Please describe your proposed solution

The integration of Decentralised Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) with smart contracts in the context of a Learning Management System (LMS) focused on shortening the gap between learning and working can be a powerful way to create a seamless, secure, and transparent credentialing process.

• DIDs provide a unique, self-sovereign identity for learners, organisations, and other entities. Each learner would have a DID, which is controlled by them and stored securely in a digital wallet.
• VCs represent digital proofs of learning or skills gained from the short course, issued by the organisation or tribe. These credentials are signed and cryptographically verified, ensuring authenticity.

In more detail, in the context of the "Learn to Work" system, where learners receive tokenised credentials (NFTs) after completing courses, and smart contracts are used to track commitments and contributions, Decentralised Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) play a crucial role in ensuring the security, authenticity, and portability of the entire system. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how DIDs and VCs benefit the NFT/smart contract process:

1. Authentication of Learner Identity (DIDs)

• What DIDs Provide: DIDs are decentralised identifiers that give learners control over their identity without relying on a centralised authority. Each learner has their own DID, which they manage through a digital wallet. This DID is globally unique, and the learner can use it to interact with the system securely and privately.

• How it Benefits NFTs/Smart Contracts:

Ownership Verification: DIDs enable learners to prove that they are the rightful owners of their tokenised credentials (NFTs). The smart contract can use the learner's DID to verify their identity when issuing an NFT upon course completion.

• Secure Transactions: Smart contracts can securely interact with learners' DIDs to ensure that only the rightful owners can claim or transfer NFTs, reducing fraud or credential theft.

• Portable and Interoperable Identity: Since the DID is portable, the learner’s identity can be verified across multiple organisations or platforms, even outside the original ecosystem. This makes the learner’s credentials transferable and usable beyond the immediate environment.

2. Verifiable Credentials (VCs) for Proof of Learning

• What VCs Provide: VCs are cryptographically verifiable documents that can attest to specific achievements or credentials. In this case, a learner receives a VC upon completing a course, which details the skills acquired, the issuer, and the learner’s DID.

• How it Benefits NFTs/Smart Contracts:

Credential Authentication: When an NFT (tokenised credential) is issued to a learner through a smart contract, it’s linked to a VC that provides cryptographic proof of the learning achievement. This means the NFT is backed by an authentic record of accomplishment, making it more trustworthy for third parties (e.g., employers).

• VC Integration with NFTs: The VC itself can be embedded within the NFT metadata or referenced on-chain, allowing the credential (and its associated proof) to be carried with the NFT. This way, anyone reviewing the tokenised credential can trace back to the verified VC that proves the learning experience.

• Credential Accumulation: Over time, as learners complete more courses or contribute to projects, they receive additional VCs. These VCs can be linked to the original NFT or issued as new NFTs. The smart contract ensures that the credentials accumulate on the token, creating a verifiable record of a learner's growing skill set and reputation.

3. Automated Credential Issuance and Verification via Smart Contracts

• What Smart Contracts Do: Smart contracts are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code. In this system, smart contracts govern the issuance, accumulation, and verification of NFTs and credentials.

• How DIDs/VCs Enhance Smart Contracts:

Issuance Automation: Upon course completion, the smart contract checks the learner’s DID to confirm their identity, then issues an NFT tied to the VC of the course. This automation eliminates the need for manual credential issuance, streamlining the process.

• Tamper-Proof Verification: DIDs and VCs are cryptographically signed, so when a learner presents their tokenised credential, the smart contract can verify the VC’s authenticity on-chain without needing to trust a central authority. This ensures that the NFT truly represents valid learning achievements.

• Cross-Platform Usage: DIDs and VCs make it possible for the credentials represented by NFTs to be verifiable outside the original LMS ecosystem. A learner could present their NFT to a potential employer or another learning institution, and the smart contract could verify the VC without needing any centralised intermediary.

4. Portability and Interoperability Across Ecosystems

• How DIDs Enable Portability: Since DIDs are not tied to any one platform, they provide the learner with control over their credentials and reputation. Learners can use the same DID to interact with different ecosystems, allowing them to move their credentials across various platforms seamlessly.

• Benefits for NFTs/Smart Contracts:

Credential Portability: When the learner moves from one organisation or community to another, their DIDs remain the same, and their NFT-based credentials (backed by VCs) are universally recognised. This means that learners don’t have to re-prove their achievements each time they switch platforms.

• Cross-Ecosystem Verification: If the learner presents their NFT in another ecosystem, smart contracts in that new system can interact with the VC infrastructure to verify the credential’s authenticity, even if it was issued in a different ecosystem.

5. Reputation Building and Accumulation of Credentials

• Accumulation of VCs in Tokens: Over time, as learners complete more courses or gain more skills, their token (NFT) accumulates additional VCs representing new achievements. This is made possible because DIDs serve as a permanent link to the learner’s identity, allowing smart contracts to continuously add verified credentials to the existing token.

• How it Benefits NFTs/Smart Contracts:

Reputation Tracking: Since each new VC is tied to the learner’s DID, the smart contract can continually update the learner’s NFT with new credentials, creating a comprehensive record of their achievements. This reputation, backed by VCs, adds more value to the token.

• Verifiable Work History: Smart contracts can track contributions or work history alongside learning credentials. This creates a verified, tamper-proof record of both learning and real-world application, which can be referenced by future employers or collaborators.

6. Community Control and Autonomy (DIDs for Issuers)

• Autonomous Credential Issuance by Communities: Communities (e.g., tribes or organisations) can use their own DIDs to issue VCs to learners, ensuring they retain control over the issuance process.

• How it Benefits NFTs/Smart Contracts:

Decentralised Issuance: Communities can issue credentials independently using their DIDs, ensuring that learners receive authentic credentials directly from the source. The smart contract recognises the community’s DID and ties it to the credential in the NFT.

• Self-Sovereignty: Communities can manage their credentialing process without relying on centralised platforms, issuing VCs that are recognised by smart contracts and DIDs, ensuring they maintain control over their educational ecosystem.

Summary of Benefits:

• Authentication: DIDs ensure that only the rightful learner receives and controls their tokenised credentials, preventing fraud or misrepresentation.

• Verification: VCs embedded in NFTs provide cryptographic proof of the learner’s achievements, allowing them to be easily verified by smart contracts without intermediaries.

• Portability: Learners can carry their credentials across different platforms and ecosystems using their DIDs, enhancing the usefulness of tokenised credentials.

• Accumulation and Reputation Building: Smart contracts, interacting with DIDs and VCs, allow for the accumulation of skills and reputation over time, creating a dynamic, long-lived record of both learning and work contributions.

By integrating DIDs and VCs with NFTs and smart contracts, the system creates a secure, transparent, and scalable way for learners to manage their identity and credentials, while ensuring employers and organisations can trust the authenticity and provenance of those credentials.

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

Our project, integrating Andamio, Identus, and Mātou technologies, will have a significant positive impact on the wider Cardano community by:

• Advancing Real-World Adoption: Creating a practical, decentralized system for education and employment, we're demonstrating a tangible use case for blockchain technology in everyday life. This showcases Cardano's potential beyond cryptocurrency.

• Empowering Underserved Communities: Our focus on Indigenous and remote communities aligns with Cardano's mission of financial and social inclusion. We're providing tools for these communities to manage their own educational and economic ecosystems.

• Promoting Interoperability: By integrating DIDs and VCs with Cardano's blockchain, we're fostering interoperability between different systems, potentially expanding Cardano's reach and utility.

• Driving Innovation: Our project pushes the boundaries of what's possible with smart contracts, tokenized credentials, and decentralized identity on the Cardano blockchain, potentially inspiring further innovations in the ecosystem.

• Building Trust: By creating verifiable, tamper-proof credentials, we're enhancing trust in digital systems, which could lead to broader adoption of Cardano-based solutions.

Our project, will also support the Brand and Narrative which the Community will begin pursuing as a fully decentralised community-led project which is known for:

• Demonstrating Real-World Utility: Showcasing Cardano's potential in education and employment verification.

• Empowering Underserved Communities: Providing tools for Indigenous and remote communities to manage their educational ecosystems.

• Advancing Interoperability: Integrating DIDs and VCs with Cardano, expanding its utility.

• Proving reliability: Enhancing confidence in digital credentialing systems on Cardano.

To measure the impact of our project development and initial implementation, we will use the following metrics:

Quantitative Metrics:

• Development Milestones: Number of key features completed (e.g., DID integration, smart contract deployment)

• Community Engagement: Number of Indigenous communities involved in the development and testing phases

• Technical Performance: Transaction speeds and costs for credential issuance and verification on testnet

• Ecosystem Growth: Number of developers contributing to the open-source codebase

Qualitative Metrics:

• Feedback from Test Users: Gather insights from initial users (learners, educators, employers) during alpha and beta testing phases

• Community Acceptance: Assess the reception of the project within the Cardano community through forum discussions and social media sentiment analysis

• Potential Use Cases: Document new use cases proposed by the community as the project develops

• Regulatory Alignment: Evaluate how well the developing system aligns with educational and privacy regulations in target regions

Project-Specific Impact Indicators:

• Successful Integration: Measure the level of integration achieved between Andamio's LMS, Identus' DID/VC infrastructure, and Mātou's TribalDIDs system

• Prototype Effectiveness: Assess the functionality and user experience of the initial prototype with a focus group

• Scalability Potential: Analyze the theoretical scalability of the system based on testnet performance

We will collect and analyze this data throughout the development process, providing regular updates to the Cardano community. Our goal is to demonstrate not just the technical progress of the project, but its real-world impact on individuals and communities.

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 team's track record speaks volumes:

1. Andamio: Pioneers in blockchain-integrated LMS
2. Hyperledger Identus: DID/VC infrastructure experts
3. Mātou (Āhau Platform/TribalDIDs): Leaders in Indigenous digital identity solutions

We're not starting from scratch - we're combining battle-tested technologies along with building on relationships built over four years working alongside and supporting each other as part of Project Catalyst projects:

• Existing integrations identified
• Phased approach with clear milestones
• Community relationships established for real-world testing

Feasibility validation:

• Component testing before integration
• Testnet deployment prior to mainnet launch
• Stress testing for scalability
• Third-party security audits
• Open-source development for community scrutiny

We're not just capable - we're primed to deliver a game-changing solution for the indigenous tribes we are serving; decentralized education and employment verification will change lives.

What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1: Discovery and Planning (Month 1-2)

Outcome: Clear understanding of technical requirements and collaboration framework.

Key Activities:

• Alignment of Objectives: Meet to discuss the integration of tokenised credentials, DID issuance, and smart contracts across all platforms.
• Use Case Development: Define primary use cases such as course completion, token accumulation of credentials, reputation-building, and contribution tracking.
• Smart Contract Requirements: Draft the basic framework for smart contracts that will govern the issuance, accumulation, and verification of credentials.

Milestone 2: Technical Design and Architecture (Month 3-4)

Outcome: A fully designed technical architecture for tokenised credentials, DID integration, and smart contract interactions.

Key Activities:

• Token Design: Establish how the tokenised credentials will accumulate more skills over time. Define the structure for tokens to represent both learning achievements and contributions.
• Smart Contract Development: Design smart contracts to automatically track and record the completion of courses, issuance of tokens, and the commitments made by learners and contributors.
• DID and VC System Integration: Plan how Ahau’s DID/VC system will integrate with Andamio’s tokenised credential platform. Ensure learners' credentials are tied to their DIDs and stored securely.

Milestone 3: Initial Development and Testing (Month 5-6)

Outcome: A functioning prototype of the tokenised credential system integrated with DIDs and smart contracts.

Key Activities:

• Token Issuance for Learning: Implement the initial version of tokenised credential issuance when learners complete courses on Andamio’s LMS. Tokens will accumulate credentials over time as new skills are earned.
• Smart Contract Deployment: Deploy smart contracts that validate course completion and record both learning commitments and contributions made by the learners.
• DID Integration: Test integration of Ahau’s TribalDIDs, ensuring learner identities and credentials are verifiable via their DID.
• Initial Pilot Testing: Conduct early tests with a small group of learners and organisations, using the tokens to represent their learning progress and contributions.

Milestone 4: Pilot Launch and Feedback Gathering (Month 7)

Outcome: A live pilot with real users and employers, demonstrating the accumulation of credentials in tokens and reputation-building.

Key Activities:

• Live System Deployment: Launch the system for select organisations and communities. Learners will complete courses, earn tokens, and start building a long-term reputation based on their accumulated credentials.
• Contribution Opportunities: Allow learners to use their credentials to unlock contribution opportunities within organisations. Employers will verify skills and track commitments through smart contracts.
• Feedback from Participants: Gather input from learners, employers, and tribal communities to identify any pain points, technical issues, or areas for improvement.

Milestone 5: Refinement and Expansion (Month 8)

Outcome: Improved system based on feedback and expansion of functionality to support more learning and contribution pathways.

Key Activities:

• System Refinements: Based on pilot feedback, improve the credential accumulation system, smart contract workflows, and DID/VC integrations. Adjust the design of tokens to reflect learning and contribution progress better.
• Expansion of Contribution Pathways: Work with additional organisations to add more courses and work opportunities, expanding the range of credentials that can be earned and accumulated over time.
• Enhanced Token Utility: Ensure the token becomes more than just a learning credential—it should be usable across various platforms to prove work reputation, learning accomplishments, and contributions.
• Scaling to More Communities: Deploy the system to more tribal communities and organisations, enabling wider use of tokenised credentials for both learning and contribution tracking.
• Cross-Community Usage: Ensure learners can use their tokens across different communities and organisations, allowing for more fluid transitions between learning, contributing, and working.

Final System Enhancements: Finalise the smart contract and token infrastructure to ensure it is scalable, secure, and interoperable with other decentralised identity systems.

Final Milestone: Reporting Key Outcomes (Month 9)

• Tokenised Credential System: Learners can earn long-lived tokens that accumulate credentials as they complete courses and make contributions. These tokens build a verifiable reputation over time.
• Decentralised Identity and Credentialing: Mātou's TribalDIDs system allows learners to own their credentials, tied to their DID, while communities can autonomously issue and manage them.
• Transparent, Verifiable Contributions: Smart contracts securely record learning commitments and contributions, enabling transparent verification by employers and organisations.

Interoperable and Scalable: The system is scalable across different organisations and communities, with secure, interoperable DIDs and VCs provided by Hyperledger Identus.

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Mātou Product Lead

Ben Tairea (Ngāti Nurou Kuki Airani)

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and communicate a clear product vision aligned with the goals of the project.
• Curate and manage the product backlog, ensuring it reflects project priorities.
• Champion user-centric design principles, working closely with UI/UX designers to implement feedback and improve usability.
• Collaborate with QA teams to establish and maintain quality standards, participating in testing processes.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, defining tasks, timelines, and dependencies.
• Track project timelines, identify and address potential delays, and ensure the timely delivery of milestones.
• Facilitate clear communication between project stakeholders, ensuring everyone is informed about project progress and changes.
• Work closely with the project's financial team to manage and monitor the budget, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently.

Mātou Engagement Lead

Engie Matene (Ngāpuhi, Kuki Airani)

Founder of He Tāngata Tech - Community Tech Support for rural, remote and indigenous communities of Te Tai Tokerau, Aotearoa, NZ

Secretary for Te Riingi Marae

Delivery Experience Developer for Trade Me & Flick Electric

Key Responsibilities:

• Actively engage with potential user communities to build strong relationships.
• Gather and synthesise user feedback, ensuring the community's voice is heard and considered in project development.
• Address community concerns, inquiries, and issues promptly, working closely with the development team to find resolutions.
• Act as the bridge between development teams, community stakeholders, and other relevant parties.
• Be an advocate for the community within the development team, ensuring their needs and perspectives are considered in decision-making processes.

Mātou Lead Developer

Mix Irving

Core developer for Loomio governance tool

Key contributor to Dark Crystal v1

Core developer and community organiser of Scuttlebutt

Lead developer for Āhau

Founder of commons.garden

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership within the development team, guiding the implementation of decentralised identity solutions.
• Lead blockchain development efforts, particularly on the Cardano and AtalaPrism platforms, ensuring secure and efficient integration
• Enforce coding standards and best practices to maintain high-quality, maintainable, and efficient code.
• Implement robust security measures, including encryption and secure key management, to ensure the integrity of the decentralised identity system.

Andamio Project Management

James Dunseith

Founder of Gimbalabs, Andamio

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership within the development team, guiding the implementation of decentralised identity solutions.
• Lead blockchain development efforts, particularly on the Cardano and AtalaPrism platforms, ensuring secure and efficient integration
• Enforce coding standards and best practices to maintain high-quality, maintainable, and efficient code.
• Implement robust security measures, including encryption and secure key management, to ensure the integrity of the decentralised identity system.

Andamio Product Management

Nori Nishigaya

Founder of BridgeBuilders, Andamio

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership within the development team, guiding the implementation of decentralised identity solutions.
• Lead blockchain development efforts, particularly on the Cardano and AtalaPrism platforms, ensuring secure and efficient integration
• Enforce coding standards and best practices to maintain high-quality, maintainable, and efficient code.
• Implement robust security measures, including encryption and secure key management, to ensure the integrity of the decentralised identity system.

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Personnel Costs (5 team members for 9 months):

• Mātou Product Lead (Ben Tairea): ₳58,800 (80 hours/month)
• Mātou Engagement Lead (Engie Matene): ₳58,800 (80 hours/month)
• Mātou Lead Developer (Mix Irving): ₳58,800 (80 hours/month)
• Andamio Project Management (James Dunseith): ₳58,800 (80 hours/month)
• Andamio Product Management (Nori Nishigaya): ₳58,800 (80 hours/month) Total Personnel: ₳294,000

Software Development and Integration:

• Smart Contract Development, DID/VC System, and LMS Integration: ₳45,920

Infrastructure and Testing:

• Cloud Services, Blockchain Infrastructure, Security Audit, and Performance Testing: ₳49,000

Community Engagement and Marketing:

• Community Workshops and Marketing Materials: ₳41,295

Project Management and Reporting:

• Software, Reporting, and Documentation: ₳12,250

Identus Maintainer Support:

• Open Source Maintainers Team: ₳22,920

Contingency: ₳24,615

Total Project Cost: ₳490,000

This project brings together three established teams in the Cardano and Project Catalyst ecosystems to create a solution for Indigenous people in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and worldwide.

Key Roles of Each Team:

• Andamio (LMS): Lead the development of the "Learn to Work" platform where organisations offer targeted courses to teach new skills. Upon course completion, learners are issued a tokenised credential that can accumulate more credentials over time, reflecting learning milestones and contributions.

• Mātou (Āhau Platform/TribalDIDs): Provide a decentralised identifier (DID) system for learners and communities, enabling self-sovereign identity management. Ahau Platform will focus on ensuring that communities can issue and verify verifiable credentials (VCs) and manage identity data autonomously.

We are also working with the developers who maintain Hyperledger Identus who supply the underlying identity infrastructure supporting secure issuance and verification of DIDs and VCs, ensuring compatibility with global standards (e.g., W3C). Identus will also ensure that smart contracts for recording learning and contributions are secure, transparent, and trusted.

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

This approach ensures that Cardano can market and deliver a system to education initiatives globally, specifically for Indigenous learners and in remote locations, with capabilities to seamlessly move from learning to work. At the same time, their accumulated credentials and contributions are verifiable, trusted, and valuable across various ecosystems.

• When a learner completes a short course, the LMS will issue a VC attesting to the learner's new skills or knowledge. This could include specifics like the skill learned, the course content, and the issuing entity (the tribe or organisation).
• These VCs are tied to the learner’s DID, meaning the credential is owned by the learner and can be shared with other organisations or potential employers.

1. Smart Contracts and Trial Periods

• A smart contract can facilitate verifying the credentials and setting up a trial period for employment.

For example, after the learner submits their VC to a potential employer, the smart contract can verify the credential’s authenticity by checking the issuer’s DID and cryptographic signature.

• The smart contract could then trigger actions such as:
• Approval for a trial period: If the credential matches the employer’s requirements, the smart contract could automatically offer the learner a trial period for the job.
• Incentivisation and milestone tracking: The smart contract can track performance milestones during the trial period. For example, the learner’s performance might unlock further credentials (VCs) or payments.
• End of trial period: At the end of the trial period, the employer could issue another VC validating the learner’s performance and experience “in the wild.” The learner could use this VC for future employment opportunities, either with the same organisation or elsewhere.

2. TribalDIDs for Communities

• The TribalDIDs system enables communities to manage identity autonomously and credential issuance. It simplifies the process by allowing tribes to deploy agents and mediators with minimal setup (just a click), making the infrastructure as easy as possible.
• In this context, a tribe or community could issue VCs for skills learned within their ecosystem or any external educational experience, fostering independence and self-sufficiency.
• By decentralising the credentialing process, each tribe or organisation can independently validate the credentials they issue, reducing reliance on external authorities.

3. Agent and Mediator Deployment

• With TribalDIDs, when a tribe issues credentials, the system automatically deploys an agent and mediator, allowing for secure communication and credential issuance.
• Agents act on behalf of the tribe to issue credentials, and the mediator ensures connectivity between the learner, issuer, and verifier in a decentralised, secure way.
• Since the pataka (a type of service that exposes agents and mediators to the internet) makes this process simple and locally controlled, it ensures that tribes maintain control over their own infrastructure, enabling them to deploy credentials as needed without external dependencies

4. Pathway to Employment

• The learner can use the credentials issued by the tribe or organisation to prove their skills to other employers. A smart contract could also verify additional credentials (e.g., from other employers) to showcase a learner’s progression and experience.
• The blockchain-based smart contract guarantees that the verification process is tamper-proof, transparent, and trustless, meaning no single party controls it.

Summary of Benefits:

• Learner Ownership: Learners own and control their credentials through their DID, allowing them to present verifiable skills to potential employers.
• Transparent Credentialing: Smart contracts ensure a transparent and verifiable credentialing process, reducing fraud and enhancing trust.
• Community Autonomy: TribalDIDs enable communities to issue, manage, and verify credentials independently, ensuring self-sovereignty.

Efficient Path to Employment: Integrating smart contracts facilitates automated credential verification and trial periods, streamlining the hiring process.