Last updated 9 months ago
Education certificates vulnerable to forgery and manipulation, limiting impact for university/employment applications in an AI-enhanced world.
Exponential Partners + MTech create blockchain POC: on-chain competency certificates using UVerify.io, minting tamper-proof STEM credentials on Cardano.
This is the total amount allocated to On-Chain Certificates for Training and Education Programmes.
Please provide your proposal title
On-Chain Certificates for Training and Education Programmes
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
51000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
5
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Education certificates vulnerable to forgery and manipulation, limiting impact for university/employment applications in an AI-enhanced world.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
Yes
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
Partnership with MTech education startup for pilot implementation. Integrates with existing UVerify platform
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
Apache 2.0 License - Educational credentialing components, metadata schemas, and verification interfaces will be open source and available to other education providers.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.
Authentication
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).
This proposal creates the first comprehensive on-chain competency certification system for STEM education, demonstrating blockchain's core authenticity capabilities in a real-world use case. The project addresses the growing problem of certificate forgery and AI-enhanced resume manipulation while providing verifiable proof of acquired skills across diverse age groups and programme levels.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
The MVP will showcase blockchain's authenticity benefits through a complete certification lifecycle from programme completion through on-chain minting to credential verification. Students and educators can upload project details, mint tamper-proof certificates on Cardano, and share verifiable credentials through user-friendly interfaces for applications and portfolios, demonstrating practical blockchain utility.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
Primary success is delivering functional certification system minting 100+ on-chain certificates across MTech programmes, proving blockchain's real-world applicability. Future metrics include 80% stakeholder satisfaction, 200+ blockchain transactions, 50+ new Cardano wallets onboarded, and credential usage in university and employment applications.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
Problem
The education sector faces critical challenges in secure, verifiable credentialing as traditional certificates are vulnerable to forgery and manipulation. Paper-based or PDF certificates can be lost, forged, or lack verifiable authenticity, limiting their impact for university admissions and employment applications.
The rise of AI-enhanced resumes exacerbates these challenges, making it increasingly difficult for employers to distinguish authentic skills from fabricated qualifications. Students with genuine competencies developed through high-quality training programmes struggle to showcase their achievements in ways that stand out from AI-generated content.
Educational providers, particularly in STEM fields where verifiable competency is critical, face growing demand from students and parents for tamper-proof evidence of acquired skills and capabilities that cannot be approximated by enhancement applications.
Solution
Exponential Partners will leverage blockchain's fundamental authenticity capabilities through On-Chain Competency Certificates, integrating UVerify.io with MTech's innovative youth technology education programmes to create a proof of concept for blockchain-based credentialing in STEM education. The solution demonstrates blockchain's core value proposition through three integrated components.
Partnership with MTech provides real-world testing environment across four programme streams: Juniors (under 7), Explorers (U14), Pioneers (U19), and Founders (20+), covering diverse skill levels and age groups. This partnership enables validation of blockchain's authenticity benefits across both B2C and B2B use cases through direct student programmes and partner organisations.
On-chain credential minting demonstrates blockchain's immutable authenticity by allowing educators to upload student project details and competency metadata through UVerify, generating unique datum hashes on Cardano blockchain. Each certificate includes skills acquired, completion dates, and project specifics, creating tamper-proof digital credentials with independent verification capabilities that showcase blockchain's core strength.
User-friendly access interfaces enable students, parents, and educators to experience blockchain benefits through web and mobile applications. The system supports portfolio building for university applications, internship opportunities, and employment while providing LinkedIn integration for professional networking, making blockchain utility accessible to non-technical users.
Unique Approach
This solution uniquely demonstrates blockchain's authenticity capabilities across multiple age groups and programme levels while leveraging Cardano's low-cost transactions for scalability. The UVerify integration ensures accessibility for non-crypto users while providing tangible blockchain security and verification benefits as a practical proof of concept.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
Value to Community
This certification system demonstrates Cardano's practical utility for educational credentialing while addressing real-world problems of certificate forgery and skills verification. The solution attracts diverse demographics to Cardano ecosystem, from young students to educational institutions, expanding blockchain adoption beyond traditional crypto users through proven use cases.
The partnership with MTech provides validated proof of concept demonstrating Cardano's value for social good and educational advancement, enhancing the ecosystem's reputation while creating sustainable transaction volume through credential minting and verification.
Measuring Impact
Primary Success Metrics: Delivery of functional certification system and minting 100+ on-chain certificates across selected MTech programmes within project timeline.
Stakeholder Satisfaction: 80% satisfaction rate from students, parents, and educators measured through post-pilot surveys and feedback collection.
Blockchain Adoption: 200+ on-chain transactions through minting and verification activities, with 50+ new Cardano wallets onboarded across different user groups.
Educational Impact: Credential usage tracking in university applications, internship submissions, and employment portfolios, demonstrating real-world value of blockchain verification.
All metrics tracked through blockchain explorers, platform analytics, and stakeholder surveys with comprehensive milestone reporting.
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?
Existing Infrastructure
This project builds upon Exponential Partners' proven UVerify platform capabilities for blockchain credential minting and MTech's established educational programmes with active student cohorts. The partnership provides immediate access to diverse user groups for comprehensive testing and validation of blockchain's authenticity benefits.
The team combines blockchain credentialing expertise through Exponential Partners, educational programme management through MTech, and technical implementation capabilities ensuring successful system development and deployment.
Technical Validation
Core concepts validated through UVerify's successful credential minting capabilities (developed by Exponential Partners) and MTech's operational educational programmes. The datum-based approach leverages Cardano's proven functionality while addressing specific educational credentialing requirements as a real-world blockchain use case.
Track Record
Exponential Partners' UVerify platform demonstrates successful blockchain credentialing capabilities while MTech provides validated educational delivery across multiple programme levels. The combined expertise ensures reliable foundation for comprehensive certification system implementation as a proof of concept.
Milestone Title
Scoping Document & Educational Framework Design
Milestone Outputs
Comprehensive scoping document defining competency certification requirements across MTech programme levels. Educational metadata schemas, credential framework design, and partnership integration specifications.
Acceptance Criteria
Detailed scope document outlining certification types and competency frameworks. Metadata schemas for different programme levels and age groups. Partnership integration plan with MTech educational workflows.
Evidence of Completion
Published scoping document. Educational framework and metadata schema documentation. Partnership integration specifications and workflow design.
Delivery Month
1
Cost
10000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Core Certification System Development
Milestone Outputs
Functional certification system integrated with UVerify platform. Educator dashboard for batch certificate minting. Student and parent interfaces for credential access and sharing. Mobile-friendly verification tools.
Acceptance Criteria
Working certification system with UVerify integration. Functional educator dashboard with batch minting capabilities. Student/parent interfaces for credential management. Mobile verification and sharing tools operational.
Evidence of Completion
Live certification system integrated with MTech programmes. Video demonstration of complete certification workflow from programme completion to credential sharing.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
24000
Progress
60 %
Milestone Title
Pilot Implementation & Certificate Minting
Milestone Outputs
Full pilot implementation across selected MTech programmes. Minting of 100+ on-chain certificates for programme completions. User training and onboarding for students, parents, and educators. Performance optimization and user feedback integration.
Acceptance Criteria
100+ certificates successfully minted across MTech programmes. Complete user onboarding and training completion. User feedback collection and system optimization implementation. Performance metrics meeting scalability requirements.
Evidence of Completion
Blockchain verification of 100+ minted certificates. User training documentation and feedback reports. Performance metrics and optimization results. Pilot programme completion documentation.
Delivery Month
4
Cost
14000
Progress
90 %
Milestone Title
Project Close-out & Ecosystem Promotion
Milestone Outputs
Project close-out video (3 min) demonstrating certification system and student success stories. Final project report with comprehensive metrics. Community engagement campaign promoting blockchain credentialing for education sector.
Acceptance Criteria
Close-out report and video presentation meeting Project Catalyst Fund 14 specifications. Comprehensive metrics documentation including stakeholder satisfaction and blockchain adoption. Community engagement content promoting educational blockchain adoption.
Evidence of Completion
Published close-out report and video presentation. Comprehensive metrics and success story documentation. Community promotion materials and educational sector engagement evidence.
Delivery Month
5
Cost
3000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Estimate Duration for Each Milestone
Milestone 1: 1 month
Milestone 2: 2 months
Milestone 3: 1 month
Final Milestone: 1 month
Allocate Resources to Each Milestone
Milestone 1: Project Lead (100%), Educational Partner (75%), Development (50%)
Milestone 2: Project Lead (100%), Educational Partner (100%), Development (100%)
Milestone 3: Project Lead (100%), Educational Partner (100%), Development (75%)
Final Milestone: Project Lead (100%), Educational Partner (50%), Development (25%)
Discounted monthly rates for Cardano ecosystem contribution:
Project Lead (Rizwan): 3,000 ADA/month (typical rate: 11,000+ ADA/month)
Educational Partner (Assad): 2,800 ADA/month (typical rate: 10,000+ ADA/month)
Development Resources: 4,800 ADA/month (typical rate: 18,000+ ADA/month)
Monthly Burn Rates for Each Milestone
Milestone 1: 1 month × (3,000 + 2,100 + 2,400) = 7,500 ADA
Milestone 2: 2 months × (3,000 + 2,800 + 4,800) = 21,200 ADA
Milestone 3: 1 month × (3,000 + 2,800 + 3,600) = 9,400 ADA
Final Milestone: 1 month × (3,000 + 1,400 + 1,200) = 5,600 ADA
Subtotal
Personnel Costs: 43,700 ADA
Remaining budget for other expenses:
MTech Partnership & Programme Integration: 2,800 ADA
User Training & Educational Materials: 1,800 ADA
Platform Testing & Optimization: 1,400 ADA
Community Engagement & Outreach: 1,000 ADA
Documentation & Reporting: 300 ADA
Total: 51,000 ADA
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
This ₳51,000 investment creates pioneering infrastructure for educational credentialing while demonstrating Cardano's utility for social good and skills verification through practical blockchain application. By partnering with MTech's innovative education programmes, the project provides immediate real-world validation of blockchain's authenticity capabilities across diverse age groups and programme levels.
The certification system addresses critical challenges of credential forgery and AI-enhanced resume manipulation while onboarding new demographics to Cardano ecosystem through proven use cases. Conservative projections show 100+ certificates minted with 50+ new wallet creations, establishing sustainable transaction volume and user adoption through practical blockchain utility.
The investment delivers comprehensive educational credentialing framework that other training providers can adopt, expanding Cardano's footprint in the education sector while establishing blockchain verification as industry standard for competency certification and skills validation.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Rizwan Pabani - Project Lead & Blockchain Solutions Architect: Founder of Exponential Partners with extensive experience in blockchain credentialing and project management. Responsible for overall project coordination, UVerify integration, technical architecture, and partnership management with MTech to demonstrate blockchain's real-world authenticity capabilities.
Assad Ebrahim - Educational Partner & Technical Advisor: Founder of MTech/Masterworking Technologies with expertise in STEM education across multiple age groups. Provides educational framework guidance, programme integration, and user experience optimization for diverse student demographics to validate blockchain utility in education.
Cardano Developer - Blockchain Integration Specialist: Contracted developer with expertise in Cardano smart contracts and blockchain integration. Responsible for credential verification implementation, smart contract development, and blockchain optimization.