Tamper-proof Certificate System

[GENERAL] Name and Surname of Main Applicant

Tran Huy Hiep

[GENERAL] Email address of Main Applicant

tranhuyhiep0710@gmail.com

Additional Applicants

Trinh Xuan Bach

Le Dinh Minh

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

6

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

No

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

Yes

[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.” .

We rely on API providers to interact with the blockchain:

• Pinanta is a platform that provides a storage and retrieval layer for digital assets or files.
• Mesh is an open-source library providing numerous tools to easily build powerful dApps on the Cardano blockchain.

We only depend on these providers during the testing phase.

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

Yes

[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 will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

Education

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

In this solution, we will create a website where the university/training center will issue certificates to eligible students as NFTs. Students need a digital wallet to receive and store certificates. Students can choose which certificates they want to share for others to see to generate QR codes. With this QR code, employers can easily validate the certificate.

Target users:

• Schools/training centers need to issue certificates to students quickly.
• Students who need to store their certificates securely and export them for easy attachment to their CV.
• Employers who need quick and accurate certificate validation and weed out candidates using fake certificates.

Benefits from the project:

• Preventing counterfeiting.
• Cut down on time and cost of creating and certifying processes.
• Avoid damage and loss like paper certificates.
• Candidates can easily attach certificates to their CVs and employers validate them quickly.

Demonstrating Impact:

• Attract more people to know and use blockchain both directly and indirectly.
• Evaluate growth by the number of users and their feedback.

Beneficiaries and Importance to Cardano:

• Beneficiaries: Prevent counterfeiting, avoid damage, and loss due to bad storage. Reduce the time and cost of creating certificates. Easily export and validate certificates.
• Importance to Cardano: Cardano blockchain application to solve real-world problems. Increase the number of people who know and use the Cardano network.

By increasing awareness and adoption of Cardano, the goal is to expand the user base, resulting in a higher number of wallets and transactions on the platform.

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

We have developed a startup project based on leveraging blockchain technology to combat the issue of fake certificates. Our innovative idea aims to create a business that effectively deals with this problem by implementing secure and decentralized verification processes. With our solution, we strive to provide reliable and trustworthy credentials, ensuring the integrity of educational qualifications.

Benefits for Cardano:

• Optimal for all parties to use: By issuing certificates as NFTs and storing them on the blockchain.
• Promote the development of the Cardano ecosystem: Users will know the Cardano blockchain as a diverse and attractive ecosystem. Attract schools, students, and employers to use the Cardano blockchain system and trust.

Besides building a website, building a community is also our big goal. Most of the people we target don't really understand blockchain or the Cardano network. Our project both solves a real-world problem and acts as a bridge for users to access and learn more about blockchain.

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

To measure the success of the project, we will rely on:

1. Number of users: By tracking the number of individuals actively using our system and the growth in registered accounts.
2. Number of certificates: We track the number of qualifications created, submitted, and banned.
3. User Feedback: We will regularly conduct surveys and evaluations with users of the information system, based on their activities within the system.
4. System functions: Our system will include key functions such as login, registration, certificate creation, certificate issuance, certificate validation, attaching QR codes to CVs, and verifying the authenticity of certificates.

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

We have a clear plan to share the outputs and results of our project:

• Online presence: We will consistently update our project website, social media channels, and the Cardano community forum to provide regular updates, address inquiries, and engage with everyone.
• Active Engagement: We will actively participate in relevant meetups, conferences, and events to showcase our project, discuss its impact, and establish connections with users and potential investors.
• Industry Collaboration: We will proactively pursue partnerships with established blockchain developers to leverage their expertise, improve our projects, and foster broader adoption.
• Collaboration with Education Institutions: We will actively seek partnerships with small and medium-sized educational organizations to implement our project in practical operations. This real-world implementation will contribute to the development of the Cardano ecosystem and facilitate easier management of credentials for educational institutions.
• Contribution to Research: We will actively share our findings with the Cardano research community, present at blockchain conferences, and publish in academic journals, thereby advancing the knowledge and understanding of blockchain and certificate systems.

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

Our team comprises two experienced instructors in the Blockchain field, who have successfully raised capital in rounds 6, 7, and 8 of Cardano. We also have three team members with extensive knowledge of Blockchain through various courses and hands-on experience in building Cardano-based systems. Our diverse skillset includes proficiency in programming languages such as Haskell, Python, Java, .Net, React, and expertise in developing a range of applications including web, and mobile games.

With this project, we achieved first prize in the school-level scientific research competition.

(This picture is our team achieved first prize)

Therefore, we understand the business, understand the technology to develop the website, understand how the Cardano blockchain works, how to create NFT... as well as the collaboration between the members. The next stage is to develop more features and optimize the website, so we are completely confident that we will bring the project to the goal.

As a proof of knowledge and research skills, some of our current articles are attached:

• Article 1: "Report on the orientation of implementing scientific research projects on project catalyst"
• Article 2: "Cardano student showcases at Student Scientific and Research Conference at the University of Transport and Communications in Hanoi, VietNam"
• Article 3: "Web3 Bootcamp for the Vietnamese community"

To ensure effective money management, we implement the following strategies:

• Budget planning: We carefully allocate funds to different project areas, considering development, operations, and marketing expenses.
• Transparent expense tracking: We maintain a clear record of all expenditures, promoting accountability and providing visibility into our financial transactions.
• Periodic reports: We generate regular reports to evaluate our financial performance and make informed decisions.

These practices help us maintain financial stability, optimize resource allocation, and enhance overall financial management.

Transparency and communication are key principles of our project. We prioritize open and honest communication with all stakeholders, providing regular updates and fostering a collaborative environment. This ensures that everyone is well-informed and actively engaged in the project's progress and decision-making process.

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

The main goal of the project is to provide a facilitation tool for the following participants:

• School/training center: Simplify the process of creating and awarding certificates. Save time, cost, and labor.
• Students: Avoid damage/loss of certificates due to bad storage, easily export certificate information into QR code to attach CV.
• Employers: Easy to verify certificates quickly, now candidates using fake certificates no longer have the opportunity to apply.

Besides, the project attracts new users to use and learn about Cardano. Prove to them the potential of the ecosystem in particular as well as the blockchain in general.

To validate the feasibility of our method, we will use both quantitative and qualitative measures.

Quantitative validation:

• Number of upgraded and added modules via GitHub.
• Report the number of users on the system.

Identity verification:

• Conduct user satisfaction surveys.
• The level of excitement when introducing the project to users.

[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.

The project uses many different platforms, so for easy tracking, we create a sheet page containing the links and budget tracking here: Tracking UTCert Project. You just need to save the sheet page path to track the project easily.

Below is a summary of my team's activities.

Milestone 1 (1 month): Project initialization

• Additional design user guide interface, FAQ.
• Re-design the structure of the code, and database.
• Identify API endpoints.
• Rent a server and deploy development environment.

Milestone 2 (1.5 months): Upgrade the old version.

• Develop the drawing at stage 1.
• Upgrade the old version.
• Clean code optimized for reuse.
• Restructure the BE code according to the 3-layer model.
• Upgrade Pinata plan.
• Deploy test environment.

(This picture shows certificate generation flow)

Milestone 3 (1.5 months): Develop new features.

• Contact management module: Issuer can only send certificate when holder accepts contact. Avoid holders receiving unwanted certificates.
• Certificate ban module: Handles invalid certificates that are discovered after the issuer has been issued.
• Export certificate QRcode module: Allow holders to export certificates via QRcode
• View certificate module: Display certificate with important information such as AssetID, PolicyID... when scanning QRcode.

(This picture shows verify certificate flow)

Milestone 4 (1 month): Testing and fixing bugs.

• Perform both automation and manual testing.
• Performance testing.
• Fix/improve issues.

Milestone 5 (1 month): Project promotion. Estimate

• Cooperate with the Cardano Vietnam community to introduce product to users.
• Organize user introduction sessions on how to create an Eternl wallet, website features, and benefits of using blockchain.
• Build a youtube channel with instructions on how to use our project step by step.
• Continue to improve according to the feedback.

To track the progress of the project, please follow the criterias below here:

• Mentioned milestones: The project will be promoted according to the milestones outlined above.
• Works on Git Hub: The project source code will be continuously updated on Git Hub, and everyone can rely on it to check the team's activities.
• Youtube channel: Instructions for using the new modules when completed. At the same time, update information about the project through the Youtube community.
• Trello workspace: Divide tasks for each member, and monitor progress and deadlines.
• Budget tracking: Update receipts/expenditures with amounts provided by Catalyst.

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

The project uses many different platforms, so for easy tracking, we create a sheet page containing the links and budget tracking here: Tracking UTCert Project. You just need to save the sheet page path to track the project easily.

Below is a summary of my team's outputs and the intended outcomes of each milestone.

Milestone 1 (1 month): Project initialization

Deliverables: 

• Wireframe drawing for the user guide interface, FAQ.
• RM drawing for database.

Output: 

• Complete the project initiation stage.
• Determine the specific direction for the next phase.

Intended Outcomes: 

• Obtain wireframe, RM.
• Understand the working convention of the project.

Milestone 2 (1.5 months): Upgrade the old version.

Deliverables: 

• Code on GitHub.
• FAQ page, user guide page.

Output: 

• Front-end: New UI written by Next.js
• Back-end: API v2 written by .NET Core 6.0
• Blockchain: Store the certificates as NFTs.

Intended Outcomes: Document, FAQ, video tutorial for users.

Milestone 3 (1.5 months): Develop new features.

Deliverables: 

• Code on GitHub.
• Video tutorials on how to use each new function.

Output: 

• Front-end: More user-friendly UI
• Back-end: New API written by .NET Core 6.0
• Blockchain: Certificates searching onchain. 

Intended Outcomes: A website with relatively complete features.

Milestone 4 (1 month): Testing and fixing bugs.

Deliverables: 

• Issues detected on GitHub.
• Report about issues/vulnerabilities resolved.

Output: 

• Commits fix the issues on GitHub.
• Know time-consuming issues that need to be resolved in the next phase.

Intended Outcomes: A website with full features.

Milestone 5 (1 month): Project promotion

Deliverables: 

• Report on activities organized.
• Image/video showing how to use the project and create and manage a cryptocurrency wallet...

Output: 

• Help people understand the usage, usability, and safety of the project.
• Bringing blockchain closer to everyone and helping people understand blockchain more deeply.
• Orientation to improve the website through user feedback and bug bounty contest.

Intended Outcomes: 

• A website with full features and updated patch commits.
• Reach at least 200 users.
• Get feedback from the community.

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

The project uses many different platforms, so for easy tracking, we create a sheet page containing the links and budget tracking here: Tracking UTCert Project. You just need to save the sheet page path to track the project easily.

Below is a summary of my team's budget.

Milestone 1 (1 month): Project initialization.

Estimate cost: 5,500 ADA ~ 22.82%

Milestone 2 (1.5 months): Upgrade the old version.

Estimate cost: 5,400 ADA ~ 22.41%

Milestone 3 (1.5 months): Develop new features.

Estimate cost: 5,000 ADA ~ 20.75%

Milestone 4 (1 month): Testing and fixing bugs.

Estimate cost: 4,000 ADA ~ 16.60%

Milestone 5 (1 month): Project promotion.

Estimate cost: 4,200 ADA ~ 17.43%

Total 24,100 ADA

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

The cost of 30,000 ADA for the project is justified and represents value for money for the Cardano ecosystem due to the following reasons:

1. Reasonable Allocation: The total cost includes expenses for building the system, paying for labor, hiring experts, and promoting the startup in Vietnam. This allocation of resources ensures the project has the necessary infrastructure, skilled workforce, and marketing efforts to effectively deliver its objectives.
2. Social Value: The primary purpose of the project is to address a specific issue through simulated blockchain solutions and enhance the understanding of blockchain technology among Vietnamese individuals. By providing educational resources and practical demonstrations, the project creates social value by empowering people with knowledge and fostering blockchain literacy.
3. Contribution to the Cardano Network: The project contributes to the growth and strength of the Cardano network by attracting a considerable number of users (at least 200 individuals) and facilitating interactions on the blockchain network. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in expanding awareness and knowledge about blockchain, particularly within the Cardano ecosystem, among a wider audience.

Overall, the cost of the project aligns with its goals and objectives, ensuring the allocation of resources necessary for building the system, delivering educational value, and contributing to the Cardano ecosystem's growth and adoption in Vietnam.

[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.

I Accept