[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

Extended Problem Statement

Without an open-source smart contract library, developers face several challenges:

• Lack of Code Examples and Best Practices:
• New developers struggle to find guidance without an open-source library.
• Increased Development Time:
• Building smart contracts from scratch consumes significant time and effort.
• Security Risks:
• Developing without library guidance increases the risk of security vulnerabilities.
• Reinventing the Wheel:
• Developers duplicate efforts by writing similar code without a central repository.
• Limited Community Support:
• Collaboration and knowledge-sharing are hindered without a central code repository.
• Slower Adoption and Innovation:
• Absence of a smart contract library acts as a barrier for new developers, slowing Cardano adoption.

Proposed Solution

Aiken Open-Source Smart Contract Library:

• Integrated into the Mesh Github library: https://github.com/MeshJS/mesh/tree/main/packages/contracts
• Mesh facilitates easy and accessible dApp development on Cardano for both beginners and enterprises.
• A library of smart contracts, where each consists of a contract, Aiken workspace, exported blueprint, and Mesh Transaction Builder components.
• Transaction builders are included for ease of use, aiding new developers in understanding and implementing contracts.
• Inclusion of existing community open source simple contracts and newly implemented contracts showcasing common Cardano DApp design patterns.

1. List of ‘Standard’ Contracts:

• Marketplace (buy, update, cancel, purchase)
• Swap (deposit, cancel)
• Escrow (list, pay, report, dispute, claim)
• Vesting
• Gift card
• Examples can be found at:
• <https://github.com/aiken-lang/fortuna>
• <https://github.com/aiken-lang/awesome-aiken>
• <https://meshjs.dev/smart-contracts/marketplace>

2. List of ‘Complex’ Contracts:

• Smart Contract NFT Minting (3+ scripts included):
• Enables decentralized minting of Cardano NFTs with concurrency controls.
• Useful for NFT projects aiming to enhance decentralization in the minting process.
• App Oracle Design Pattern (3+ scripts included):
• Uses an app oracle validator as a single source of truth for static content in Cardano DApps.
• Implements custom content updating logics for full decentralization.
• Applicable design pattern for modern Cardano DApps.

3. List of ‘Bad’ Contracts

• This helps new and experienced developers to better understand how smart contracts work and improves their ability to fix bad contracts.

• A list of examples and source can be found here:

• <https://github.com/tweag/cooked-validators>

• <https://github.com/sigp/solidity-security-blog>

  [IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community.

Alignment with Challenge KPIs:

• More open-source projects, developers, and users.
• More open-source tools and frameworks.
• Increased open-source contributions and maintainers.
• Improved adoption of Cardano technology.

Value for the Cardano Community:

• Perception barrier: Overcoming the belief that building dApps on Cardano is difficult.
• Ecosystem development: Facilitating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for developers.
• Tooling improvement: Creating well-documented, user-friendly tools for increased productivity.
• Mesh JS SDK: Enhancing the existing SDK to demonstrate the practicality and enjoyment of developing on Cardano.

How we measure our impact:

• Increased Adoption: Enhancing open-source project visibility to attract more developers.
• Improved Documentation: Increasing understanding and participation in the project.
• Framework Adoption: Streamlining development with fewer bugs and more focus on core ideas.
• Reputability: Enhancing the community's perceived credibility through examples and demos.

Sharing Outputs and Opportunities:

• Commitment: MeshJS is fully committed to open-source development.

• Documentation: Providing comprehensive, high-quality documentation and supporting resources.

• Feedback Integration: Adapting and expanding tools based on feedback from developers.

• Awareness: Actively promoting the tools and libraries.

  [CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] 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?

1. Team Capabilities:

MeshJS builds open source libraries and tools that enable developers to easily build powerful dApps on the Cardano blockchain. You can see our work at: https://MeshJS.dev/

To allow people to easily get started, we have developed several guides which allow developers of any level to make their first step building on the Cardano ecosystem: https://MeshJS.dev/guides, as well as some basic starter templates https://MeshJS.dev/starter-templates. For developers who would prefer to integrate MeshJS into an already existing project, we provide support for that as well with our https://MeshJS.dev/migration-manual-installation guide.

Smart Contract Design: In this folder, you currently see one marketplace smart contract as a reference: <https://github.com/MeshJS/mesh/tree/main/packages/contracts>

2. Track Record and Trustworthiness:

Our team members have been actively engaged since Fund 3 in Project Catalyst. We have been involved in multiple funded projects. All proposals are either successfully delivered or on track.

3. Fund Management:

We will use Dework to manage and track the progress of our proposal. This will also include a transparent overview of the received payments from the treasury and the payment to our team.

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

Standard Contracts

• Timeline: Month 1-2
• Description: Develop and implement a set of standard contracts within the Aiken Open-Source Smart Contract Library.
• Outputs:
• Contracts: Marketplace (buy, update, cancel, purchase), Swap (deposit, cancel), Escrow (list, pay, report, dispute, claim), etc.
• Implementation Steps:
• Write a contract in Aiken.
• Generate blueprint.
• Build tx and conduct testing.
• Develop Components.
• Write comprehensive documentation.
• Acceptance Criteria:
• Successful implementation of each contract.
• Contracts pass testing and validation.
• Documentation for each contract is created and accessible.

>Complex Contracts

• Timeline: Month 3-4
• Description: Implement a set of complex contracts showcasing advanced functionalities within the Aiken Open-Source Smart Contract Library.
• Outputs:
• Contracts: Smart Contract NFT Minting (3+ scripts),
• App Oracle Design Pattern (3+ scripts).
• Acceptance Criteria:
• Successful implementation of each complex contract.
• Contracts pass testing and validation.
• Documentation for each complex contract is created and accessible.

>List of Bad Contracts

• Timeline: Month 5-6
• Description: Create a set of intentionally bad contracts (at least 5+) within the Aiken Open-Source Smart Contract Library to serve as learning resources for developers.
• Outputs: A curated list of intentionally bad contracts highlighting common mistakes and vulnerabilities, including but not limit to:

1. Multiple satisfaction
2. Unbounded protocol value
3. UTxO contention
4. Locked value
5. Insufficient staking control

• Implementation Steps:
• Develop intentionally bad contracts with common mistakes.
• Ensure each contract exhibits specific issues for educational purposes.
• Conduct testing to confirm the contracts' flaws.
• Document the identified flaws and suggest potential fixes.
• Make the bad contracts and documentation accessible within the library.
• Encourage community engagement for learning and discussion on identified issues.
• Acceptance Criteria:
• Successful implementation of each bad contract.
• Contracts pass testing to ensure they exhibit specific issues.
• Documentation detailing the flaws and potential fixes is created and accessible..

>Project Completion

• Timeline: 1 Week

• Outputs: This final milestone includes all close-out and project completion activities. Outputs will include a project completion video and the completion report. Additionally we can demonstrate all deliverables and outputs in a town hall meeting.

• Acceptance Criteria:

• Completed and submitted close out video

• Completed and submitted close out report

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

Name: Dominik Tilman

Role: Project Management

Links: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikstumpp/>; www.trustlevel.io; www.conu21.com

Description: Founder of TrustLevel.io & Conu21.com, 15+ years experience in innovation management and company building.

Name: Hong Jing (Jingles)

Role: Technical Lead

Link: <https://jingles.dev/>

Description: Jingles is a machine learning engineer by day, and full-stack developer by night. Currently pursuing PhD in machine learning applied neuroscience while in the meantime building MeshJS, an open-source project for Cardano blockchain applications.

Name: Hinson Wong

Role: Smart Contract Developer

Links: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/hinsonwong/>; <https://github.com/sidan-lab>

Description: Experience Cardano smart contract architect and engineer. Lead developer at CNS. Build several open source tooling for the community at SIDAN Lab.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

1. Milestone: Standard Contracts

Outcome:

• 5 Standard Contracts

Time requirement:

• 40 hours per contract = 200 hours*
• Project Management = 20 hours**

Budget:

• In USD: 220 hours x 80 $/h = 17.600$
• In ADA: 44.000

2. Milestone: Complex Contracts

Outcome:

• 2 Complex Contracts

Time requirement:

• 75 hours per contract = 150 hours*
• Project Management = 15 hours**

Budget:

• In USD: 165 hours x 80 $/h = 13.200$
• In ADA: 33.000

3. Milestone: Bad Contracts

Outcome:

• 5+ Bad Contracts

Time requirement:

• 30 hours per contract = 150 hours*
• Project Management = 15 hours**

Budget:

• In USD: 165 hours x 80 $/h = 13.200$
• In ADA: 33.000

Final Milestone

Outcome:

• All close-out and project completion activities

Time requirement:

• 16 hours

Budget:

• In USD: 16 hours x 80 $/h = 1.280$
• In ADA: 3.200

*This includes creating Aiken Workspace, Mesh, Docs & Demo per contract

** This includes Reporting and Administration

Total Budget: 113.200 ADA***

1. Milestone: 44.000 ADA
2. Milestone: 33.000 ADA
3. Milestone: 33.000 ADA
4. Milestone: 3.200 ADA

***Calculated with 1 ADA = 0.4 USD

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Alignment with industry rates:

Our project costs and rates reflect competitive rates for freelancers in Western countries, taking into account the full extent of employment overheads.

Risk mitigation:

As a team, we willingly accept the currency risk of being paid in ADA, demonstrating our commitment and adaptability in a dynamic cryptocurrency environment. A decrease in the ADA price is a risk we bear, while any increase allows us to expand the scope.

Long-Term Cost Savings:

The initial project cost is viewed as an investment for long-term savings. The smart contract library's role in reducing duplication, promoting code reuse, and streamlining development processes contributes to overall cost savings for the Cardano ecosystem over time.