Cryptocurrency pioneers Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, and Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, have committed a total of $100 million in support of COVID-19 research and the improvement of medical infrastructure in India, Crypto News reports.

The initiative will focus on research to address the impact of long COVID and strengthen India’s healthcare system in the near and long term. Investments will address improvements to indoor air quality and systemic wastewater issues, with an emphasis on keeping the projects open to public scrutiny. In a recent Twitter post, Buterin noted his intention to make the projects “open source for anything we fund.”

Crypto Relief, a fund created by Nailwal and financed in part by Buterin to provide humanitarian aid in India during the pandemic, will contribute $90 million in USD Coin—a cryptocurrency stable coin tied to the value of the United States dollar—with an additional $10 million contributed directly by Buterin. In 2022, Crypto Relief provided $100 million in assistance for pandemic-related projects in India.

On Twitter, Buterin highlighted the risks posed by COVID-19 and future pandemics, emphasizing the need for a global solution. “Work in India continues to be a key part of the solution, but we also need an integrated global approach,” he wrote. “We need to find public health solutions that respect people’s rights and freedoms, are widely accessible, and ensure that we not only stay alive and healthy but have enjoyable lives that are worth living.”

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