Tip

Update Jan 21, 2025: Applications for cohort 2 will open soon. Please check back here for updates.

Tip

For a list of grants provided as part of this bounty, please see our dedicated Accepted Grant Applications document.

ink!ubator 2.0

• 👋 Introduction
• Guidelines
• Project Ideas
• Benefits
• 📝 Process
  • 1. Application
  • 2. Application Review
  • 3. Milestone Delivery and Payment
  • Changes to a Grant after Approval
• Support

👋 Introduction

Ecosystem Grants are part of the ink!ubator, a holistic bounty program with the goal of furthering the ink! smart contracting ecosystem. This bounty program is funded by the Polkadot treasury with the support of the community.

The bounty includes Curators from the following Polkadot ecosystem teams:

• W3F
• Michi
• Velocity Labs
• David Semakula
• R0GUE
• Facilitator:
  • Toma Sadova

---

Guidelines

Anyone is welcome to apply for a grant. This program funds projects that are dedicated to ink! ecosystem growth. We focus on strong technical ideas that contribute to ink! infrastructure, demonstrate ink!'s potential, and unveil applicable business sides, thus growing the ecosystem.

Generally, your project will have better chances of being accepted if:

• It clearly shows the advantage of ink! over other smart contract languages (e.g., Solidity).
• Your idea is innovative and contributes to the growth of Web3, Polkadot, and the ink! ecosystem. Innovation is preferred over duplicating existing EVM solutions.
• It presents a well-researched or tested concept, with some prior work to showcase.
• You can demonstrate that the project will be maintained after completion of the grant, if applicable.
• Your team has proven experience with relevant languages, technologies, and/or a strong technical background. GitHub profiles of team members should be included in your application.
• Your application is rich in technical details and well-defined.

Additionally, all projects must fulfill the following requirements:

• All code produced must be open-sourced, without relying on closed-source software for full functionality. Preferred licenses include Apache 2.0, GPLv3, MIT, or Unlicense.
• Projects involved in token sales are not eligible.
• Applications must not mention a specific token. Instead, focus on the software being implemented/researched.
• Teams must finish an ongoing grant before applying for another one.
• We do not fund projects encouraging gambling, illicit trade, money laundering, or criminal activities.

All projects must include documentation explaining their functionality. At a minimum, written documentation is required.

We take licensing and proper attribution very seriously. Any misuse of others' work without proper credit will lead to immediate termination of the grant. If in doubt, reach out before submitting.

---

Project Ideas

The main acceptance criteria for any submitted project is its impact on the ink! ecosystem. Suggested categories include:

Business Dapp

This category is for early-stage startups utilizing ink! that seek grant support. Applicants must demonstrate a viable business model, a capable team, and readiness to transform their idea into a functional company. A pitch deck is encouraged.

Canary Dapp

A Canary Dapp is a full-stack application that could be deployed on a value-bearing network but may not be fully production-ready. These projects serve as references for developers building production-grade dApps.

Examples:

• Lending application for earning interest on deposits and borrowing assets.
• Liquid staking solutions issuing redeemable receipts for staked tokens.
• Aggregators uniting decentralized protocols and liquidity sources.

Technical Showcase

This category involves applications demonstrating ink!'s advantages over other smart contract languages, such as:

• Efficient gas usage
• Decreased contract size
• Improved developer and debugging experience

Infrastructure

This category focuses on improving the ink! ecosystem's developer infrastructure and tooling.

Examples of successful infrastructure products:

• Oracles (price feeds, VRF, customizable oracles, etc.)
• DAO tooling (smart contracts, SDKs, UIs)
• Bridges (XCM integration, external blockchain bridges)

---

Benefits

• Feedback during application and evaluation
• Introductions to relevant teams/projects
• Code reviews or audits (depending on scope)
• Co-promotion opportunities

---

📝 Process

📢 Payment is made in DOT (on Polkadot).

1. Application

1. Fork this repository.
2. Create a copy of the application template (applications/application-template.md).
3. Name the new file after your project: project_name.md.
4. Complete the template with as much detail as possible.
5. Submit a pull request to this repository. Only include one new file in your pull request.

2. Application Review

1. Curators will review and comment on your pull request.
2. Address feedback by modifying your application.
3. Once ready, the application will be marked as ready for review and shared with the committee.
4. Approval requires 4 votes and will mark the project start date.

3. Milestone Delivery and Payment

Milestones are to be delivered in the Grant Milestone Delivery repository.

---

Support

While funding and milestone feedback are the main support mechanisms, general documentation and additional resources can be found at use.ink.

Community support channels:

• ink!ubator matrix room
• ink telegram

Useful links:

• Proposal 2.0
• GitHub ink!ubator 2.0
• ink!ubator 2.0 Website
• ink!ubator 1.0 Report