I'm aware that also academic people themselves are very tired in the current system, and there is already a one p2p research crowdfunding system going on, but that's still in fiats only and internal to a certain university. But the p2p foundation has already funded few research programs and the the results are much better than the usual "publish-or-perish-nullstudies" that the hierarchic establishment mostly produces.
I think you might be on to something here.
There is a very specific song-and-dance that university researchers must perform in order to be awarded funds for studies. Some of this process is necessary and prevents too much quackery or unscientific research from getting public money.
But perhaps there is a way to crowdfund university research projects by exchanging your crypto for a different token that signifies your contribution to the research, or some other reward.
Like with FoldingCoin (check it out if you haven't heard about it), there has to be a second half of the equation -- something to buy with said coins. Personally I would prefer the ability to purchase subscriptions to various scientific journals. JSTOR or Medline access would be another plus.