[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Midnight privacy Vote Base research

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

86319

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

6

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

• Secure, private DAO voting is challenging.
• Midnight is in testnet with limited.
• Tools lack readiness for Midnight’s model.
• Building full products is risky.
• Research needed before deployment.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://vcc.gitbook.io/m9dao-project/proposal/1st-stage-research

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

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

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

Apache 2.0

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Developer Tools

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Mention your open source license and describe your open source license rationale.

Apache 2.0 promotes open use, modification, and redistribution, fostering transparency and collaboration — core values of Project Catalyst. Its patent grants protect contributors and users, reducing legal risks in blockchain projects and supporting ecosystem stability. Allowing integration into both proprietary and open-source projects, Apache 2.0 enables sustainable SDK and app development within Cardano’s developer community. Widely adopted by major blockchain projects, it builds trust, facilitates partnerships, and attracts diverse contributors to Catalyst-funded initiatives

How do you make sure your source code is accessible to the public from project start, and people are informed?

We release our source code publicly from the start under the Apache 2.0 license, promoting transparency and collaboration. It’s hosted on public repos with clear docs and updates to keep the community informed, aligning with Project Catalyst values.

How will you provide high quality documentation?

We create clear, detailed technical documentation covering architecture, logic flow, and data structures. The docs are regularly updated alongside code changes and include examples to help developers understand and use the system effectively. This ensures accessibility and supports community adoption and contribution.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

**Problem **

In current DAO systems, implementing a transparent, secure, and privacy-preserving voting process remains a major challenge. With Midnight – the new privacy-focused blockchain on Cardano – there is an opportunity to design a more secure voting mechanism. However:

• Midnight is still in the testnet phase, with SDKs lacking documentation and features.
• Existing DAO development tools are not yet compatible or ready for Midnight’s ZK model and smart contracts.
• Developing a complete product (e.g., a dApp) directly on an unstable platform carries high technical risks and can lead to wasted resources.

Therefore, there is a need for a research and architecture experimentation phase before moving on to full-scale implementation.

Proposal Objective

The main objective of this proposal is to build a technical prototype for a DAO voting system on Midnight, using the commit–reveal model, with an open, modular architecture detailed enough to serve as a technical foundation for a future SDK or demo application.

** Solution**

We propose implementing a technical prototype, which includes:

1. Modular Architecture Design

Build separate components such as vote-core (logic), vote-test-env (network simulation), and vote-cli (command-line tool).

Each module can be reused in the SDK or integrated into real-world applications.

2. Simulated Voting Environment

Due to the current limitations of the Midnight testnet and SDK, the team will build a mock layer to test the commit–reveal voting process independently.

3. Full Architecture Documentation

Draft detailed technical documentation, including flow logic, data structures, and evaluations of different privacy-preserving implementation approaches.

This documentation will serve as a foundation for the SDK & demo app teams to continue development.

Note: see details in here https://vcc.gitbook.io/m9dao-project/proposal/1st-stage-research/proposal

Core Components

• _vote-core: _Library handling commit, reveal, and ballot validity logic
• _vote-test-env : _Simulated voting environment, including voter, signer, and mock network
• _vote-cli: _Command-line tool for dev/testing, voter input, and running simulated voting rounds
• _vote-docs: _Documentation describing system architecture, technical assessments, and extensions

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

• Design modular architecture: separate

• Build mock layer to simulate commit–reveal voting independently.

• Prepare detailed docs as foundation for SDK and demo app.

• Design modular architecture: separate

• Build mock layer to simulate commit–reveal voting independently.

• Prepare detailed docs as foundation for SDK and demo app.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Our capability to deliver with trust and accountability

This project is currently in the research phase. All findings, designs, and progress will be transparently documented and continuously updated on our public GitHub repository. This ensures full visibility for the community and stakeholders.

The team follows a structured research methodology, citing sources, documenting assumptions, and keeping a clear audit trail for all decisions.

Validation of feasibility

Feasibility will be validated through:

• Literature review and benchmarking against existing DAO/governance frameworks.
• Early proof-of-concept experiments in a sandbox/testnet environment.
• Continuous peer review via open GitHub issues, pull requests, and community feedback.
• Iterative refinement based on test results and stakeholder input.

By keeping all work open-source and reviewable in real-time, we ensure both accountability and technical credibility.

We also worked to build this proposal. See details: https://vcc.gitbook.io/m9dao-project/proposal/1st-stage-research/technical-details

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

System Foundation & Module Definition

Milestone Outputs

• Created and initialized repositories for: vote-core, vote-cli, vote-test-env, and vote-docs.
• Completed overall architecture design and communication interface specifications between components.
• Defined data standards including commit hash format, timestamp format, and vote payload schema.
• Detailed plans for each module, including specifications, deadlines, and priority levels.

Acceptance Criteria

• All 4 repositories created, public or internal, with initial README and directory structure.
• Architecture diagram (architecture.md + diagram file) stored in /docs/.
• Interface documentation for all module communications available in /docs/interfaces/.
• Data standards documented and approved by the project team.

Evidence of Completion

• GitHub links to the 4 repositories (vote-core, vote-cli, vote-test-env, vote-docs).
• Architecture diagram file and architecture.md in vote-docs repository.
• Markdown specifications for modules and interfaces in /docs/interfaces/.
• Commit history showing creation and initial setup of repositories and documentation.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

21150

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

Develop vote-core & Voting Logic

Milestone Outputs

• Implemented vote-core library with commit, reveal, and verification logic.
• Simulated verification of ballot data and voting states.
• Set up unit tests to ensure stable and reliable operation of voting logic.
• Optimized vote-core for integration with CLI tools and test environment.

Acceptance Criteria

• vote-core library functional with all commit–reveal–verify operations working as intended.
• Unit test coverage above 85%, with test report generated.
• Voting process verified through simulation of different scenarios and states.
• Library ready for integration with vote-cli and test environment without critical bugs.

Evidence of Completion

• GitHub repository link to completed vote-core source code.
• Unit test results and coverage report (>85%) committed to repository.
• Documentation file docs/vote-flow.md explaining the commit–reveal voting process.
• Commit history showing development, testing, and optimization stages.

Delivery Month

3

Cost

25420

Progress

50 %

Milestone Title

Simulation environment & CLI tools

Milestone Outputs

• Built vote-test-env with mock blocks, simulated epochs, and mock accounts.
• Developed vote-cli commands for commit, reveal, verify, and result.
• Integrated vote-cli with vote-core and tested multiple voting scenarios.
• Validated consistency of the system across end-to-end processes.

Acceptance Criteria

• vote-test-env fully functional, capable of simulating the commit–reveal–tally process.
• vote-cli package installable and executable on a local environment.
• All CLI commands interact correctly with vote-core and produce expected results.
• End-to-end voting scenarios executed successfully with no critical failures.

Evidence of Completion

• GitHub repository links to vote-cli and vote-test-env source code.
• Installable CLI package published or available via repository.
• Demo script and README file in vote-test-env repository showing how to run the full voting process.
• Recorded test results and output logs from simulation runs.

Delivery Month

5

Cost

20620

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Technical Documentation & Final Consolidation

Milestone Outputs

• Wrote vote-docs including CLI usage guide, system description, and technical explanations.
• Consolidated test results and packaged deliverables for the SDK team.
• Reviewed entire repository and completed quality checklist.
• Prepared final project report for public release.

Acceptance Criteria

• vote-docs/ directory contains complete and accurate technical documentation.
• Repository passes internal QA checklist with no critical issues outstanding.
• All deliverables packaged and ready for SDK team integration.
• Final report includes project summary, achievements.

Evidence of Completion

• GitHub repository link with vote-docs/ fully populated.
• QA checklist and results file in repository.
• Packaged deliverables archive or tagged release in repository.
• Publicly available final project report

Delivery Month

6

Cost

18949

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

For details: Please read https://vcc.gitbook.io/m9dao-project/proposal/1st-stage-research/budget

TOTAL BUDGET: 86139 ADA

Rate ADA ~ 0.8$

Role description

TA: Technical Architect

BE: Blockchain Engineer

TD: Tooling Developer

TW: Technical Writer / QA

PM: Project Management

Milestone 1 – Architecture Setup & Module Standardization (Month 1)

Description: Establish the system foundation, define module boundaries, and standardize repository structure.

Main Tasks:

• Create repositories for vote-core, vote-cli, vote-test-env, and vote-docs.
• Design overall architecture and define communication interfaces between components.
• Set data standards (commit hash, timestamp, vote payload…).
• Draft detailed plans for each module (specifications, deadlines, priorities).

Roles & Hours:

TA: 60h × 100 = 6,000 ADA

BE: 50h × 85 = 4,250 ADA

TD: 40h × 80 = 3,200 ADA

TW: 80h × 65 = 5,200 ADA

PM: 25h × 100 = 2,500 ADA

Cost: 21,150 ADA

Milestone 2 – Develop vote-core & Voting Logic

Description: Build the core component that manages the commit–reveal voting process.

Main Tasks:

• Implement library functions for commit, reveal, and verification.
• Simulate verification of ballot data and voting states.
• Set up unit tests to ensure stable operation.
• Optimize vote-core for integration with CLI and test environment.

Roles & Hours:

TA: 50h × 100 = 5,000 ADA

BE: 120h × 85 = 10,200 ADA

TD: 60h × 80 = 4,800 ADA

TW: 35h × 65 = 2,420 ADA

PM: 30h × 100 = 3,000 ADA

Cost: 25,420 ADA

Milestone 3 – Simulation Environment & CLI Tools

Description: Create a realistic voting simulation environment and develop an interactive CLI.

Main Tasks:

• Build vote-test-env with mock blocks, simulated epochs, and mock accounts.
• Develop vote-cli commands: commit, reveal, verify, result.
• Integrate vote-cli with vote-core and run multiple voting scenarios.
• Validate end-to-end system consistency.

Roles & Hours:

TA: 35h × 100 = 3,500 ADA

BE: 80h × 85 = 6,800 ADA

TD: 75h × 80 = 6,000 ADA

TW: 28h × 65 = 1,820 ADA

PM: 25h × 100 = 2,500 ADA

Cost: 20,620 ADA

Milestone 4 – Technical Documentation & Final Consolidation

Description: Produce comprehensive technical documentation and complete internal QA.

Main Tasks:

• Write vote-docs including CLI guide, system description, and technical explanation.
• Consolidate test results and package deliverables for SDK team.
• Review entire repository and complete quality checklist.
• Prepare final project report for public release.

Roles & Hours:

TA: 25h × 100 = 2,500 ADA

BE: 35h × 85 = 2,975 ADA

TD: 40h × 80 = 3,200 ADA

TW: 126h × 65 = 8,274 ADA

PM: 20h × 100 = 2,000 ADA

Cost: 18,949 ADA

Total

Roles &Hours:

TA: 170h = 17,000 ADA

BE: 285h = 24,225 ADA

TD: 215h = 17,200 ADA

TW: 269h = 19,944 ADA

PM: 100h = 10,000 ADA

Total Cost: 86,139 ADA

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

Our team, the Viet Cardano Community (VCC), has a proven track record of delivering funded proposals in Project Catalyst and managing large-scale software projects. We combine strong project management capabilities with deep expertise in blockchain, smart contracts, and decentralized governance systems.

Key team member Cong Khiem contributes over 15 years of expertise in infrastructure management using Infrastructure as Code (IaC), with proficiency in Terraform, Ansible, and Pulumi for automation. As a Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) and Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS), he brings extensive experience in deploying, operating, and optimizing Kubernetes clusters across public clouds (AWS, GCP, Azure) and on-premises environments. His knowledge in multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud architecture ensures enterprise-grade scalability, security, and cost efficiency.

Main Tasks & Solution Benefits to the Cardano Ecosystem

Architecture Setup & Standardization – Creates a clean, modular codebase and standard repository structure, enabling faster onboarding and reusability for other Cardano-based projects.

Vote-Core & Voting Logic – Implements a secure commit–reveal voting mechanism with transparency and verifiable proofs, strengthening DAO governance models on Cardano.

Simulation & CLI Tools – Provides a testing environment and developer-friendly tools for DAO voting, helping projects experiment, validate, and optimize governance before mainnet deployment.

Technical Documentation & Consolidation – Delivers high-quality technical documentation and guidelines, lowering the barrier for new developers to build on Cardano.

The requested budget is based strictly on role-based hourly rates and actual work estimates, ensuring efficient fund allocation. Every milestone produces tangible, open-source outputs, enhancing governance tools, developer resources, and technical standards for the Cardano ecosystem.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes