The IOR proposal for Work Program 2025 consists of 20 research streams and 6 technology validation streams from Cardano Vision, a five-year program consisting of 34 research streams across 9 thematic focus areas. Over a five-year period, this funnel approach is expected to generate over 100 high-quality research outputs and provide the foundation for 30 or more technology validation streams, to be implemented into Cardano’s Testnet and Mainnet by engineers and developers from the Cardano community.

For the full Cardano Vision proposal and supporting presentation, along with Fundamental Research and Technology Validation workstream plans prioritised for Work Program 2025, please see the Supporting Links in the Further Information section below.

Fundamental Research

• World’s Operating System
  • State-Machine Contract Environment (WOS-2): This stream simplifies the formal description of smart contracts for Cardano through a formal state-machine framework (EasySM) that abstracts the complexities of the EUTxO model and facilitates verification.
  • Location-Based Services and Smart Contracts (WOS-6): This stream explores how geolocation can enhance smart contracts and node infrastructure, focusing on geographic diversity metrics and incentives for global decentralization.
• Ouroboros Omega
  • Ouroboros Peras – Vision (OO-1V): A first version of Peras has been delivered, showing promising improvements in settlement times, with ongoing research focused on enhancing robustness and avoiding cooldown phases for greater efficiency.
  • Ouroboros Leios (OO-2): Leios introduces vertical scalability to Cardano’s consensus by aligning throughput with node resources, overcoming current limitations in block size and timing.
  • Fair Transaction Processing (OO-3): Develops protocol-level solutions to reduce front-running issues and ensure fair transaction ordering, reducing MEV without compromising decentralization or performance.
  • Multi-Resource Consensus – Minotaur (OO-5): Minotaur explores hybrid consensus mechanisms that combine PoW and PoS (including restake from different PoS networks) to improve security, resilience, and inclusivity—features that further help bootstrapping low-liquidity or early-stage blockchains that rely on Cardano for security.
  • Proofs of Useful Work (OO-6): This stream advances consensus models that replace wasteful PoW with verifiable, valuable computation (including SAT solving, zk-SNARK generation, ML computation, etc.), building on Ofelimos to enhance sustainability and network utility.
  • Congestion Control (OO-7): This research reimagines blockchain fee models by introducing resource- and urgency-based pricing to ensure fair, predictable, and efficient transaction processing under network load.
• Tokenomicon
  • Tokenomics Design (TO-1): This stream develops mathematical models to guide Cardano’s long-term macroeconomic policies, optimizing token circulation and ensuring system stability through evidence-based parameter choices.
  • Rewards Sharing and Transaction Fees (TO-2): Focused on fair and effective incentive design, this stream seeks to improve reward distribution and fee mechanisms to support decentralization, user fairness, and platform competitiveness.
• Global identity
  • Decentralized Identity and Reputation (GI-1): This stream designs a formal, flexible identity framework enabling users to control and share digital credentials securely across platforms, supporting cross-application interoperability and the effective use of identities in protocols.
• Democracy 4.0
  • Next-Level Governance Protocols (D4-1): This workstream develops scalable, decentralized governance systems with secure, low-footprint voting mechanisms suited for future growth and aligned with Cardano’s constitutional principles.
  • Governance Incentives (D4-2): Focused on DReps and beyond, this stream designs incentive schemes that balance effective decision-making with decentralization, transparency, and fairness in Cardano’s evolving governance landscape.
• Internet Hydra-ted
  • Hydra Tail (IHT-1): Hydra Tail enhances Cardano’s layer 2 scaling with zk-rollups, enabling off-chain transaction batching and secure on-chain settlement through succinct zero-knowledge proofs.
  • Inter-Head (IHT-2): This stream extends Hydra to support scalable, multi-party state channels that enable fast, composable layer 2 interactions with minimal on-chain footprint.
  • Optimization Tools (IHT-3): Focused on Hydra network efficiency, this stream develops tools for fund rebalancing, message routing, and synchronization to maximize throughput and resource use.
  • Auditing Tools (IHT-4): This stream introduces optional auditing features for Hydra to balance privacy with accountability, enabling limited, compliant access to off-chain transaction history for institutional clients.
• Interchains
  • Light Client Infrastructure (IC-3): This stream develops secure, efficient, and incentivized light clients to support scalable applications like zk-bridges, addressing device limitations and data asymmetry.
  • DApps Tokenomics (IC-4.1): This research explores tokenomics principles for launching new dApps or partnerchains, focusing on early-stage design for economic stability and adoption.
  • Consensus Innovation (IC-4.2): This stream investigates next-generation consensus protocols—blending Nakamoto and BFT models—to enhance Cardano’s scalability, decentralization, and fault tolerance under dynamic network conditions.

Technology Validation

• Leios: This stream advances Ouroboros Leios toward implementation by formalizing specifications, modeling performance, analyzing security, and preparing a CIP for high-throughput, real-world deployment on Cardano.
• Anti-Grinding: Focused on reducing settlement times, this stream strengthens anti-grinding protections in Praos and related protocols to increase adversarial costs and improve security.
• Jolteon Liveness (formerly fastBFT): A new high-performance BFT consensus protocol for Partnerchains, delivering formal safety guarantees and competitive finality.
• RSnarks: Enables scalable, privacy-preserving zk-bridges via recursive SNARKs by adapting Halo2 proofs for Cardano verification, enhancing interoperability with other blockchains with foreign pairing check and building Plutus-compatible tooling.
• Proof of Restake: This stream supports secure blockchain launches using hybrid consensus, enabling validators to re-stake from other chains and transition to native stake as adoption grows.
• Light Clients Infrastructure: Aims to enable efficient, low-resource wallet and smart contract interaction, with ongoing research focused on a novel blind signature-based protocol to support decentralized, DApp-friendly infrastructure.

The Input Output Research (IOR) proposal aims to support research initiatives that deliver value over 3-5 years for the continued growth of the Cardano ecosystem. Building on Cardano’s robust foundation—including a proven record of 100% uptime—the proposal is guided by a Strategic Research Agenda rooted in an Evidence-Based Methodology. With a focus on scalability, sustainability, and interoperability, this approach ensures a rigorous, market readiness methodology. It covers conceptual design through to implementation, resulting in a consistent pipeline of high-quality, validated innovations that provide enduring benefit to the Cardano platform.

Cardano Vision is an ambitious five-year research initiative spanning nine thematic focus areas, organized into structured annual work programs. Its purpose is to solidify Cardano’s position as a leader in blockchain innovation. Achieving this vision requires breakthroughs in critical technologies, including next-generation consensus protocols like Ouroboros Omega, zero-knowledge proofs, quantum-resistant cryptography, and advanced smart contract capabilities. These advancements will equip Cardano to address global challenges while upholding the highest standards of security, efficiency, and innovation.

This strategic approach delivers broad impact—strengthening Cardano’s global research leadership and producing tangible outputs such as academic papers, technical recommendations, and validated prototypes. Commercializing deep technologies like Web3 cannot rely solely on market demand; it depends on sustained scientific and technical excellence. Without proactive investment, valuable opportunities may be lost. Critical infrastructure must also undergo rigorous research and validation, as flaws can compromise network security or endanger user assets. By focusing on high-potential R&D areas, this initiative builds a strong foundation for innovation, accelerates time to market, and drives meaningful economic and societal outcomes.

Input Output Research (IOR) aims to deliver a pipeline of 20+ high-impact research initiatives annually, each supported by peer-reviewed papers and artefacts. From this pipeline, 6 initiatives will be selected for technical validation through a rigorous, multidisciplinary process involving community, customer, and IO’s R&D team.

Research is committed to academic excellence, with each research paper typically requiring two years due to the complexity and peer-review process. We will maintain an annual output of at least 20 peer-reviewed publications and artefacts that contribute meaningfully to both the Cardano ecosystem and the broader research community. To maximize impact, we are enhancing visibility through targeted dissemination to boost citations, foster collaboration, and solidify Cardano’s reputation in blockchain R&D.

Technology validation (previously called Innovation) streams translate research into practice, delivering six validated outputs annually—including technical reports, formal specifications, prototypes, simulations, Cardano Problem Statements (CPSs), and Cardano Improvement Proposals (CIPs). Prototypes and technical documentation will provide in-depth analysis and serve as critical foundations for product development within the Cardano ecosystem. CIPs, in particular, promote transparency and community-driven evolution, addressing key challenges and helping guide Cardano’s strategic advancement.

To date, Input Output Research has played a catalytic role in growing Cardano into a multi-billion-dollar blockchain. The multi-year, funnel-based approach outlined is designed to strengthen the foundation for Cardano’s continued growth and leadership, ensuring a steady pipeline of high-impact, globally relevant opportunities that address the most significant challenges in blockchain.

Since 2017, IOR has published over 200 research papers, demonstrating its commitment to advancing blockchain science for the benefit of Cardano.

Each year, IOR aims to generate a pipeline of at least 20 high-impact research initiatives for the Cardano ecosystem at SRL2*, supported by peer-reviewed research papers and technical reports. From this funnel, 6 of these initiatives will be validated and prioritized for implementation at SRL4/5*, reinforcing Cardano’s leadership in blockchain R&D.

• Fundamental Research Research outputs vary in complexity and significance, with the average paper taking at least two years to complete due to the rigorous academic peer-review process. As research conferences grow increasingly competitive, underscoring the need for excellence and relevance, we remain committed to delivering at least 20 high-quality publications and technical artefacts each year. To maximize visibility and impact, we are strengthening dissemination efforts across academic and Cardano-specific channels to boost citations, engagement, and impact.
• Technology Validation Technology Validation will validate 6 research initiatives annually, including technical reports, formal specifications, prototypes, simulations, Cardano Problem Statements (CPSs), and Cardano Improvement Proposals (CIPs). Prototypes and technical documentation. Please note, workstreams starting in the second half of the year will be delivered the following year. Technical reports provide in-depth analysis and implementation guidance, while prototypes demonstrate real-world application for product teams within the Cardano ecosystem. CPSs and CIPs play a key role in driving transparency, collaboration, and community-driven enhancements.

* Software Readiness Levels (SRLs) outline the lifecycle of a technology, from basic principles to commercial readiness, using an internationally accepted scale of 1-9.

Input Output Research’s proposal has a budget of $13.42M. The total budget proposed is to finance all activities across both research and innovation with a total of 56.1 FTEs.

This equates to an average of circa $239k per FTE (or $1,030 per day based on 232 working days per year). This includes all costs such as equipment, software licenses, server costs, all sub-contracting (for example to academic partners or third-party engineers), administration, travel, events, and program and portfolio management.

NOTE: Requested funding in this proposal is denominated in USD ($). A placeholder price of $0.50 USD per ADA was used for calculation purposes, resulting in a placeholder USD-to-ADA conversion rate of 2.00 (1 USD = 2 ADA).

• Fundamental Research

The research department operates with a budget of approximately $5.895M, supporting 27.5 FTEs—averaging $295k per workstream annually with 1.3 FTEs per stream. Workstream FTEs are broad initially due to early-stage uncertainty and narrow as the research direction matures.

Each of the 20 research workstreams typically spans over two years to produce a publishable research paper and draws on a multidisciplinary team with expertise in distributed systems, consensus, security, applied cryptography, game theory, and formal verification.

Team sizes range from 2–6 members and may include subcontracted partners and academic collaborators. Roles include Chief Scientist (strategic oversight), Professors (subject matter experts), Senior Research Fellows and Fellows (research leadership and execution), Research Associates/PhDs (project support), and Engineers (formal methods, research, or software).

• Technology Validation

The innovation department’s budget is $7.525M for 28.6 FTEs, averaging $1.25M per innovation workstream over 6-12 months. Each of the six workstreams requires 4.6–6 FTEs, depending on project needs.

Team composition is tailored to each stream’s specific development and implementation needs, typically including a Product Manager (discovery and market fit), Technical Architect (environment and design), Prototyping Engineer, Applied Cryptographer, Researcher Liaison (connecting to academic work), and Formal Methods Engineer (models and performance testing).

IOR is the leading blockchain academic group in the worldwide research community. Currently, the Input Output Research library contains over 200 peer-reviewed, published papers, involving more than 150 academics.

Around 50 of these papers are core to Cardano’s five development phases, providing the foundational research and innovation that has helped shape Cardano into its current form. Input Output Global has also contributed to more than 40 CIPs and 6 CPSs.

IOR recognises the importance of expanding and deepening its communication and dissemination approach. It is collaborating more closely with Intersect to improve engagement with key ecosystem participants, including SPOs, DApp developers, DReps, and Delegates.

IOR is also trialing additional tools to enhance the accessibility of its research outputs, ensuring that its contributions to blockchain innovation are both widely recognised and more seamlessly integrated into the broader Cardano ecosystem.

Please contact us via https://iohk.io/research to explore further opportunities.

The Cardano Vision and 2025 Work Program proposals are the outcome of 18 months dedicated research and planning. Over the past six months, these proposals have been collaboratively shaped and approved by the Intersect Product Committee. This process included regular stakeholder engagement through committee meetings, X Spaces and broader socialization efforts.

Notably, in a recent Governance Info Action for the Cardano Vision roadmap, 64.5% of participating DReps voted in favor of supporting the vision (248 Yes, 9 No, and 25 Abstain), demonstrating strong community alignment and support for the product direction of the Cardano ecosystem.

Some minor dependencies exist as outlined below.

• Fundamental Research:
  • Optimization tools (IHT-3): dependent on Task 1 (T1) and Task 2 (T2) in Inter-head (IHT-2)
• Technology Validation:
  • Leios, Anti-grinding and Mithril may all be interdependent
  • RSnarks: Halo 2 state aggregator

Please see the Further Information - Supporting Links section below for individual work stream plans.