tl;dr: Ethereum Protocol Research returns for 2026 with new content material tracks in cryptography, lean consensus and zkEVM, plus a brand new self-paced studying platform. This system kicks off February twenty third. Go to epf.wiki to get began.
Ethereum Protocol Research (EPS) is again. Since launching as a 10-week research group forward of EPF5, EPS has grown into the first academic on-ramp for anybody seeking to perceive Ethereum’s core protocol. A whole bunch of contributors have used this system to go from basic Ethereum familiarity to studying specs, navigating consumer codebases, and contributing to protocol growth.
This 12 months’s program expands in each depth and format. EPS 2026 introduces two new content material tracks protecting areas of the protocol which are more and more central to Ethereum’s roadmap, alongside a self-paced studying platform that makes the curriculum accessible year-round.
What’s New in 2026
Cryptography
This observe will give attention to the arithmetic and cryptography elementary to Ethereum. With fundamental math coaching, you’ll study ideas like elliptic curve pairings, KZG commitments, hash capabilities, and the constructions shaping its future, together with zero-knowledge proof techniques and post-quantum signature schemes.
Lean Consensus and zkEVM
With the latest progress on zkEVMs, this observe covers the way forward for ethereum consensus. Members will discover how zkEVM implementations show execution correctness and the way these efforts connect with the broader purpose of scaling and SNARKifying the Ethereum protocol.
A New Studying Platform
Earlier iterations of EPS relied on stay periods, Discord discussions, and the EPF Wiki as the first studying surfaces. These stay core to this system. However beginning this 12 months, EPS can be out there by a devoted FOSS studying administration system constructed on Moodle.
The platform hosts the earlier EPS curriculum as a structured, self-paced course. Every module pairs video content material from research group periods with interactive assessments within the type of comprehension checks embedded straight in lecture recordings. Members can work by the content material at their very own tempo, with progress monitoring and clear studying targets for every part.
The educational platform enhances the stay program reasonably than changing it. Cohort contributors nonetheless profit from seminar-style discussions with protocol engineers, real-time Q&A, and collaborative work by the EPF Wiki and Discord. The platform helps observe your progress, take a look at your information and ensures that the barrier to entry is as little as doable.
What to anticipate in 2026
Members in EPS 2026 can count on:
- Intro session on Monday, February twenty third
- Two onboarding weeks that includes foundational content material by the brand new research platform.
- 5 weeks of latest content material beginning March ninth; two periods per week protecting cryptography and lean consensus/zkEVM.
- Stay seminar-style discussions with core builders, researchers, and previous EPF fellows
- A devoted Discord server for protocol discussions
- Alternatives to contribute to collaborative documentation by way of epf.wiki
The EPF Wiki: A Residing Data Base
epf.wiki continues to function a complete, community-maintained information base for the Ethereum protocol. It covers execution and consensus layer specs, consumer structure, testing infrastructure, and lively analysis areas. Contributions from EPS contributors have been important to conserving it present and complete, and we encourage everybody to assist increase and refine its content material.
Get Concerned
The research group is for anybody serious about understanding how Ethereum works on the protocol stage. Whether or not you are a developer exploring core contributions, a researcher following the roadmap, or just curious concerning the system’s internals, this system offers a structured path from foundational ideas to the innovative.
Get began by exploring epf.wiki and becoming a member of the Discord.
