Cardano Vision 2026: Human Centred, Scalable, Post Quantum Secure - IO Research
7 of 7 committee members voted
- Ace Alliance71aa5b3a…8f04YesActive · term ends epoch 726Rationale
Ace Alliance finds the proposed "Cardano Vision 2026: Human Centred, Scalable, Post Quantum Secure - IO Research" Treasury Withdrawals Governance Action constitutional. Rationales are archived at https://github.com/ace-alliance/ace-voting/
A PDF version of this rationale is also made available.
"Cardano Vision 2026: Human Centred, Scalable, Post Quantum Secure - IO Research" (gov_action1ttg...4afmus) is a Treasury Withdrawals Governance Action and is therefore governed by both the general proposal standards in Article II, Section 6 and the additional Treasury Withdrawal standards in Article II, Section 7 of the Cardano Constitution.
This TWGA seeks to withdraw ₳32,916,667 from the Cardano Treasury to fund Input Output Research's 2026 program, delivering an integrated research-to-deployment pipeline across IOR (scientific research), ARC (applied engineering), and the Cardano Business Unit (product alignment). The program produces 42 outputs across the innovation pipeline (approximately 38 papers and technical reports, 8 Cardano Problem Statements and 12 prototypes, and 5 Cardano Improvement Proposals), organized into seven work packages spanning trust and security infrastructure, scalability and execution, developer platform and user experience, applications and liquidity, economic systems and incentives, governance and identity, and delivery and dissemination. Delivery runs across the 2026 program year, with the work carried out by a 9-partner consortium led by Input Output and including leading academic institutions and Eryx. Funds are directed into Intersect's 2025 Treasury Reserve Smart Contract (stake17xzc8pt7fgf0lc0x7eq6z7z6puhsxmzktna7dluahrj6g6ghh5qjr), with subsequent migration to a 2026 TRSC once established, and the withdrawal is administered by Intersect on behalf of Cardano Development Holdings.
The procedural standards of Article II.6 are satisfied: the proposal anchors to an IPFS-hosted document with the on-chain blake2b-256 hash, a content-addressed form "immutable and incapable of being altered after submission," and the metadata provides the title, abstract, justification, and supporting materials required by II.6.2.
The substantive Article II.7 requirements are met as well. Under Article II.7.1, "Treasury Withdrawals actions must specify the terms of the withdrawal," and the proposal specifies the purpose (a research-to-deployment pipeline across seven work packages and 42 deliverables), period (the 2026 program year with quarterly delivery updates and bi-annual reports via Intersect), itemized costs (₳32,916,667 across 36 FTEs at an average inclusive rate of approximately $219.5k per FTE, with a per-work-package FTE allocation table), and refund circumstances (end-of-period sweep and proportional return on cancelled or reduced deliverables). The disclosure requirement of Article II.7.2 is met by a Prior Treasury Receipts table identifying ₳130,708,860 allocated and ₳78,459,777 withdrawn across IO workstreams, with each prior allocation tied to its on-chain governance action hash. The 350M Net Change Limit covering Epoch 613 to Epoch 713 is set, and this ₳32,916,667 ask does not exceed it, satisfying Article II.7.3 and Appendix I guardrail TREASURY-02a.
A 3rd Party Assurer funded as part of the withdrawal supports milestone acceptance against the deliverables detailed in the Legal Contract between Input Output and Cardano Development Holdings, satisfying the periodic independent audit and oversight allocation under Article II.7.4. Article II.7.5 is satisfied by Intersect's designation as Administrator, acting on behalf of Cardano Development Holdings, operating through the TRSC and PSSC framework with milestone-based disbursement controls and a five-member external Oversight Committee (Sundae Labs, Cardano Foundation, Dquadrant, Xerberus, NMKR). The custody requirement of Article II.7.6 is satisfied by the proposal's commitment that TRSC and PSSC instances cannot be staked with an SPO and will be delegated to the auto-abstain predefined DRep, with a community-audit dashboard, on the same Intersect TRSC pattern we have accepted as constitutional in prior actions in this family.
Ace Alliance finds the proposed "Cardano Vision 2026: Human Centred, Scalable, Post Quantum Secure - IO Research" Treasury Withdrawal Governance Action Constitutional.
- Cardano Curia84feba94…6bd5YesActive · term ends epoch 799Rationale
Cardano Curia judges this treasury withdrawal governance action constitutional and votes YES (5/5), subject to final submission meeting immutability and auditability requirements.
This governance action is a Treasury Withdrawal and is constitutionally permissible in principle when it satisfies the governance action documentation requirements (immutable canonical text + hash) and the treasury withdrawal standards (specified terms, oversight, and auditability).
This vote is cast as YES on constitutionality, contingent on final submission including: (1) a single canonical proposal document hosted immutably (e.g., IPFS) with the corresponding hash referenced on-chain; (2) clear specification of purpose, delivery period, and budget/cost breakdown; (3) refund/close-out conditions; (4) disclosure of any prior treasury receipts within the past 24 months (if applicable); (5) confirmation of Net Change Limit compliance at time of submission; (6) allocation for periodic independent audits and a public reporting cadence; and (7) named administrator(s) responsible for oversight and use of segregated, auditable custody consistent with treasury standards.
Provided these documentation and control requirements are met, Cardano Curia finds no inherent conflict with the Constitution’s principles (resource stewardship, fairness, and long-term sustainability) and therefore judges the action constitutional.
Cardano Curia finds this governance action constitutional and votes YES (5/5), provided the final submission includes immutable canonical documentation + hashes and implements the required auditability and administrator controls for treasury withdrawals.
- Cardano Japan Council725d4d44…7b31YesExpired · term ends epoch 653Rationale
We consider this governance action to be constitutional.
This proposal is a Treasury Withdrawal Governance Action to withdraw ₳32,916,000 from the Cardano Treasury for the project “Cardano Vision 2026: Human Centred, Scalable, Post Quantum Secure - IO Research” by Input Output Research. Regarding Article 2, Section 6, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Cardano Constitution, this proposal adopts an immutable off-chain reference using IPFS. Furthermore, the proposal text includes an overview, motivation, research objectives, work packages, budget, implementation structure, governance structure, risks, and expected outcomes; we therefore determine that it presents information sufficient for evaluation as a Governance Action. Regarding Article 2, Section 7, Paragraph 1, this proposal aims to establish a Cardano research initiative centered on Human Centred Design, Scalability, and Post-Quantum Security, and details an execution model that integrates research, implementation, and ecosystem deployment, along with the implementation period, budget, work packages, milestone structure, fund management using the Treasury Reserve Smart Contract (TRSC) and Project-Specific Smart Contracts (PSSC), and refund conditions. Regarding Article 2, Section 7, Paragraph 2, disclosures regarding past Treasury receipts are included in the body of the proposal. Regarding Article 2, Section 7, Paragraph 3, the requested amount for this proposal is ₳32,916,000, which falls within the 350M ADA Net Change Limit applicable to Epochs 613–713 at the time of submission. Additionally, the requested amount for this proposal is stated in ADA, and the USD figure is provided for reference only. Regarding Article 2, Section 7, Paragraphs 4 and 5, the proposal details independent audits, performance metrics, delivery guarantees, contract management, milestone management, dashboard monitoring, and governance management via Intersect. It also explains the legal agreement between Input Output and Cardano Development Holdings, as well as the treasury governance structure utilizing TRSC and PSSC. Furthermore, Article 2, Section 7, Paragraph 6 details the separately managed account structure using TRSC and PSSC, non-delegation to SPOs, delegation to the predefined auto-abstain voting option, a dashboard for community auditing, and immutable on-chain verification. This structure is intended to align with the requirements regarding “one or more separate accounts that can be audited by the Cardano Community,” “not be delegated to an SPO,” and “must be delegated to the predefined abstain voting option.” Therefore, as no clear conflict with the Cardano Constitution has been identified, we determine that this proposal is constitutional.
For the reasons stated above, we determine that it is constitutional.
- Eastern Cardano Council2ea7a78e…10ecYesActive · term ends epoch 726Rationale
We have determined that this treasury withdrawal governance action is constitutional.
The governance action with ID "gov_action1ttg...4afmus" and title "Cardano Vision 2026: Human Centred, Scalable, Post Quantum Secure - IO Research" is a Treasury Withdrawal, and is therefore subject to the following sections and guardrails in the Cardano Constitution.
ARTICLE II, Section 6 of the Cardano Constitution states that governance actions must follow a standardized and legible format, including a URL hosting an immutable document and a corresponding hash, and must provide sufficient rationale including a title, abstract, justification, and supporting materials.
This governance action includes a valid URL and hash, which matches the hash of the off-chain documentation referenced. The rationale also meets the minimum content specified in this section.
ARTICLE II, Section 7 specifies that Treasury Withdrawal governance actions must include the following:
1. Purpose, Delivery Period, Costs, and Refund Conditions
This governance action specifies:
- The purpose of the withdrawal as "Cardano Vision 2026 (CV26) delivers a structured, end-to-end innovation pipeline that translates foundational research into deployable system capabilities and measurable impact." and "CV26 delivers 42 outputs across the innovation pipeline"
- While the period is not explicitly stated, it can be implied that based on the name including "2026" and it being an extension of a similar 2025 programme, that the period is 12 months. Under the Budget section is also refers to calculations "based on 232 working days".
- The relevant costs and expenses under the heading "Budget"
- The circumstances under which funds may be refunded to the Cardano Treasury as "All funds not disbursed by the end of the delivery period will be returned to the Cardano Treasury. A final reconciliation will be published as part of the oversight reporting cycle. In the event of partial delivery or scope reduction, unspent funds associated with cancelled or reduced deliverables will be returned proportionally."
While these elements fulfil the requirements of Article II, Section 7(1), we recommend that more explicit language regarding the period for delivery of proposed activities be used in future proposals.
2. Prior Treasury Funding Disclosure
ARTICLE II, Section 7(2) requires disclosure of whether the prospective recipient has received ada from the Cardano Treasury within the last 24 months.
This governance action states that "IO and its affiliated entities has been accountable for delivery of work funded by the Cardano Treasury. The total funds allocated has been ₳130,708,860 across a number of projects". This fulfils the requirement of ARTICLE II, Section 7(2).
3. Net Change Limit (NCL)
ARTICLE II, Section 7(3) requires that Treasury Withdrawals must not exceed the Net Change Limit.
The Net Change Limit in effect at the time of submission of this vote on-chain is the governance action with ID "gov_action1m3x...4jsr7q".
- A. Current NCL Amount: 350000000 ada
- B. Current NCL Time Period: Epoch 613 to Epoch 713 (Inclusive)
- C. Total of Treasury Withdrawals within the Current NCL Time Period: 207255840 ada
- D. Amount of this Treasury Withdrawal: 32916000 ada
- E. "C" plus "D" = 240171840 ada
- F. "A" minus "E" = 109828160 ada
As the value of "F" is greater than or equal to zero, this governance action fulfils the NCL requirement.
4. Audit Allocation and Oversight Metrics
ARTICLE II, Section 7(4) states "Treasury Withdrawals actions shall require an allocation of ada as a part of such funding request to cover the cost of periodic independent audits and the implementation of oversight metrics as to the use of such ada."
This governance action states that "Acceptance of the work will be supported by a 3rd Party Assurer, who will be responsible for reviewing and signing off the work completed at each project milestone against the corresponding milestone deliverables detailed within the Legal Contract. This work is funded from a portion of this treasury withdrawal.", which fulfils the requirements of ARTICLE II, Section 7(4).
5. Designated Administrators
ARTICLE II, Section 7(5) requires that one or more administrators are designated to monitor fund usage and ensure deliverables are achieved.
This governance action states that "A written off-chain Legal Contract will be created between Input Output and the Cardano Development Holdings (CDH), as mandated by the Constitution, and will be administered by Intersect.", which fulfils this requirement.
6. Fund Management Requirements
ARTICLE II, Section 7(6) states "Any ada received from a Cardano Blockchain treasury withdrawal, so long as such ada is being held by an administrator prior to further disbursement to the Treasury Withdrawal Recipient, must be kept in one or more separate accounts that can be audited by the Cardano Community, and such accounts shall not be delegated to an SPO but must be delegated to the predefined abstain voting option."
This governance action specifies the following withdrawal address, which at the time of assessment is not delegated to an SPO and is delegated to the auto abstain voting option:
- stake17xzc8pt7fgf0lc0x7eq6z7z6puhsxmzktna7dluahrj6g6ghh5qjr
Finally, the guardrails that require consideration for this governance action are TREASURY-01a, TREASURY-02a, and TREASURY-03a. These are addressed as follows:
- TREASURY-01a - The net change limit with governance action ID "gov_action1m3x...4jsr7q" is currently in effect, after being "agreed by the DReps via an on-chain governance action with a threshold of greater than 50% of the active voting stake".
- TREASURY-02a - As per the above assessment, this treasury withdrawal does not exceed the current Net Change Limit.
- TREASURY-03a - This treasury withdrawal is denominated in ada.
We therefore find this governance action Constitutional.
This governance action sufficiently fulfils the criteria specified for treasury withdrawals in the Cardano Constitution, so is deemed constitutional.
- KtorZ64f97568…3a49YesExpired · term ends epoch 653Rationale
Ok 👍
The proposal does not infringe the constitution as it provides sufficient rationale and details surrounding the withdrawal. Approving this withdrawal would also NOT push the currently agreed net change-limit beyond its acceptable threshold.
- Phil_uplc68bb0b42…8746YesActive · term ends epoch 799Rationale
This proposal is constitutional as it doesn't violate any of the binary requirements set forth in the constitution.
A PDF version of this rationale is also made available.
This proposal is constitutional as it doesn't violate any of the binary requirements set forth in the constitution.
- Tingvard646d1b3a…be43YesActive · term ends epoch 726Rationale
We, Tingvard, finds "Cardano Vision 2026: Human Centred, Scalable, Post Quantum Secure - IO Research" as constitutional
This governance action is properly framed as a Treasury Withdrawals action and must therefore be assessed under Article II, Section 6 and Article II, Section 7 of the Constitution, together with the applicable treasury guardrails in Appendix I.
The proposal satisfies Article II, Section 6, §1 by presenting the governance action in a standardized and legible format, with supporting references and metadata intended to provide the off-chain context for the action. The proposal states that the final document will be hosted immutably on IPFS with a blake2b-256 hash provided for on-chain reference and verification.
The proposal satisfies Article II, Section 6, §2 by including a title, abstract, justification, technical rationale, work package structure, budget explanation, risk discussion, supporting references, and program timeline.
The action satisfies Article II, Section 7, §1 by specifying the terms of the withdrawal. The proposal identifies the purpose as funding the Cardano Vision 2026 IO Research program across human-centred design, scalability, post-quantum security, developer platform, identity, governance, incentives, interoperability, and related research-to-deployment workstreams. It specifies the requested withdrawal as ₳32,916,000, with the on-chain reward amount recorded as 32,916,000,000,000 lovelace. It also provides a delivery structure through 2026 reporting milestones, including a mid-year interim report, a Q3 R&D session and report, and a year-end final report.
The proposal satisfies Article II, Section 7, §2 by disclosing prior treasury receipts. It states that IO and affiliated entities have been allocated ₳130,708,860 across treasury-funded projects and that IOG has withdrawn ₳78,459,777 to date, with a table identifying the relevant workstreams and governance actions.
The action satisfies Article II, Section 7, §3 and TREASURY-02a by stating that the requested amount does not, at the time of submission, on its own or in aggregate, breach the applicable 350M Net Change Limit covering Epoch 613 to Epoch 713. It also satisfies TREASURY-03a because the withdrawal is denominated in ada.
The action satisfies Article II, Section 7, §4 by including audit and oversight costs within the overhead of the proposal and by describing oversight through Intersect administration, third-party assurance, reporting obligations, and milestone-based disbursement controls.
The action satisfies Article II, Section 7, §5 by designating Intersect and the relevant treasury smart contract administration structure as responsible for monitoring fund use and delivery, with external oversight from an Oversight Committee.
The action satisfies Article II, Section 7, §6 by stating that funds will be held through treasury reserve and project-specific smart contracts, that those contracts cannot be staked with a Stake Pool Operator, and that funds will be delegated to the auto-abstain predefined DRep while held prior to disbursement.
Tingvard therefore finds that the proposal satisfies the applicable constitutional requirements for a Treasury Withdrawals action.
Tingvard finds this governance action constitutional. It satisfies the applicable requirements for a Treasury Withdrawals action under Article II, Section 6 and Article II, Section 7, and it does not conflict with the applicable treasury guardrails in Appendix I.