Protocol Fellowship
& Studies
EPF and EPS are Protocol Support's two programs for bringing new contributors into Ethereum core development — one for learning the protocol, one for building it.
EPF is fully permissionless. You don't need to be selected to participate.
The Two Programs
Ethereum Protocol Studies
A structured curriculum for learning Ethereum protocol internals. Ten weeks of live sessions covering execution, consensus, networking, cryptography, and the research roadmap — open to everyone, no application required.
epf.wiki/eps →Ethereum Protocol Fellowship
A 5-month cohort for developers contributing to Ethereum core R&D. Fellows work on real projects alongside client teams and researchers, with mentorship and a monthly stipend for selected participants. Fully permissionless — anyone can join.
epf.wiki →The Path
EPS and EPF are designed to work together, but each stands on its own.
EPS is the on-ramp
It provides a structured foundation in protocol internals — execution, consensus, cryptography, the roadmap — that makes EPF contributions more effective. Many successful EPF fellows came through EPS first.
EPF is where contribution happens
Fellows work on real projects scoped with client teams and researchers: client implementations, spec work, testing tooling, cryptography research, and more.
After the fellowship
Contributors go many directions — full-time roles at client teams, EF research positions, ESP grants for continued independent work, or ongoing permissionless contribution.
What Fellows Work On
Client Implementations
Working directly with client teams to deliver new features, optimizations or prototypes to execution and consensus clients — Lighthouse, Prysm, Nimbus, Nethermind, Lodestar, Grandine, Besu and others.
Protocol Testing & Tooling
Testing and monitoring tools that help to keep Ethereum secure and deliver new upgrades flawlessly. Fellows have worked on fuzzers, spec tests, and other devops infrastructure that every client team depends on.
Research and Prototyping
Prototyping ideas or EIPs, benchmarking and analysing future of Ethereum. Fellows helped to contribute to research like zkEVMs, PeerDAS, ePBS, Verkle while working directly with EF Research and client teams.
What Client Teams Say
EPF is a good way to curate potential contributors who have a baseline understanding of Ethereum so they’re not as lost when contributing to our team.
Nimbus has gotten significant value out of EPF. We’ve hired 3 people either directly or indirectly out of EPF. The EPF background, that exposure to the ecosystem, has proven useful.
Sourcing talent is a great value-add from EPF.
What Fellows Say
Ethereum Protocol Fellowship is a very well organized program and has helped me gained invaluable knowledge and skills, and connected me with many great individuals that shares the same passion, dreams and are going through a similar journey. I thoroughly enjoyed the program from start to finish, and the support from organizers and mentors were just amazing!
The EPF was an efficient program for getting involved in core development. Apart from improving my technical skills and knowledge, it also allowed me to have direct experience on how Ethereum community values translate to enjoyable collaboration with others.
My experience with the Ethereum Foundation Fellowship was a turning point in my career. This journey has not only shaped my professional path but also culminated in joining Pimlico as a founding engineer. The Fellowship was an invaluable platform for innovation, collaboration, and career-defining opportunities in the blockchain domain.
Get Involved
I want to study
Start at epf.wiki
The wiki is the canonical resource \u2014 protocol docs, past session recordings, research pointers, and a community-built knowledge base.
Join the live cohort
EPS runs annually, typically starting in February–March ahead of the EPF cohort. Sessions are 90 minutes weekly, covering a different part of the protocol stack each week. No application required.
Contribute to the wiki
EPS participants collaboratively build and expand epf.wiki alongside the curriculum. Contributing to the wiki is one of the best ways to solidify protocol knowledge.
I want to build
Study the protocol
Work through the EPS curriculum at epf.wiki. Review past cohort projects and identify areas of the protocol that interest you.
Review program details
Read the program guide and FAQ in the cohort repository. Understand what a 5-month project commitment looks like and what kinds of projects have been done.
Apply
Applications open annually, typically in April–May for a June cohort start. Watch the EF blog and join the EPF mailing list to be notified.
Participate — selected or not
EPF is fully permissionless. You can participate, access all resources, and contribute regardless of whether you receive a stipend. Retroactive stipends have been awarded to standout permissionless participants in every cohort.
Related Resources
EPF Wiki↗
The canonical resource for Ethereum protocol education — curriculum, documentation, research pointers, and a community-maintained knowledge base built by EPS participants.
EPF GitHub Organization↗
All cohort repositories, past project write-ups, program guides, and FAQs. Browse to find project inspiration and understand what a cohort looks like in practice.
EPF YouTube↗
Recordings of all Protocol Studies sessions and EPF Day presentations.
EPS Discord↗
The primary async coordination channel for core devs. Join to follow protocol discussions, ask questions, and connect with the community.
