Oxford University student hub ‘CardanOx’ events and student onboarding

[GENERAL] Name and Surname of Main Applicant

[GENERAL] Email address of Main Applicant

Additional Applicants

Simon Sällström (@salen)

Adaku Agwunobi (@adaku)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” .

No dependencies

[GENERAL] Will your project outputs be fully Open Source?

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

Project is fully open source

[METADATA] Category of proposal

[METADATA] SDG rating

At our events, we aim to educate students on Cardano especially through effective collaborations such as with women focused societies.

SDG goals:

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

SDG subgoals:

By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

We will run Cardano events for University of Oxford students and researchers (including postdocs). We have been operating successfully as a Cardano student hub for over a year now and have run a magnitude of events over this time, ranging from tech and non-tech workshops, to webinars/seminars and much more. Being a workstream of the Oxford Blockchain Society also adds prestige to our approach and offering. We have successfully organised a scholarship program and several events introducing blockchain including strengths, weaknesses and use cases of the Cardano blockchain technology.

Our solution is clear: each of our events have 'lunch n learn' vibes with free sushi in a non-judgemental way, meaning anyone in the Oxford ecosystem is free to learn about Cardano. Fund 10's goals are to continue with events, accelerate our social media following, and to engage with Oxford University students right from the beginning via the Freshers Fair (October 2023).

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

Cardano events for University of Oxford students and researchers are offered as a solution with the potential to improve the ecosystem in a number of ways. The goal of this project is to expand the Cardano community by holding events aimed at students at the University of Oxford. Academic interest and participation can be increased through these events, which will provide attendees the chance to find out more about Cardano, blockchain technology, and the applications. We have successfully ran Cardano events at the university and we would like to take that to the next step.

The goal of the project's education and awareness components is to familiarise participants with Cardano and its benefits, limitations, and potential applications through a series of workshops, webinars, and seminars. This effort will help spread the word about Cardano blockchain, its features, and the many uses it has to offer. By doing so, the blockchain community will benefit from more collaboration between academic institutions and private businesses.

The project's emphasis on University of Oxford students and academics will help to foster and nurture future leaders in the blockchain industry. The initiative will enable participants to improve their abilities and contribute to the Cardano ecosystem through the organisation of events that give hands-on experience, technical workshops, and networking opportunities. The increased creativity and usage of Cardano will benefit from this investment in the community's human capital.

CardanOx has both thanks to its status as a working group of the Oxford Blockchain Society, which is affiliated with one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Cardano's ecosystem benefits from the university's association with it since it forges a link between academia and business. It raises Cardano's profile and authority in the academic community, which could lead to new collaborations, research partnerships, and general interest in the project.

Several metrics can be used to evaluate this project's contribution to the Cardano ecosystem:

• To help grow the Cardano community, the project can host events aimed at bringing in new members. It can measure the increase in community engagement as a result of these efforts, and even establish goals for the number of participants.
• The success of this initiative will be determined by the enthusiasm and use it inspires among the students and researchers who take part in it. One way to measure success is to keep tabs on how many conference-goers end up making significant contributions to the Cardano ecosystem or launching their own initiatives built on top of Cardano's technology.
• The project can establish aims for the cultivation of blockchain experts at Oxford University. One way to measure success is to keep tabs on how many submit project catalyst proposals, or make contributions to the Cardano ecosystem in other ways such as community reviews.

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

• Track the amount of people who show up to events and how active they are after the event. Each event has a feedback system.
• Use pre- and post-event surveys and quizzes to evaluate how much attendees learned. This will allow us to evaluate the project's educational impact and pinpoint locations where additional teaching may be needed. It can also be used to monitor how much participants have learned about Cardano and how it might be applied in various contexts.
• By the end of the 6 months, we will assess social media following too, as a metric for new engagement.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

We always upload any hybrid events onto our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@cardanox-cardanostudenthub6998 and other social media channels.

Additionally, the fund 10 budget would allow us to contribute more into marketing of events and social media management, so all of our events will be covered throughout all our social media accounts.

Examples of successful events we have organised previously include:

• Blockchain, Cardano and Development 
• Artificial Intelligence x Blockchain - a love story? With representatives from SingularityDAO
• Battle of Ethereum Killers
• Introduction to Blockchain
• CardanOx summer school / scholarship programme
• Project catalyst workshops
• Introduction to Cardano

As well as several additional events that formed collaborations with student societies such as Women In STEM related, Oxford Society for International Development, Oxford University Africa Society and many more.

You can explore full footage of our hybrid events here on our YouTube.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

We've succesfully delivered more than 10 in-person workshops and events over the past 1.5 years. We're the only consistent student group that has delivered year on year and have continuously improved the reputation of Cardano within the broader Web3 ecosystem in Oxford, leading to the Cardano Foundation's attendance at the Oxford Blockchain Conference 2023, Oxford Blockchain Conference 2023

The team consists of CS student, one post-doc and now graduated master's in economics.

Nishen. Engineering 3rd year. Treasurer. Gimbalabs Plutus Project-Based Learning student.

Adaku. Post-doc fellow in Said Business School, Postdoc from Engineering Sciences and also Primary Care Health Sciences. Operations.

Simon. MPhil Economics. Marketing.

Multi-sig

We'll be having the funds in a multi-sig for security reasons. The money will be converted to stablecoins to avoid volatility risk. We'll keep the funds in 2 stablecoins to reduce smart contract risk.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

Broadly speaking, the proposed goals for fund 10 is to run Cardano related events at Oxford University, starting with engagement at the freshers fair (October 2023).

Freshers' fair Oxford in autumn of 2023

Activities:

1. Registration with Student Union: Complete the necessary paperwork and formalities to secure a booth or space at the freshers' fair.
2. Purchase of Merch: Procure the waist bags with Cardano branding (x50) and KeepCups with Cardano logo (x60) to be given away as promotional items during the event.
3. Preparation of a Treasure Hunt: Organise a treasure hunt activity during the freshers' fair, where attendees can participate and have a chance to win the Cardano-branded merch.
4. Attendance during the Day: Ensure that the booth is adequately staffed to engage with attendees, provide information about Cardano, and distribute the promotional items.
5. Follow up with Interested Individuals: Collect contact information from interested individuals and follow up with them after the event to further engage them in the Cardano community.

Success criteria:

• Pictures and videos on social media: we will share pictures and videos from the freshers' fair day on social media accounts (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) to showcase the event's success and generate interest among the broader audience.

Cost (see budget breakdown)

Other Considerations:

• Ensure all workshops and events are recorded and uploaded on YouTube for broader accessibility and potential reach beyond the immediate audience.

Breakdown of 6 months:

Q4 2023:

• Freshers' Fair: Attend the Oxford freshers' fair, showcase Cardano, engage with students, and distribute promotional items.
• Workshop 1: Organise the first workshop focused on Cardano and blockchain technology, targeted at University of Oxford students and researchers.
• Social 1: Host a social event to foster networking and community building among attendees.

Q1 2024:

• Workshop 2: Conduct the second workshop, diving deeper into specific aspects of Cardano and its use cases.
• Social 2: Host another social event to maintain community engagement and strengthen connections.

Q2 2024:

• Workshop 3: Hold the third workshop, focusing on advanced topics related to Cardano and blockchain technology as well as Project Catalyst assessing workshop.
• Social 3: Organise the final social event of this project, promoting collaboration and knowledge exchange.
• Mini Hackathon: We will host a mini Cardano Hackathon with prizes to encourage active participation and project building within the community.

Timeline: October 2023 to April 2024.

In Oxford, term dates are as follows:

Michaelmas 2023: Sunday 8 October to Saturday 2 December 

Hilary 2024: Sunday 14 January to Saturday 9 March

Trinity 2024: Sunday 21 April to Saturday 15 June

Though 'Trinity 2024' is exam season so, we have perfectly placed our fund 10 plans to finish in April before students focus on exams later in trinity.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestone 1: Attending Freshers' Fair at Oxford in Fall 2023

Activities:

• Registering with the Student Union
• Purchasing merch for promotional purposes
• Preparing a treasure hunt activity to engage attendees and offer merch as prizes
• Attending the Freshers' Fair and setting up a booth
• Following up with individuals who show interest in Cardano

Success/Acceptance Criteria:

• Pictures and videos from the Freshers' Fair shared on social media accounts
• Positive feedback and engagement from attendees
• Number of individuals who express interest or sign up for further engagement

Cost:

• Refer to the budget for the expenses related to attending the Freshers' Fair

Milestone 2: Workshop 1 (Q4 2023)

Activities:

• Planning and designing the content for Workshop 1
• Securing a venue or organizing an online session
• Conducting the workshop, covering the basics of Cardano and its ecosystem
• Recording the workshop for future reference
• Uploading the workshop recording on YouTube

Success/Acceptance Criteria:

• Successful delivery of Workshop 1
• Positive feedback from participants
• Number of attendees and their engagement during the workshop
• Views and engagement on the uploaded workshop recording on YouTube

Milestone 3: Workshop 2 (Q1 2024)

Activities:

• Developing the content for Workshop 2, focusing on specific Cardano-related topics
• Securing a venue or organizing an online session
• Conducting the workshop, diving deeper into Cardano's technology and applications
• Recording the workshop and uploading it on YouTube

Success/Acceptance Criteria:

• Successful delivery of Workshop 2
• Positive feedback from participants
• Number of attendees and their engagement during the workshop
• Views and engagement on the uploaded workshop recording on YouTube

Milestone 4: Mini Hackthon (Q2 2024)

Activities:

• Securing a venue, and conducting mini-workshops.
• Registering members for the hackathon and organising fun events

Success/Acceptance Criteria:

• Successful creation of high-quality projects
• Positive feedback from participants
• Number of attendees and their engagement.

Milestone 5: Workshop 3 (Q2 2024)

Activities:

• Creating the content for Workshop 3, exploring advanced topics related to Cardano
• Securing a venue or organizing an online session
• Conducting the workshop, providing in-depth knowledge and insights
• Recording the workshop and uploading it on YouTube

Success/Acceptance Criteria:

• Successful delivery of Workshop 3
• Positive feedback from participants
• Number of attendees and their engagement during the workshop
• Views and engagement on the uploaded workshop recording on YouTube

Overall Project Outcome:

• Increased awareness and understanding of Cardano among students at Oxford
• Engagement and interest in Cardano's ecosystem and potential applications
• Potential growth of the Cardano community and participation in future initiatives

Measurement of Project Progress:

• Number of attendees at the Freshers' Fair
• Feedback and engagement from attendees at the fair and workshop participants
• Views and engagement on workshop recordings on YouTube
• Increase in the number of students interested in Cardano and its ecosystem based on sign-ups or engagement with the project team

The project's progress will be tracked through both quantitative measures (e.g., attendance numbers, YouTube metrics) and qualitative feedback from the participants. Regular communication with attendees and workshop participants will provide insights into their understanding, interest, and potential for further engagement with Cardano.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

See above

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

We are budgeting for merchandise, food and drinks costs and our staffing

Merch / give-aways

• Waist bags with Cardano branding x50, $350
• KeepCups with Cardano logo x60, $750
• Banner for Cardano, $50
• subtotal = $1300

Food for events

• 3x for public events, around 20 attendees each = $600
• Social event for wider student/web3 in Oxford x3 = $600
• subtotal = $1200

Preparation, marketing and delivery of 3 workshops / lectures and 3 social events

• 15 hours per event at $30/h x 3 = $1350
• 6 hours per social, $30/h x 3 = $540
• subtotal = $1890

Mini Cardano Hackathon Prize

• First prize: $250
• Second prize: $150
• Third prizes (x2): $50

Transportation reimbursements

• London - Oxford x7 = $200

Registration fee for freshers' fair

• $100

Contingency

• $300

Total = $5340

Roughly 39480 ADA

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

As one of the leading crypto ecosystems in the world (currently main stage prize winners at 8 of the most recent ETH Global hackathons), Cardano's presence here matters.

Haskell is a mandatory course for all 1st year Computer Science students.

Oxford is one of the epicentres for discourse on social and economic questions of our time. Maintaining presence here is therefore of utmost importance.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.