• Optimism’s Retro Funding round 5 is open for applications until September 5, 2024.
• The Optimism team has also welcomed new Ethereum Layer-2 Soneium to the Superchain.

Optimism has announced that its Retroactive Public Goods Funding (Retro Funding) 5 round is now open for applications.

According to the platform’s announcement on August 23, Optimism (OP) contributors have until September 5 at 19:00 UTC to submit applications.

Eligible projects will win part of the 8 million OP the new round has available to Ethereum core developers, OP Stack research and development teams and OP Stack tooling developers.

Who’s eligible for Retro Funding 5?

The Retro Funding 5 round will offer rewards to projects that have generated impact within the OP ecosystem between October 2023 and August 2024. Ethereum core contributors include smart contract languages, execution clients, EVMs, testnets, and cryptography researchers.

Meanwhile, OP Stack researchers include projects that directly contribute to the OP Stack and the Optimism protocol. These include client Implementations, modules and audits. Integration and load testing infrastructure and RaaS providers are among OP Stack tooling projects eligible for the funding.

Optimism welcomes Soneium

Other news developments for Optimism related to Sony’s launch of the Soneium, an Ethereum Layer-2 chain leveraging the OP Stack. In an announcement following Soneium’s unveiling, Optimism said the L2 was now part of the Superchain.

GM! Welcome @soneium to the Superchain! ✨

Soneium is an Ethereum Layer 2 built by Sony Block Solutions Labs on the OP Stack. pic.twitter.com/arvajOqJpJ

— Optimism (@Optimism) August 23, 2024

Soneium will be a general-purpose network that will seek to bridge Web2 and Web3.

“Sony Block Solutions Labs, the joint venture between Sony Group and Startale chose to build with Optimism for its world-class tech, strong builder community, and thriving ecosystem,” Sota Watanabe, director of Sony Block Solutions Labs, said in a statement.

Watanabe is also the CEO of Startale, the platform behind Astar zkEVM and which plans to transition it to Soneium’s L2 network.