Nations, which similarly, owns no land nor is governed by a nation, yet has brought together a diverse and contrasting planet of independent nations for decades.  

[Development Cost PDF]

It is essential to have the Dandelion Project to be neutral in its research, therefore it must be located on neutral territory not claimed by any nation. Although such locations are rare, mostly due to their usually uninhabitable nature, one area is located within Europe perfectly suits this criteria.

Located along the Danube river is a small island between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbia known as Siga. This area is an unclaimed island in the middle of the river that neither nation formally claims due to its low intrinsic value.

The land itself is a 6km2, low-laying area along the river holding no population, resources or infrastructure. As covered in the Cost analysis PDF and the construction document below, it is intended for the land to be raised and reinforced to support the construction of the laboratory and supporting residences.  

The neighbouring countries will not have their sovereignty infringed, nor threatened by the existence of the laboratory; Instead, they will benefit greatly from the construction as they will be given priority construction contracts along with the normal benefits of the research being conducted.

[Construction PDF]

The Dandelion project, like any other large entity, requires both widespread popular support and an iron-clad code of conduct to oblige it to follow through on its goals. Lacking in either would be detrimental to its legitimacy.

Since the Dandelion Project is entrusted with the goodwill of the donors it must make all efforts to ensure that it is not undermined by internal or external forces. Profit driven companies or the changing policies of a nation may seek to prevent this research from be conducted, therefore it can only be done efficiently when such research is independent of money and politics.

Conventionally, matters like this are handled using the ‘neutrality’ of the United Nations which oversee a number of global initiatives. Initially this seems reasonable, but there is an inherent flaw. Sometimes countries disagree with the UN for various reasons and refuse to comply with their request. If the Dandelion Project was absorbed into the UN then a country may drop out because of a completely unrelated issue.

We cannot allow a nation of people to lose access to these technologies and be unfairly left out due to their government’s actions. This would undermine their goodwill and would contradict the world-wide scope of the Project; After all, unless the human race moves forward together then we just widen the gap between us.

I offer this solution: In order to protect the Dandelion Project we will formally establish a purpose-built micro-nation constrained by an ironclad constitution that obliges it to conduct ethical research. This is done to allow a permanent population, sourced from around the world, to inhabit the selected area and provide ongoing research in a safe location.

This is a seemingly unlikely solution, one that some may not feel is too far-fetched to be possible; However consider these nations that currently exist on earth and their purpose for existence:

• The nation of Andorra exists because a treaty between Spain and France made a clerical error when handing over a number of small towns. These towns were officially forfeited but never claimed by the other party. They became independent for this reason.
   
• The nation of the Vatican, although existing in as a prior nation known as the papal state, exists currently in its location due the Italian government’s connection to the Catholic faith. This country exists purely to support the catholic people.
   
• The nation of Albania intends to construct a micro-nation called the “Bektashi Order” within their borders. It, like the Vatican, is intended to be an equivalent holy land for the Sufi Muslim population of the world.  
   
• The nation of Monaco exists as a remnant of the nation of Genoa. Due to its affluence and political deals with France it has earned and retained its legitimacy purely due to its financial well-being.
   

The formation of such a state requires that we impose limitations and strict fail-safes to ensure that it solely pursues the goals of the Dandelion Project. This can be achieved with sufficient planning and the expertise of the United Nations with a tailor-made constitution, the draft of which will be accessible to read below.

[Constitution]