Mailing Lists/CIP-TBD: Canton Network University Program -- Philip N KaddajSource on lists.sync.global ↗

CIP-TBD: Canton Network University Program -- Philip N Kaddaj

cip-discuss13 messagesstarted 24-01-2026

#1Amanda Martin24-01-2026source ↗

Please see below for open discussion.

Number: CIP-TBD
Title: Canton Network University Program
Author(s): Philip N Kaddaj
Type: Governance  
Status: Draft
Created: 2026-01-23
License: CC0-1.0

Abstract

Add Cantor8 as a Super Validator (SV) with up to 8.0 total SV Weight earned over time in return for delivering the Canton Network University Program, a three-phase program spanning awareness/development, specialization, and academic integration.

About Applicant

Cantor8 proposes and implements a three-phase program to bring leading academic institutions into the Canton ecosystem, with three aims:

Expand understanding of Canton Network within leading universities and adjacent institutions.
Proliferate understanding of Canton architecture and the Daml smart contract language.
Foster and support new start-ups and projects based on Canton Network.

Cantor8 is an infrastructure-focused technology company building core systems for the Canton Network. Co-founded by alumni of the University of Cambridge. The company brings together a globally distributed team drawn from many of the world’s leading academic institutions, including Stanford University, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of California, Berkeley, MIT, and other top-tier universities.

Deliverables for full SV Reward

Note: This CIP assigns SV Weight in return for deliverables. The weights and time horizons below are taken directly from the Canton Network University Program material and organized into this governance deliverables table.

Deliverable	Acceptance Criteria	Deadline	Weight Earned
1) Fellows Program	Create a Canton Fellows Program approved by the Foundation; target 8+ fellows across minimum 3 universities.	90 days	+0.5
1a) Fellows Adoption Bonus	Conduct competitive selection and award 3+ Canton Fellowships across minimum 3 Foundation-approved universities.	TBD (program-defined)	+0.5 (TBD in source)
2) Educational Programme	Establish a Canton presence at Top 25 world-ranked universities and create a continuous educational programme, including contracts for: (i) 1 yearly large-scale lecture (100+ attendees), (ii) 1 yearly large-scale hackathon, (iii) 5–7 yearly subject-specific lectures, (iv) 5–7 technical workshops over 2026/2027, and (v) Summer schools 2026/2027.	360 days	+1.0
2a) Educational Programme Adoption Bonus	Expand into at least 2 more leading universities.	TBD (program-defined)	+0.25 per university (max +1.0)
3) Incubation Programme	Partner with the Canton Foundation and Canton Ecosystem Fund to create a Canton incubator programme specialized in bringing high-quality Canton apps to release; includes target 5+ applications released in 2026.	+2 years	+2.0
3a) Incubation Programme Adoption Bonus	+0.5 per featured app in production that exceeds $1m in fees.	TBD (program-defined)	+0.5 per app (max +2.0)
4) Curriculum Integration / Research	(i) Add Canton/Daml to at least one course, and (ii) sponsor 3+ research grants for PhD or higher-level Daml/Canton-related research.	Up to 2 years	+0.5 for each item (up to 2 items total)

Program Overview (Three Phases)

Phase I — Awareness & Development

Phase I introduces leading university ecosystems to Canton Network and focuses events on driving excitement around Canton’s potential and encouraging early-stage development of ecosystem projects and start-ups.

Lectures & Talks. Cantor8 will facilitate talks/lectures by leaders within the Canton ecosystem, aimed at establishing what Canton is, what problems it solves, and why it will become increasingly significant. Speakers may include leaders from the Canton ecosystem, political/regulatory leaders, and Web3/2 founders and executives.

Example universities. Spring 2026 confirmed: University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. Spring 2027 tentative: Stanford University and UC Berkeley. Spring 2028 tentative: Harvard University and MIT.

Hackathons & Competitions. Cantor8 will organize hackathons/competitions to foster a talent pipeline for the Canton ecosystem. Confirmed for Spring 2026: a joint hackathon between Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College (Cadogan Hall, London) and a Berkeley hackathon (Berkeley Stadium). Planned for 2027/28: Yale, Stanford, Harvard, MIT. Tasks will reflect Canton ecosystem needs with guidance from the Canton Foundation and community; judges will be drawn from Canton-adjacent organizations; prizes may include cash, start-up funding/support, and roles/internships within the ecosystem.

Fellowship Programs. Cantor8 will aim to select two students at each university (minimum one-year term) to provide an incentivized on-campus presence and a communication touchpoint.

Student 1: market-focused operator who leads event organization and ensures Canton ecosystem needs are met (high EQ; strong distribution; helps ensure this is not only a tech motion).
Student 2: technical fellow who leads developer understanding of Canton; likely Masters/PhD; able to drive technical research on behalf of the Canton ecosystem.

Phase II — Specialization

Phase II targets a smaller but more impactful demographic of experts, entrepreneurs, and potential employees for Canton-adjacent companies.

Focused Lecture Series. Specialized lectures for students in relevant fields or executives at leading business schools, with speakers who provide resources and insights not readily available elsewhere.

Canton Network Incubator. Cantor8 will establish and maintain an incubation pipeline of founders from leading universities by communicating ecosystem needs, providing support (funding, development, network), and enabling ecosystem funds/VCs to access high-calibre founders.

Talent Pipeline. Cantor8 will foster pathways for high-quality students into placements and full-time roles at Canton-adjacent organizations, including improving job advertising to student bodies, prioritizing employer placements at events, and ensuring students understand Canton’s long-term potential.

Bootcamps & Intensive Programs. Cantor8 will establish 1–4 week bootcamps/courses to upskill builders, convert side projects into research/start-ups, and increase high-quality applications to Canton ecosystem organizations.

Phase III — Full Academic Integration

Phase III integrates Canton-focused education into curricula and solidifies the pipelines established in Phases I and II.

Inclusion in Course Curricula. Canton topics may include the Daml smart contract language, protocol upgrades (cryptography, scaling), Canton’s role in traditional finance, and legal aspects of RWA tokenization.

Research Labs. Research initiatives will be established at partnered universities to keep Canton at the forefront of academia and cutting-edge development.

SV Reward Mechanics

An extraBeneficiary PartyID associated with the “escrowed” Super Validator will be set up by the Foundation, or another SV node operator approved to provide SV rewards escrow services, with an SV Weight at the maximum earnable weight.
- The Applicant is responsible for coordinating the process of setting up the escrowed weights with the GSF and the operator of the SV node.
- The Applicant is responsible for all costs associated with the operation of the escrow SV.
- The escrow SV will NOT mint rewards on a block-by-block basis.
- All escrow SV rewards will go to the Unclaimed Rewards pool.
⅔ of the Super Validator Operators will update their configurations to allow the escrowing SV node to host the full weight to be earned by the given Super Validator.
Applicant is required to present proof of successful completed milestones to the Tokenomics Working Group.
- Applicant is required to present a calculation for number of Canton Coin it should earn for meeting the requirements of the milestone.
If the Tokenomics Working Group agrees the milestone has been met and agrees with the calculation, an announcement will be sent via the Tokenomics-Announce mailing list.
- The GSF will update the extraBeneficiary to an active PartyID controlled by that Super Validator.
- ⅔ of Super Validator Operators will then assign a portion of the Unclaimed Rewards to be minted by the Applicant’s Validator, based on the calculation approved by the Tokenomics Working Group.
If any milestones and associated rewards are not achieved by the deadline:
- Applicant will be notified they have not met a deliverable by the GSF.
- Remaining SV Weight assigned to the extraBeneficiary SV will be removed from the GSF node configuration, and the total SV weight of the GSF SV node will be reduced by the same amount by a vote of the Super Validators.
- The Tokenomics Working Group will make a recommendation to the SVs on what to do with the Unclaimed Rewards.
Applicant is subject to CIP-0045: SV Operating Requirements.
- If, at any time, the Applicant has been rewarded SV Weight > 2.5, they are required to operate their SV within 6 months of crossing that weight. This SV node will join the network with an SV weight of zero (0) and may add weights as the SV completes the milestones listed in this CIP.

Copyright

This CIP is licensed under CC0-1.0: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.

Changelog

2026-01-23: Initial draft of the proposal (reorganized from the Canton Network University Program document).

#2Chris Matturri27-01-2026source ↗

Thank you for sharing Philip/ Cantor8 team.

I think this is a very interesting idea and a great way to expose Canton/ Daml to eager students looking to engage at both business & engineering schools. A nice model for this is Ripple UBRI (University Blockchain Research Initiative) | Ripple- which is something I participated in a few years ago at graduate school and can attest was a very positive experience. Having a program like this with Canton and providing students a way to interact with leading companies building in the ecosystem can be immensely valuable.

Regarding the specific deliverables from the CIP, I'm not sure if the best approach is to set up scholarships/ grant programs for curriculum at different universities or to measure the deliverables based on successful apps emerging from the incubator. My initial thought would be to separate these but open to hearing others' perspectives.

Show quoted text

On Fri, Jan 23, 2026 at 7:57 PM Amanda Martin via lists.sync.global <amanda=canton.foundation@...> wrote:

Please see below for open discussion.
Number: CIP-TBD
Title: Canton Network University Program
Author(s): Philip N Kaddaj
Type: Governance  
Status: Draft
Created: 2026-01-23
License: CC0-1.0
Abstract
Add Cantor8 as a Super Validator (SV) with up to 8.0 total SV Weight earned over time in return for delivering the Canton Network University Program, a three-phase program spanning awareness/development, specialization, and academic integration.
About Applicant
Cantor8 proposes and implements a three-phase program to bring leading academic institutions into the Canton ecosystem, with three aims:
Expand understanding of Canton Network within leading universities and adjacent institutions.
Proliferate understanding of Canton architecture and the Daml smart contract language.
Foster and support new start-ups and projects based on Canton Network.
Cantor8 is an infrastructure-focused technology company building core systems for the Canton Network. Co-founded by alumni of the University of Cambridge. The company brings together a globally distributed team drawn from many of the world’s leading academic institutions, including Stanford University, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of California, Berkeley, MIT, and other top-tier universities.
Deliverables for full SV Reward
Note: This CIP assigns SV Weight in return for deliverables. The weights and time horizons below are taken directly from the Canton Network University Program material and organized into this governance deliverables table.
Deliverable Acceptance Criteria Deadline Weight Earned
1) Fellows Program Create a Canton Fellows Program approved by the Foundation; target 8+ fellows across minimum 3 universities. 90 days +0.5
1a) Fellows Adoption Bonus Conduct competitive selection and award 3+ Canton Fellowships across minimum 3 Foundation-approved universities. TBD (program-defined) +0.5 (TBD in source)
2) Educational Programme Establish a Canton presence at Top 25 world-ranked universities and create a continuous educational programme, including contracts for: (i) 1 yearly large-scale lecture (100+ attendees), (ii) 1 yearly large-scale hackathon, (iii) 5–7 yearly subject-specific lectures, (iv) 5–7 technical workshops over 2026/2027, and (v) Summer schools 2026/2027. 360 days +1.0
2a) Educational Programme Adoption Bonus Expand into at least 2 more leading universities. TBD (program-defined) +0.25 per university (max +1.0)
3) Incubation Programme Partner with the Canton Foundation and Canton Ecosystem Fund to create a Canton incubator programme specialized in bringing high-quality Canton apps to release; includes target 5+ applications released in 2026. +2 years +2.0
3a) Incubation Programme Adoption Bonus +0.5 per featured app in production that exceeds $1m in fees. TBD (program-defined) +0.5 per app (max +2.0)
4) Curriculum Integration / Research (i) Add Canton/Daml to at least one course, and (ii) sponsor 3+ research grants for PhD or higher-level Daml/Canton-related research. Up to 2 years +0.5 for each item (up to 2 items total)
Program Overview (Three Phases)
Phase I — Awareness & Development
Phase I introduces leading university ecosystems to Canton Network and focuses events on driving excitement around Canton’s potential and encouraging early-stage development of ecosystem projects and start-ups.
Lectures & Talks. Cantor8 will facilitate talks/lectures by leaders within the Canton ecosystem, aimed at establishing what Canton is, what problems it solves, and why it will become increasingly significant. Speakers may include leaders from the Canton ecosystem, political/regulatory leaders, and Web3/2 founders and executives.
Example universities. Spring 2026 confirmed: University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. Spring 2027 tentative: Stanford University and UC Berkeley. Spring 2028 tentative: Harvard University and MIT.
Hackathons & Competitions. Cantor8 will organize hackathons/competitions to foster a talent pipeline for the Canton ecosystem. Confirmed for Spring 2026: a joint hackathon between Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College (Cadogan Hall, London) and a Berkeley hackathon (Berkeley Stadium). Planned for 2027/28: Yale, Stanford, Harvard, MIT. Tasks will reflect Canton ecosystem needs with guidance from the Canton Foundation and community; judges will be drawn from Canton-adjacent organizations; prizes may include cash, start-up funding/support, and roles/internships within the ecosystem.
Fellowship Programs. Cantor8 will aim to select two students at each university (minimum one-year term) to provide an incentivized on-campus presence and a communication touchpoint.
Student 1: market-focused operator who leads event organization and ensures Canton ecosystem needs are met (high EQ; strong distribution; helps ensure this is not only a tech motion).
Student 2: technical fellow who leads developer understanding of Canton; likely Masters/PhD; able to drive technical research on behalf of the Canton ecosystem.
Phase II — Specialization
Phase II targets a smaller but more impactful demographic of experts, entrepreneurs, and potential employees for Canton-adjacent companies.
Focused Lecture Series. Specialized lectures for students in relevant fields or executives at leading business schools, with speakers who provide resources and insights not readily available elsewhere.
Canton Network Incubator. Cantor8 will establish and maintain an incubation pipeline of founders from leading universities by communicating ecosystem needs, providing support (funding, development, network), and enabling ecosystem funds/VCs to access high-calibre founders.
Talent Pipeline. Cantor8 will foster pathways for high-quality students into placements and full-time roles at Canton-adjacent organizations, including improving job advertising to student bodies, prioritizing employer placements at events, and ensuring students understand Canton’s long-term potential.
Bootcamps & Intensive Programs. Cantor8 will establish 1–4 week bootcamps/courses to upskill builders, convert side projects into research/start-ups, and increase high-quality applications to Canton ecosystem organizations.
Phase III — Full Academic Integration
Phase III integrates Canton-focused education into curricula and solidifies the pipelines established in Phases I and II.
Inclusion in Course Curricula. Canton topics may include the Daml smart contract language, protocol upgrades (cryptography, scaling), Canton’s role in traditional finance, and legal aspects of RWA tokenization.
Research Labs. Research initiatives will be established at partnered universities to keep Canton at the forefront of academia and cutting-edge development.
SV Reward Mechanics
An extraBeneficiary PartyID associated with the “escrowed” Super Validator will be set up by the Foundation, or another SV node operator approved to provide SV rewards escrow services, with an SV Weight at the maximum earnable weight.
The Applicant is responsible for coordinating the process of setting up the escrowed weights with the GSF and the operator of the SV node.
The Applicant is responsible for all costs associated with the operation of the escrow SV.
The escrow SV will NOT mint rewards on a block-by-block basis.
All escrow SV rewards will go to the Unclaimed Rewards pool.
⅔ of the Super Validator Operators will update their configurations to allow the escrowing SV node to host the full weight to be earned by the given Super Validator.
Applicant is required to present proof of successful completed milestones to the Tokenomics Working Group.
Applicant is required to present a calculation for number of Canton Coin it should earn for meeting the requirements of the milestone.
If the Tokenomics Working Group agrees the milestone has been met and agrees with the calculation, an announcement will be sent via the Tokenomics-Announce mailing list.
The GSF will update the extraBeneficiary to an active PartyID controlled by that Super Validator.
⅔ of Super Validator Operators will then assign a portion of the Unclaimed Rewards to be minted by the Applicant’s Validator, based on the calculation approved by the Tokenomics Working Group.
If any milestones and associated rewards are not achieved by the deadline:
Applicant will be notified they have not met a deliverable by the GSF.
Remaining SV Weight assigned to the extraBeneficiary SV will be removed from the GSF node configuration, and the total SV weight of the GSF SV node will be reduced by the same amount by a vote of the Super Validators.
The Tokenomics Working Group will make a recommendation to the SVs on what to do with the Unclaimed Rewards.
Applicant is subject to CIP-0045: SV Operating Requirements.
If, at any time, the Applicant has been rewarded SV Weight > 2.5, they are required to operate their SV within 6 months of crossing that weight. This SV node will join the network with an SV weight of zero (0) and may add weights as the SV completes the milestones listed in this CIP.
Copyright
This CIP is licensed under CC0-1.0: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
Changelog
2026-01-23: Initial draft of the proposal (reorganized from the Canton Network University Program document).

#3Heslin Kim30-01-2026source ↗

If the goal of the SV is to utilize these rewards to fund the program's broader expansion, and with the looming bonding/staking requirements in discussion, I believe this would be better suited as a proposal under the ecosystem fund via CIP-0100.
#4Alex Chen02-02-2026source ↗

Thanks, Philip / team - agreed with Heslin's comment that this would be more appropriate as a DevFund grant or an effort done in conjunction with the Foundation (particularly with the vote around the fund's governance just passing).

Kind regards,

Alex

--

Cumberland

#5Eric Saraniecki06-02-2026source ↗

Hi everyone

Have had an opportunity to think about this a bit and chat with Philip

I think these types of programs can pay incredible dividends and they take time to materialize. I think a SV can make sense (vs the 5% fund) because of a continuous investment element of this.

I would recommend the following changes:

1. I would remove the incubation element of this CIP. With app rewards, I think we already properly incentivize those sorts of outcomes and don't need added incentives via the SV

2. I would add a termination clause to the table that removes Weight if any of these programs cease to exist. For example, if there were 4 universities teaching courses for a year and then the next year there are none, I don't think the SV Weight associated with that should survive. Since it's often tricky to remove weight from an SV, I would prefer we document the automated removal of that weight should the programs conclude

I have a proposed alternative that I'll share with Foundation to distribute

On Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 1:10 PM Chris Matturri via lists.sync.global <chris=proofgroup.xyz@...> wrote:

Thank you for sharing Philip/ Cantor8 team.

I think this is a very interesting idea and a great way to expose Canton/ Daml to eager students looking to engage at both business & engineering schools. A nice model for this is Ripple UBRI (University Blockchain Research Initiative) | Ripple- which is something I participated in a few years ago at graduate school and can attest was a very positive experience. Having a program like this with Canton and providing students a way to interact with leading companies building in the ecosystem can be immensely valuable.

Regarding the specific deliverables from the CIP, I'm not sure if the best approach is to set up scholarships/ grant programs for curriculum at different universities or to measure the deliverables based on successful apps emerging from the incubator. My initial thought would be to separate these but open to hearing others' perspectives.
On Fri, Jan 23, 2026 at 7:57 PM Amanda Martin via lists.sync.global <amanda=canton.foundation@...> wrote:
Please see below for open discussion.
Number: CIP-TBD
Title: Canton Network University Program
Author(s): Philip N Kaddaj
Type: Governance  
Status: Draft
Created: 2026-01-23
License: CC0-1.0
Abstract
Add Cantor8 as a Super Validator (SV) with up to 8.0 total SV Weight earned over time in return for delivering the Canton Network University Program, a three-phase program spanning awareness/development, specialization, and academic integration.
About Applicant
Cantor8 proposes and implements a three-phase program to bring leading academic institutions into the Canton ecosystem, with three aims:
Expand understanding of Canton Network within leading universities and adjacent institutions.
Proliferate understanding of Canton architecture and the Daml smart contract language.
Foster and support new start-ups and projects based on Canton Network.
Cantor8 is an infrastructure-focused technology company building core systems for the Canton Network. Co-founded by alumni of the University of Cambridge. The company brings together a globally distributed team drawn from many of the world’s leading academic institutions, including Stanford University, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of California, Berkeley, MIT, and other top-tier universities.
Deliverables for full SV Reward
Note: This CIP assigns SV Weight in return for deliverables. The weights and time horizons below are taken directly from the Canton Network University Program material and organized into this governance deliverables table.
Deliverable Acceptance Criteria Deadline Weight Earned
1) Fellows Program Create a Canton Fellows Program approved by the Foundation; target 8+ fellows across minimum 3 universities. 90 days +0.5
1a) Fellows Adoption Bonus Conduct competitive selection and award 3+ Canton Fellowships across minimum 3 Foundation-approved universities. TBD (program-defined) +0.5 (TBD in source)
2) Educational Programme Establish a Canton presence at Top 25 world-ranked universities and create a continuous educational programme, including contracts for: (i) 1 yearly large-scale lecture (100+ attendees), (ii) 1 yearly large-scale hackathon, (iii) 5–7 yearly subject-specific lectures, (iv) 5–7 technical workshops over 2026/2027, and (v) Summer schools 2026/2027. 360 days +1.0
2a) Educational Programme Adoption Bonus Expand into at least 2 more leading universities. TBD (program-defined) +0.25 per university (max +1.0)
3) Incubation Programme Partner with the Canton Foundation and Canton Ecosystem Fund to create a Canton incubator programme specialized in bringing high-quality Canton apps to release; includes target 5+ applications released in 2026. +2 years +2.0
3a) Incubation Programme Adoption Bonus +0.5 per featured app in production that exceeds $1m in fees. TBD (program-defined) +0.5 per app (max +2.0)
4) Curriculum Integration / Research (i) Add Canton/Daml to at least one course, and (ii) sponsor 3+ research grants for PhD or higher-level Daml/Canton-related research. Up to 2 years +0.5 for each item (up to 2 items total)
Program Overview (Three Phases)
Phase I — Awareness & Development
Phase I introduces leading university ecosystems to Canton Network and focuses events on driving excitement around Canton’s potential and encouraging early-stage development of ecosystem projects and start-ups.
Lectures & Talks. Cantor8 will facilitate talks/lectures by leaders within the Canton ecosystem, aimed at establishing what Canton is, what problems it solves, and why it will become increasingly significant. Speakers may include leaders from the Canton ecosystem, political/regulatory leaders, and Web3/2 founders and executives.
Example universities. Spring 2026 confirmed: University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. Spring 2027 tentative: Stanford University and UC Berkeley. Spring 2028 tentative: Harvard University and MIT.
Hackathons & Competitions. Cantor8 will organize hackathons/competitions to foster a talent pipeline for the Canton ecosystem. Confirmed for Spring 2026: a joint hackathon between Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College (Cadogan Hall, London) and a Berkeley hackathon (Berkeley Stadium). Planned for 2027/28: Yale, Stanford, Harvard, MIT. Tasks will reflect Canton ecosystem needs with guidance from the Canton Foundation and community; judges will be drawn from Canton-adjacent organizations; prizes may include cash, start-up funding/support, and roles/internships within the ecosystem.
Fellowship Programs. Cantor8 will aim to select two students at each university (minimum one-year term) to provide an incentivized on-campus presence and a communication touchpoint.
Student 1: market-focused operator who leads event organization and ensures Canton ecosystem needs are met (high EQ; strong distribution; helps ensure this is not only a tech motion).
Student 2: technical fellow who leads developer understanding of Canton; likely Masters/PhD; able to drive technical research on behalf of the Canton ecosystem.
Phase II — Specialization
Phase II targets a smaller but more impactful demographic of experts, entrepreneurs, and potential employees for Canton-adjacent companies.
Focused Lecture Series. Specialized lectures for students in relevant fields or executives at leading business schools, with speakers who provide resources and insights not readily available elsewhere.
Canton Network Incubator. Cantor8 will establish and maintain an incubation pipeline of founders from leading universities by communicating ecosystem needs, providing support (funding, development, network), and enabling ecosystem funds/VCs to access high-calibre founders.
Talent Pipeline. Cantor8 will foster pathways for high-quality students into placements and full-time roles at Canton-adjacent organizations, including improving job advertising to student bodies, prioritizing employer placements at events, and ensuring students understand Canton’s long-term potential.
Bootcamps & Intensive Programs. Cantor8 will establish 1–4 week bootcamps/courses to upskill builders, convert side projects into research/start-ups, and increase high-quality applications to Canton ecosystem organizations.
Phase III — Full Academic Integration
Phase III integrates Canton-focused education into curricula and solidifies the pipelines established in Phases I and II.
Inclusion in Course Curricula. Canton topics may include the Daml smart contract language, protocol upgrades (cryptography, scaling), Canton’s role in traditional finance, and legal aspects of RWA tokenization.
Research Labs. Research initiatives will be established at partnered universities to keep Canton at the forefront of academia and cutting-edge development.
SV Reward Mechanics
An extraBeneficiary PartyID associated with the “escrowed” Super Validator will be set up by the Foundation, or another SV node operator approved to provide SV rewards escrow services, with an SV Weight at the maximum earnable weight.
The Applicant is responsible for coordinating the process of setting up the escrowed weights with the GSF and the operator of the SV node.
The Applicant is responsible for all costs associated with the operation of the escrow SV.
The escrow SV will NOT mint rewards on a block-by-block basis.
All escrow SV rewards will go to the Unclaimed Rewards pool.
⅔ of the Super Validator Operators will update their configurations to allow the escrowing SV node to host the full weight to be earned by the given Super Validator.
Applicant is required to present proof of successful completed milestones to the Tokenomics Working Group.
Applicant is required to present a calculation for number of Canton Coin it should earn for meeting the requirements of the milestone.
If the Tokenomics Working Group agrees the milestone has been met and agrees with the calculation, an announcement will be sent via the Tokenomics-Announce mailing list.
The GSF will update the extraBeneficiary to an active PartyID controlled by that Super Validator.
⅔ of Super Validator Operators will then assign a portion of the Unclaimed Rewards to be minted by the Applicant’s Validator, based on the calculation approved by the Tokenomics Working Group.
If any milestones and associated rewards are not achieved by the deadline:
Applicant will be notified they have not met a deliverable by the GSF.
Remaining SV Weight assigned to the extraBeneficiary SV will be removed from the GSF node configuration, and the total SV weight of the GSF SV node will be reduced by the same amount by a vote of the Super Validators.
The Tokenomics Working Group will make a recommendation to the SVs on what to do with the Unclaimed Rewards.
Applicant is subject to CIP-0045: SV Operating Requirements.
If, at any time, the Applicant has been rewarded SV Weight > 2.5, they are required to operate their SV within 6 months of crossing that weight. This SV node will join the network with an SV weight of zero (0) and may add weights as the SV completes the milestones listed in this CIP.
Copyright
This CIP is licensed under CC0-1.0: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
Changelog
2026-01-23: Initial draft of the proposal (reorganized from the Canton Network University Program document).

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#6Amanda Martin10-02-2026source ↗

Hello,

Please see the updated CIP below

Canton Network University Program [Implemented by Cantor8]

Cantor8 proposes a three-phase program to bring the world’s leading academic institutions into the Canton ecosystem. The program’s aims are three-fold:

Expand understanding of Canton Network, and its unique potential, within the world’s most important circles - Leading universities, regulatory bodies, traditional institutions, and more.
Proliferate an understanding of Canton Network’s architecture and, in particular, the Daml smart contract language.
Foster and provide support to a new wave of start-ups and projects based on Canton Network.

Phase I - Awareness & Development

The program’s first phase is designed to introduce leading university ecosystems to Canton Network.

Events and initiatives are focused on driving excitement around Canton Network’s potential to revolutionize the traditional financial world, as well as encourage early-stage development of ecosystem projects and start-ups.

A select group of the world’s leading colleges and universities produce disproportionate numbers of successful founders in their alumni. Most clearly, this is seen across Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, and the Ivy League Colleges in the US.

Harvard: David Solomon, Jamie Diamond, Mark Zuckerberg
Cambridge: Chairman of Rotschilds, CEO co-founder of Google Deep Mind, ex- Prime Minister of Singapore
Stanford: Peter Theil, John F. Kennedy, Charles Schwabb

Lectures & Talks

Cantor8 will facilitate talks and lectures given by leaders from within the Canton Network ecosystem, at the world’s leading universities and academic institutions. The aim of these talks is to establish in the minds of students: “What Canton Network is, Which problems does Canton Network solve, and Why will Canton become increasingly significant in the future”

Potential Speakers:

Leaders from the Canton Ecosystem (Yuval Rooz, Eric S, Don Wilson)
Political/Regulatory Leaders
Web3/2 Founders & Executives

Example Universities:

Spring 2026 [confirmed]: University of Cambridge, University of Oxford
Spring 2027 [tentative]: Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley
Spring 2028 [tentative]: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Hackathons & Competitions

Competition for high calibre developers and builders has become increasingly fierce across the last decade.

Leading institutions (Citadel, Jane Street, Google, Ethereum) have found that hosting competitions/hackathons with competitive prizes is an effective way to foster, engage, and keep that talent in-house.

Cantor8 will establish and organize similar hackathons with a view to creating a talent-pipeline for the Canton Network ecosystem itself. These events will take place at individual universities (or as part of a multi-university program) and will take place across a period of three years.

Confirmed for Spring 2026:

Joint hackathon between Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College, to take place in Cadogan Hall, London.
Berkeley hackathon to take place in Berkeley Stadium

Planned for 2027/28:

Yale University
Stanford University
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The assigned tasks for the hackathons will be decided based on the specific needs of the Canton Network ecosystem at the time. Feedback and guidance will be sought from both the Canton Foundation, as well as the wider Canton Network community.

Judges and adjudicators will be brought in from leading companies and organizations operating within the Canton Network ecosystem, who are thereby aligned with the ecosystem’s vision and long-term needs. These may include…

Cantor8
The Canton Foundation
Digital Asset
Cumberland
Citadel Securities
Wintermute

Prizes for the hackathons will take the form of…

Cash prizes
Start-up funding & support
Roles and internships at organizations within the Canton ecosystem

Fellowship Programs

Implementing fellowship/ambassador programs at partner universities will both…

Provide an in-person and incentivized presence for Canton Network at the world’s best universities.
Provide a crucial touchpoint/point of communication for Cantor8 and Canton Network within said universities.

Cantor8 will aim to select two students at each university, who will be remunerated on a monthly basis and will hold the position for a minimum term of one-year. The two selected students will each bring different strengths and backgrounds, as detailed below:

Student 1: Will have a market focus, and will take lead on spreading the business and market opportunities in Canton. They will likely have had exposure to markets personally through internships or work or undertaking a markets related subject.

Student 2: Will have a technical background, and will take lead on spreading a technical/developer understanding of Canton Network. They will likely be undertaking a Master’s Degree or PhD and will be able to drive technical research on behalf of the Canton Network ecosystem.

Each university Blockchain Society will take lead on organizing events and ensure the needs of the Canton Network ecosystem are met. Not necessarily with a technical background, the student will have a high EQ and will ensure that job advertisements, hackathons/events, internship opportunities, and other initiatives, are well proliferated.

Phase II - Specialization

Building on a foundational understanding and awareness created by Phase I, Phase II of Cantor8’s University Program taps into a smaller but more impactful demographic of experts, entrepreneurs, and potentially employees for Canton-adjacent companies.

Focused Lecture Series

These lectures will take place at the world’s leading universities, as mentioned in Phase I. Audiences may consist of students specialized in a specific field, or existing executives at leading business schools.

Speakers will be world leaders in their chosen fields and will provide resources and insights unavailable online or from other resources.

Potential Speakers:

Eric Sarieniecki
Chris Zuhelke
Shaul Kfir
Robin Krom
Andreas Lochibler

Canton Network Incubator

One of the most exciting aspects of the entire program, Cantor8 will establish and maintain an incubation pipeline of founders emerging from leading universities.

As part of this, Cantor8 will…

Communicate to universities the current needs of the Canton Network ecosystem to ensure founders create useful solutions.
Provide multi-avenue support to founders (e.g. funding, development, network).
Ensure that Canton ecosystem funds and VCs have direct access to the suite of high calibre founders emerging from the incubator program.

Talent Pipeline

Blockchain ecosystems live and die by the talent they are able to attract and maintain.

As part of its program, Cantor8 will foster and oversee a system for high quality students to transition into work placements and full-time roles at Canton Network adjacent companies and organizations.

This pipeline will be created by collaborating with universities to ensure that, amongst other things…

Attractive job opportunities are advertised to student bodies (via newsletters, community groups, word of mouth, etc.).
Employers are given priority placements at university events and conferences.
Students understand the long-term potential of both Canton Network and its associated companies.

[Target Milestone: 20+ high quality applications, or 3+ job placements]

Bootcamps & Intensive Programs

In addition to ongoing term-time events and programs, Cantor8 will establish in-depth courses and bootcamps to allow students the chance to gain specialized knowledge in different aspects of the Canton Network ecosystem.

These programs will last for 1-4 weeks, operated with the following goals in mind:

Upskilling of Canton Network’s future workforce and builders.
Converting ‘side projects’ into fully-fledged research and start-ups.
Increasing the number of high quality applications directed at Canton Network ecosystem organizations.

Phase III - Full Academic Integration

The third and final phase of Cantor8’s University Program is perhaps the most meaningful, and certainly the most ambitious - It sees Canton-focused education become a core component of educational curricula and solidifies the pipelines established in Phases I & II.

Inclusion in Course Curricula

At leading universities, key aspects of the Canton Network ecosystem will have either dedicated courses & modules established, or be absorbed into existing courses and curricula.

It will be supported by Canton Network’s growing presence and reputation on a wider scale, Canton having percolated deeply into traditional finance over the course of three years.

Topics and areas of study may include…

The Daml smart contract language.
Upgrades to the Protocol; introducing the latest cryptography, improving scaling…
Canton Network’s growing role in traditional finance.
The legal aspects of bringing RWAs onchain and the process of tokenization

Research Labs

To ensure that Canton Network retains its position at the forefront of academia and cutting-edge development, a minimum of two dedicated blockchain research laboratories will be established at partnered universities.

#	Deliverable	Description	SV Weight	Time
1	Fellows Program	Create a Canton Fellows Program Approved by Foundation	+ 0.5 8+ fellows across minimum 3 universities	+ 90 Days
	Fellows Adoption Bonus	Conduct competitive selection and award 3+ Canton Fellowships across a minimum of 3 Foundation-approved Universities	+ 0.5	+ 180 Days(?)
2	Educational programme	Establish a Canton presence at a Top 25 World Ranked leading Universities and create a continuous educational programme. Sign contracts for: 1 yearly Large scale lecture (100+ attendees) 1 yearly Large scale Hackathon 5-7 yearly Subject specific lectures 5-7 Technical Workshops over 2026/2027 Summer Schools 2026/2027	+ 1	+ 360 Days
	Educational Programme Adoption Bonus	Expand into at least 2 more leading Universities	+0.25 per University Max + 1
3	Incubation programme	Partner with the Canton Foundation and Canton Ecosystem Fund to create a Canton Incubator programme, specialised in bringing to release high quality future Canton applications 5+ applications released in 2026	+ 0.5 per Featured App in Production that exceed $1m in Fees Max + 2	+ 2 years
34	Curriculum Integration/Research	Add Canton/Daml to at least one course Sponsor 3+ research grants for PhD or higher level Daml/Canton related research	+ 0.5 for each item Max +1	up to 2 years considering how significant this is
4	Termination Clause	Should any of these programs stop after the milestones have been achieved, the Weight will be revoked from the SV going forward	Up to max reward

SV Reward Mechanics

An extraBeneficiary PartyID associated with the 'escrowed' Super Validator will be set up by the Foundation, or another SV node operator approved to provide SV rewards escrow services, with an SV Weight at the maximum earnable weight.

The Applicant is responsible for coordinating the process of setting up the escrowed weights with the GSF and the operator of the SV node.
The Applicant is responsible for all costs associated with the operation of the escrow SV.
The escrow SV will NOT mint rewards on a block-by-block basis.
All escrow SV rewards will go to the Unclaimed Rewards pool.

⅔ of the Super Validator Operators will update their configurations to allow the escrowing SV node to host the full weight to be earned by the given Super Validator.

Applicant is required to present proof of successful completed milestones to the Tokenomics Working Group.
- Applicant must present a calculation for the number of Canton Coin it should earn for meeting milestone requirements.
If the Tokenomics Working Group agrees the milestone has been met and approves the calculation, an announcement will be sent via the Tokenomics-Announce mailing list.
- ⅔ of Super Validator Operators will then assign a portion of the Unclaimed Rewards to be minted by the Applicant's Validator, based on the approved calculation.

If any milestones and associated rewards are not achieved by the deadline:

Applicant will be notified they have not met a deliverable by the GSF.
Remaining SV Weight assigned to the extraBeneficiary SV will be removed from the GSF node configuration, and the total SV weight of the GSF SV node will be reduced by the same amount by a vote of the Super Validators.
The Tokenomics Working Group will make a recommendation to the SVs on what to do with the Unclaimed Rewards.

Copyright

This CIP is licensed under CC0-1.0: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.

Changelog

2026-02-10: Initial draft of the proposal.

#7James Lang11-02-2026source ↗

I think that many of these initiatives are more appropriate for the Canton Foundation to undertake. Alternatively, the Canton Foundation could issue grants to advance the programs. My opinion is that SV weights ought to be related to delivery of on network functionality.

Show quoted text

From: cip-discuss@... <cip-discuss@...> On Behalf Of Amanda Martin via lists.sync.global
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 2:41 PM
To: cip-discuss@...
Subject: Re: [cip-discuss] CIP-TBD: Canton Network University Program -- Philip N Kaddaj

Hello,

Please see the updated CIP below

Canton Network University Program [Implemented by Cantor8]

Cantor8 proposes a three-phase program to bring the world’s leading academic institutions into the Canton ecosystem. The program’s aims are three-fold:

1. Expand understanding of Canton Network, and its unique potential, within the world’s most important circles - Leading universities, regulatory bodies, traditional institutions, and more.

2. Proliferate an understanding of Canton Network’s architecture and, in particular, the Daml smart contract language.

3. Foster and provide support to a new wave of start-ups and projects based on Canton Network.

Phase I - Awareness & Development

The program’s first phase is designed to introduce leading university ecosystems to Canton Network.

· Harvard: David Solomon, Jamie Diamond, Mark Zuckerberg

· Cambridge: Chairman of Rotschilds, CEO co-founder of Google Deep Mind, ex- Prime Minister of Singapore

· Stanford: Peter Theil, John F. Kennedy, Charles Schwabb

Lectures & Talks

Potential Speakers:

· Leaders from the Canton Ecosystem (Yuval Rooz, Eric S, Don Wilson)

· Political/Regulatory Leaders

· Web3/2 Founders & Executives

Example Universities:

· Spring 2026 [confirmed]: University of Cambridge, University of Oxford

· Spring 2027 [tentative]: Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley

· Spring 2028 [tentative]: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Hackathons & Competitions

Competition for high calibre developers and builders has become increasingly fierce across the last decade.

Confirmed for Spring 2026:

· Joint hackathon between Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College, to take place in Cadogan Hall, London.

· Berkeley hackathon to take place in Berkeley Stadium

Planned for 2027/28:

· Yale University

· Stanford University

· Harvard University

· Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The assigned tasks for the hackathons will be decided based on the specific needs of the Canton Network ecosystem at the time. Feedback and guidance will be sought from both the Canton Foundation, as well as the wider Canton Network community.

Judges and adjudicators will be brought in from leading companies and organizations operating within the Canton Network ecosystem, who are thereby aligned with the ecosystem’s vision and long-term needs. These may include…

· Cantor8

· The Canton Foundation

· Digital Asset

· Cumberland

· Citadel Securities

· Wintermute

Prizes for the hackathons will take the form of…

· Cash prizes

· Start-up funding & support

· Roles and internships at organizations within the Canton ecosystem

Fellowship Programs

Implementing fellowship/ambassador programs at partner universities will both…

a. Provide an in-person and incentivized presence for Canton Network at the world’s best universities.

b. Provide a crucial touchpoint/point of communication for Cantor8 and Canton Network within said universities.

· Student 1: Will have a market focus, and will take lead on spreading the business and market opportunities in Canton. They will likely have had exposure to markets personally through internships or work or undertaking a markets related subject.

· Student 2: Will have a technical background, and will take lead on spreading a technical/developer understanding of Canton Network. They will likely be undertaking a Master’s Degree or PhD and will be able to drive technical research on behalf of the Canton Network ecosystem.

· Each university Blockchain Society will take lead on organizing events and ensure the needs of the Canton Network ecosystem are met. Not necessarily with a technical background, the student will have a high EQ and will ensure that job advertisements, hackathons/events, internship opportunities, and other initiatives, are well proliferated.

Phase II - Specialization

Focused Lecture Series

Speakers will be world leaders in their chosen fields and will provide resources and insights unavailable online or from other resources.

Potential Speakers:

· Eric Sarieniecki

· Chris Zuhelke

· Shaul Kfir

· Robin Krom

· Andreas Lochibler

Canton Network Incubator

One of the most exciting aspects of the entire program, Cantor8 will establish and maintain an incubation pipeline of founders emerging from leading universities.

As part of this, Cantor8 will…

· Communicate to universities the current needs of the Canton Network ecosystem to ensure founders create useful solutions.

· Provide multi-avenue support to founders (e.g. funding, development, network).

· Ensure that Canton ecosystem funds and VCs have direct access to the suite of high calibre founders emerging from the incubator program.

Talent Pipeline

Blockchain ecosystems live and die by the talent they are able to attract and maintain.

This pipeline will be created by collaborating with universities to ensure that, amongst other things…

· Attractive job opportunities are advertised to student bodies (via newsletters, community groups, word of mouth, etc.).

· Employers are given priority placements at university events and conferences.

· Students understand the long-term potential of both Canton Network and its associated companies.

[Target Milestone: 20+ high quality applications, or 3+ job placements]

Bootcamps & Intensive Programs

These programs will last for 1-4 weeks, operated with the following goals in mind:

· Upskilling of Canton Network’s future workforce and builders.

· Converting ‘side projects’ into fully-fledged research and start-ups.

· Increasing the number of high quality applications directed at Canton Network ecosystem organizations.

Phase III - Full Academic Integration

Inclusion in Course Curricula

At leading universities, key aspects of the Canton Network ecosystem will have either dedicated courses & modules established, or be absorbed into existing courses and curricula.

It will be supported by Canton Network’s growing presence and reputation on a wider scale, Canton having percolated deeply into traditional finance over the course of three years.

Topics and areas of study may include…

· The Daml smart contract language.

· Upgrades to the Protocol; introducing the latest cryptography, improving scaling…

· Canton Network’s growing role in traditional finance.

· The legal aspects of bringing RWAs onchain and the process of tokenization

Research Labs

To ensure that Canton Network retains its position at the forefront of academia and cutting-edge development, a minimum of two dedicated blockchain research laboratories will be established at partnered universities.

#	Deliverable	Description	SV Weight	Time
1	Fellows Program	Create a Canton Fellows Program Approved by Foundation	+ 0.5 8+ fellows across minimum 3 universities	+ 90 Days
	Fellows Adoption Bonus	Conduct competitive selection and award 3+ Canton Fellowships across a minimum of 3 Foundation-approved Universities	+ 0.5	+ 180 Days(?)
2	Educational programme	Establish a Canton presence at a Top 25 World Ranked leading Universities and create a continuous educational programme. Sign contracts for: · 1 yearly Large scale lecture (100+ attendees) · 1 yearly Large scale Hackathon · 5-7 yearly Subject specific lectures · 5-7 Technical Workshops over 2026/2027 · Summer Schools 2026/2027	+ 1	+ 360 Days
	Educational Programme Adoption Bonus	Expand into at least 2 more leading Universities	+0.25 per University Max + 1
3	Incubation programme	Partner with the Canton Foundation and Canton Ecosystem Fund to create a Canton Incubator programme, specialised in bringing to release high quality future Canton applications · 5+ applications released in 2026	+ 0.5 per Featured App in Production that exceed $1m in Fees Max + 2	+ 2 years
34	Curriculum Integration/Research	· Add Canton/Daml to at least one course · Sponsor 3+ research grants for PhD or higher level Daml/Canton related research	+ 0.5 for each item Max +1	up to 2 years considering how significant this is
4	Termination Clause	Should any of these programs stop after the milestones have been achieved, the Weight will be revoked from the SV going forward	Up to max reward

SV Reward Mechanics

· An extraBeneficiary PartyID associated with the 'escrowed' Super Validator will be set up by the Foundation, or another SV node operator approved to provide SV rewards escrow services, with an SV Weight at the maximum earnable weight.

o The Applicant is responsible for coordinating the process of setting up the escrowed weights with the GSF and the operator of the SV node.

o The Applicant is responsible for all costs associated with the operation of the escrow SV.

o The escrow SV will NOT mint rewards on a block-by-block basis.

o All escrow SV rewards will go to the Unclaimed Rewards pool.

· ⅔ of the Super Validator Operators will update their configurations to allow the escrowing SV node to host the full weight to be earned by the given Super Validator.

· Applicant is required to present proof of successful completed milestones to the Tokenomics Working Group.

o Applicant must present a calculation for the number of Canton Coin it should earn for meeting milestone requirements.

· If the Tokenomics Working Group agrees the milestone has been met and approves the calculation, an announcement will be sent via the Tokenomics-Announce mailing list.

o The GSF will update the extraBeneficiary to an active PartyID controlled by that Super Validator.

o ⅔ of Super Validator Operators will then assign a portion of the Unclaimed Rewards to be minted by the Applicant's Validator, based on the approved calculation.

· If any milestones and associated rewards are not achieved by the deadline:

o Applicant will be notified they have not met a deliverable by the GSF.

o Remaining SV Weight assigned to the extraBeneficiary SV will be removed from the GSF node configuration, and the total SV weight of the GSF SV node will be reduced by the same amount by a vote of the Super Validators.

o The Tokenomics Working Group will make a recommendation to the SVs on what to do with the Unclaimed Rewards.

Copyright

This CIP is licensed under CC0-1.0: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.

Changelog

· 2026-02-10: Initial draft of the proposal.

Caution: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. When in doubt, contact netGenius.

#8Heslin Kim16-02-2026source ↗

While university sponsorships and scholarship programs undoubtedly generate goodwill, enhance brand reputation, and support community relations, I've never seen them deliver direct, attributable business value.

Such programs typically produce diffuse, long-term, and difficult-to-quantify benefits. At best, improved employer perception or talent pipeline awareness rather than measurable outcomes like lead generation, customer acquisition cost reduction, or incremental revenue. ROI is often anecdotal or indirect, with limited traceability to profit-and-loss impact.

In contrast, if this initiative were an internal campaign run by the Foundation then a well-allocated marketing budget could target precisely the same objectives at a fraction of the cost: brand awareness campaigns, talent acquisition channels, content marketing in an academic environment, or targeted branding initiatives that could be instrumented with clear KPIs (e.g., impressions-to-applications ratios, cost-per-qualified-lead, or conversion funnels). These deliver more predictable and scalable results, as James alluded to.

Funding university programs from operating or talent budgets risks subsidizing indirect objectives under the guise of business development. An SV with a weight of 8 would yield low 8 figures in rewards to such an initiative, which could easily be run for under $100,000 annually based on the education program outlined. Marketing campaigns like this can easily piggyback existing programs such as BASS, Harvard Blockchain Accelerator, or IC3 (https://www.initc3.org/).

I do think a program like this would certainly be a useful marketing initiative. However, I struggle to see why this would merit a Super Validator slot in perpetuity.
#9Eric Saraniecki17-02-2026source ↗

thanks James and Heslin for the notes

I too went back and forth about SV vs 5% fund. At the end of the day, I recommended adding the termination clause on the proposal that would allow us to mechanically exit the SV if it doesn't continue to operate these programs.

In both instances, we will need a 3rd party with connections and expertise to deliver these outcomes. The Foundation will, of course, be involved on priorities, focus, etc.

Some things are clearly 5% fund in my mind, others are clearly SV. Some things land in the middle and we have to make a decision on how best to structure it. For these longer investments, I think an SV can make more sense than a grant or the 5% fund.

Also, noticed on review the full changes didn't land from Amanda yet, I expected the total eligible reward to be a W4 if all milestones were met

On Mon, Feb 16, 2026 at 5:21 PM Heslin Kim via lists.sync.global <heslin=gevulot.com@...> wrote:
While university sponsorships and scholarship programs undoubtedly generate goodwill, enhance brand reputation, and support community relations, I've never seen them deliver direct, attributable business value.

Such programs typically produce diffuse, long-term, and difficult-to-quantify benefits. At best, improved employer perception or talent pipeline awareness rather than measurable outcomes like lead generation, customer acquisition cost reduction, or incremental revenue. ROI is often anecdotal or indirect, with limited traceability to profit-and-loss impact.

In contrast, if this initiative were an internal campaign run by the Foundation then a well-allocated marketing budget could target precisely the same objectives at a fraction of the cost: brand awareness campaigns, talent acquisition channels, content marketing in an academic environment, or targeted branding initiatives that could be instrumented with clear KPIs (e.g., impressions-to-applications ratios, cost-per-qualified-lead, or conversion funnels). These deliver more predictable and scalable results, as James alluded to.

Funding university programs from operating or talent budgets risks subsidizing indirect objectives under the guise of business development. An SV with a weight of 8 would yield low 8 figures in rewards to such an initiative, which could easily be run for under $100,000 annually based on the education program outlined. Marketing campaigns like this can easily piggyback existing programs such as BASS, Harvard Blockchain Accelerator, or IC3 (https://www.initc3.org/).

I do think a program like this would certainly be a useful marketing initiative. However, I struggle to see why this would merit a Super Validator slot in perpetuity.

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#10Michael Zhang19-02-2026source ↗

Re: CIP-TBD Canton Network University Program

Hi Everyone,

I strongly support this initiative. The Canton Network University Program is a meaningful and important direction, and I would like to share some context and few questions.

1. Support and context

I teach at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). I have been considering promoting Canton and Daml through a university-based initiative—for example, by donating to PolyU to establish something like a “Canton Research Center” that could cover lectures, training, incubation, and related activities. I see this as relatively low input but high impact, and well aligned with this CIP.

2. Matching funding

To my knowledge, a USD 0.5-1 million donation to an institution like PolyU could be matched by Hong Kong government / PolyU on a comparable basis (i.e. another USD 0.5-1 million). That could materially extend the reach of Canton and Daml in Asia and in academia.

3. Questions for clarification

(A) Naming and brand

Would using a name such as “Canton [Institution] Research Center” (e.g. “Canton PolyU Research Center”) comply with Canton’s brand / naming policy? Who is the appropriate implementing body from a brand and governance perspective—an SV, the Canton Foundation, or another designated entity?

(B) Education Committee

Would it be feasible for Super Validators (or the ecosystem) to establish an “Education Committee” to coordinate global education and training—including the University Program in this CIP and regional efforts such as a potential Canton research center in Hong Kong? I believe a light-touch, shared structure could help align branding and scale impact.

(C) Selection Criteria

Could the criteria for partner / eligible universities be broadened (or clarified) to QS Top 100 and/or CoinDesk Top 20? That would better capture both general academic excellence and blockchain-focused programmes—and would include institutions like PolyU (QS 54, CoinDesk 2022 #1 in blockchain). You would support a wording along these lines if the authors consider it useful.

Thank you for this CIP. I am happy to discuss further and contribute where useful.

Best regards,

DrJ
#11Joris D.19-02-2026source ↗
A few questions I can't quite shake, mostly about the mechanism rather than the idea itself.
The program makes sense & this is the kind of initiative that benefits the ecosystem.

But reading this proposal and last version, I keep coming back to these questions:
- A- is 'education' core infrastructure & as such it must sit at governance level?
OR
- B- are we using SV mechanics because it’s the easiest way to reward something valuable?
If it’s A, it sounds like a 'constitutional' decision.
If it’s B, that can be seen as a structural shortcut.

None seem obvious reading the previous replies.

The termination clause is interesting too. Well intentioned, clearly. But once we establish that SV weight can be reviewed & removed based on offchain performance/milestones, that's a new standard for the whole network, not just this CIP, correct @Eric?

Finally, doesn't it create an overlap with what the Foundation is already there for?
The Foundation holds CC precisely to make initiatives like this possible. CIP-0100 created a 5% fund as well.
Would a multi-year grant with renewal conditions not achieve something similar, without changing what the 'SV set' looks like?

My 2 cents. Maybe I'm missing something.
#12Philip Kaddaj25-02-2026source ↗

Hey Dr J,

I would love to help support growing Canton education and outreach into Asia!

Please reach out to me philip@...

toggle quoted message Show quoted text

On Wed, 18 Feb 2026, 20:23 DrJingle via lists.sync.global, <j=ordinals.foundation@...> wrote:
Re: CIP-TBD Canton Network University Program

Hi Everyone,

I strongly support this initiative. The Canton Network University Program is a meaningful and important direction, and I would like to share some context and few questions.

1. Support and context

I teach at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). I have been considering promoting Canton and Daml through a university-based initiative—for example, by donating to PolyU to establish something like a “Canton Research Center” that could cover lectures, training, incubation, and related activities. I see this as relatively low input but high impact, and well aligned with this CIP.

2. Matching funding

To my knowledge, a USD 0.5-1 million donation to an institution like PolyU could be matched by Hong Kong government / PolyU on a comparable basis (i.e. another USD 0.5-1 million). That could materially extend the reach of Canton and Daml in Asia and in academia.

3. Questions for clarification

(A) Naming and brand

Would using a name such as “Canton [Institution] Research Center” (e.g. “Canton PolyU Research Center”) comply with Canton’s brand / naming policy? Who is the appropriate implementing body from a brand and governance perspective—an SV, the Canton Foundation, or another designated entity?

(B) Education Committee

Would it be feasible for Super Validators (or the ecosystem) to establish an “Education Committee” to coordinate global education and training—including the University Program in this CIP and regional efforts such as a potential Canton research center in Hong Kong? I believe a light-touch, shared structure could help align branding and scale impact.

(C) Selection Criteria

Could the criteria for partner / eligible universities be broadened (or clarified) to QS Top 100 and/or CoinDesk Top 20? That would better capture both general academic excellence and blockchain-focused programmes—and would include institutions like PolyU (QS 54, CoinDesk 2022 #1 in blockchain). You would support a wording along these lines if the authors consider it useful.

Thank you for this CIP. I am happy to discuss further and contribute where useful.

Best regards,

DrJ
#13Alex Chen26-02-2026source ↗
Hi Philip, all, with the understanding that this draft is likely going to vote soon, we wanted share some thoughts:
- As a concept, we're aligned that the University Program can be truly value additive to the ecosystem in attracting talent and innovation.
- In its execution, our opinion differs and we strongly believe this should be a Foundation led and funded initiative, as:
  
  The Foundation has been set up and funded for the purpose of generally supporting the network's growth and development. Programs to facilitate engagement with colleges and other pools of builders align with that goal much more intuitively (and sustainably) than an SV-centric approach.
  
  Given that the DevFund program is now live, that is no longer a blocker to route this to the DevFund.
  
  We agree that these types of programs can be long-term additive to the network and that continued funding could be merited. We believe that is best accomplished via the CF revisiting allocations to the program on a regular basis based on effectiveness rather than complicated structures for accountability at the SV level.
  
  As Heslin noted, in the event a token locking structure for SVs is approved / implemented, it will of course have a limiting effect on how the program can be funded via SV rewards.
Happy to discuss any of the above and let me know of any questions.

Kind regards,

Alex

--

Cumberland