Governance & BIP Process

"A protocol that cannot evolve is dead. A protocol that anyone can change is not a protocol."

Governance Philosophy

BSP is a public good. Its governance model resolves the fundamental tension between stability (systems built on it shouldn't break) and flexibility (incorporating scientific breakthroughs).

The solution is a strict separation of layers:

• Protocol Core: Changes rarely. Requires multi-sig consensus & 90-day public comment.
• Biomarker Taxonomy: Evolves quarterly based on approved BIPs. Requires Scientific Council vote + formal ratification.
• Implementations (AVA, SDKs): Evolve continuously without impacting the protocol.

The Ambrósio Institute as Guardian

The Ambrósio Institute is the guardian of the BSP standard — not its owner.

The Scientific Council

• Composition: 7 independent global experts (longevity, cardiology, metabolism, etc.).
• Independence: Mandatory. No member can have financial ties to the Institute.
• Quorum: 5 of 7 needed to vote. Simple majority decides.
• Meetings: Quarterly (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct) to review pending BIPs.

The Three Keys — Multi-Sig

Critical operations on the Arweave smart contracts require at least 2 of 3 authorized keys.

• Key A — Founder: Director of the Institute.
• Key B — Chief Scientific Officer: Technical protocol lead.
• Key C — Legal Custody: Independent fiduciary. Acts as a safeguard against unilateral abuse.

BSP Improvement Proposals (BIPs)

A BIP is the formal unit of evolution for the BSP protocol. Anyone globally can submit a BIP — researchers, physicians, developers — without paying fees or requiring membership.

Types of BIPs

Type	Name	Process
BIP-T	Taxonomy	Addition/modification of biomarkers. Voted on quarterly.
BIP-P	Protocol	Core modifications. Requires 90-day public comment.
BIP-G	Governance	Changes to the governance model itself. Requires 120-day comment.
BIP-I	Informational	Best practices, documentation guidelines. Simplified approval.

The BIP Lifecycle

1. Submission (1 day): Author submits a Pull Request to bsp-spec/bip using the template. Status: DRAFT.
2. Technical Review (2 weeks): Institute verifies schema, references, and completeness. Status: REVIEW.
3. Public Comment (30-120 days): Open debate on GitHub. Status: COUNCIL.
4. Scientific Council Vote: Quarterly evaluation. Evaluates evidence (requires at least 2 peer-reviewed papers).
5. Decision & Ratification (1-2 weeks): If approved, the Scientific Keyholder ratifies the change on-chain. SDK implementations are scheduled.

Emergency Procedures & Protections

What prevents the Institute from "capturing" the protocol?

1. Independent Key C: Prevents unilateral contract changes.
2. Public Auditability: Every BIP, vote, and justification is permanently public and on-chain.
3. Fork Protection Commitment: The Institute publicly commits to never legally contest implementations that fork away from the standard if the community disagrees with Institute decisions.