IOG, the development powerhouse behind Cardano, has reached out to its community seeking financial support for an ongoing research and development initiative spanning a year-long time frame. This effort is crucial in maintaining Cardano’s competitive edge into the next decade; IOG highlighted sustained research and innovation for long-term growth prospects of Cardano.
The funding request includes work in 20 core research areas including Ouroboros, Tokenomics, Hydra and Interchains as well as six technology validation streams: Leios, Minotaur Jolteon Liveness RSnarks and enhanced anti-grinding defenses – with the goal to bolster scalability, sustainability and interoperability through evidence-based approaches.
Strategic Outlook for 2025
IOG’s “Cardano Vision – Work Program 2025” seeks to raise 26.848 million ADA, or roughly $13.42 million at an approximate provisional rate of $0.50 per ADA, or roughly equivalent to 56.1 full-time positions and necessary equipment, licenses, and overhead costs. This financial plan allocates approximately $5.895 million for research activities and $7.525 million for innovation efforts – equivalent to an average daily cost of approximately $239,000 per individual or approximately one dollar thirty per day for innovation efforts or $11,030 daily for research activities alone!
IOG has presented its five-year vision in nine thematic areas organized into structured annual work programs. Notable achievements of their 2025 program are developing next-generation consensus mechanisms, addressing macro-level token economics issues, exploring decentralized identity solutions, overhauling governance structures, expanding Hydra layer-2 framework and conducting comprehensive Interchains studies.
Expected results from this research endeavor are at least 20 peer-reviewed publications and artifacts annually, as well as significant contributions towards technology validation resulting in formal specifications, prototypes, simulations, and improvement proposals for Cardano ecosystem. This effort strives to enhance product development within Cardano while supporting community-driven evolution with transparency and detailed technical documentation.
Initial reactions within the Cardano community appear favorable, with many delegated representatives supporting its proposal after extensive consideration. At present, discussions remain active, and its trading price stands at $0.61 to reflect its ever-evolving market status.
