IEI / Tokenfrastructure - Milestone 1
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| RFP | RFP 09 - AI Commercial Positioning |
| Project | CPC-26-0016 - Where the Story Holds: AI Commercial Positioning for Cardano |
| Team / Organisation | Intelligence Economy Institute (IEI), part of Tokenfrastructure (TKNFRA) |
| Project lead | Zakaryae Boudi |
| Milestone number | 1 of 4 |
| Milestone name | Inception & Scoping |
| Reporting period | 22 July 2026 - 6 August 2026 |
| Initial report date | 12 August 2026 |
| Revision date | 10 September 2026 |
| Grant amount | 76,000 ADA |
| Amount claimed this milestone | 7,600 ADA |
| Cumulative amount claimed | 7,600 ADA |
Summary
Milestone 1 establishes the research questions, evidence-first methodology, named source baseline, initial hypotheses, repeatable scoring rubric, credibility-ledger structure, success criteria and actionable stakeholder universe for the study. The work tests Cardano's proposed AI commercial position as a hypothesis rather than assuming it as a conclusion.
All evidence relied on for this review is contained in this pull request as Markdown. Administrative submission channels and private working files are not relied on as acceptance evidence.
Milestone description
Description of the services from Appendix A
Refinement and validation of the research questions, evidence framework and success criteria; agreement of methodology, source list and audience segments; confirmation of the credibility standards and AI-use approach for the Project.
Deliverables from Appendix A
Inception report; agreed research plan and methodology; evidence framework and credibility ledger structure; stakeholder and audience segmentation.
Milestone 1 proposal baselines
The proposal's Milestone 1 execution baseline also called for confirmed interview targets, a rubric, an initial claim list and kick-off with the committee. In this submission, confirmed interview targets means an agreed organisation-level recruitment universe, not a claim that any organisation or individual has accepted an invitation.
Deliverables
| # | Deliverable | Status | Markdown evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inception report | Complete | Milestone 1 Inception Report |
| 2 | Agreed research plan and methodology, including source list | Complete | Research plan and methodology and 50-source register |
| 3 | Evidence framework and credibility-ledger structure | Complete | Evidence framework and ledger |
| 4 | Stakeholder and audience segmentation | Complete | Stakeholder segmentation and 50-organisation target universe |
| 5 | Proposal execution baselines: initial claims and scoring rubric | Complete | Initial claim register and assessment rubric |
| 6 | Kick-off and plan/workspace confirmation record | Complete | CPC Kick-off and Methodology-Validation Record |
Requirement and commitment mapping
| Requirement or commitment | Where it is reflected |
|---|---|
| Refine and validate the research questions | Purpose, scope and core research questions |
| Agree research plan and methodology | Research plan and methodology |
| Agree a specific source list | Milestone 1 Source Register |
| Establish evidence framework and success criteria | Evidence framework and success criteria |
| Confirm credibility standards and AI-use approach | Credibility standards and AI-use approach |
| Agree audience segments and confirmed interview targets | Stakeholder segmentation and prospective target universe |
| Provide initial claim list and assessment rubric | Initial hypotheses and 1–5 weighted rubric |
| Complete kick-off and confirm research plan/workspace | CPC Kick-off and Methodology-Validation Record |
| Preserve anti-advocacy and negative findings | Scope and hypotheses and rubric minimum screens |
| Stay within the core engagement and exclude optional add-ons | Scope boundary |
Acceptance criteria
1. Applicable RFP requirements and proposal commitments reflected in the research methodology
Status: Met.
The Markdown evidence establishes the research questions, evidence-first mixed method, named source list, initial hypotheses, repeatable rubric, credibility standards, AI-use approach and stakeholder recruitment baseline. The mapping above shows where each applicable Milestone 1 requirement is implemented.
Evidence: Milestone 1 Inception Report, Milestone 1 Source Register and Prospective Interview Target Universe.
2. Kick-off completed and research plan and workspace confirmed
Status: Met.
The project-specific segment of the 19 August 2026 CPC session documented the research questions, method, source and evidence approach, stakeholder plan, committee feedback and follow-up ownership. The public milestone workspace, source baseline, credibility-ledger structure and controlled respondent-record approach are recorded in Markdown.
Evidence: CPC Kick-off and Methodology-Validation Record, including date, attendees, agenda, discussion, confirmations, workspace and action record.
3. Inception report created
Status: Met.
The inception report consolidates the research design and directly links the named source, stakeholder and kick-off records that complete the Milestone 1 evidence package.
Evidence: Milestone 1 Inception Report.
Self-contained Markdown evidence
- Milestone 1 overview and acceptance mapping
- Milestone 1 Inception Report
- Milestone 1 Source Register
- Prospective Interview Target Universe
- CPC Kick-off and Methodology-Validation Record
No external email, Word document, private workspace, recording or presentation file is needed to assess the milestone.
Quality and testing
This is a research-design milestone; software testing is not applicable. Quality assurance included a requirement-to-evidence cross-check, verification that all review evidence is present in the pull request as Markdown, source and target counts, rubric-weight validation and internal consistency checks across the questions, hypotheses, method, ledger and stakeholder plan.
The evidence framework distinguishes documented fact, respondent-reported evidence, analytical inference and vendor judgment while retaining limitations and contradictory evidence. AI assistance is disclosed in the inception report, and the project team remains responsible for accuracy.
Budget update
The grant is contracted through fixed-price milestone tranches. Milestone 1 represents 10% of the 76,000 ADA core grant.
| Category | Budgeted (ADA) | Spent this period (ADA) | Cumulative spend (ADA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone 1 - Inception & Scoping | 7,600 | 7,600 | 7,600 |
| Total | 7,600 | 7,600 | 7,600 |
Issues and blockers
No delivery blocker is recorded in the revised submission. The changes requested in review are addressed through the self-contained Markdown evidence and remain subject to CPC acceptance.
Plan for next milestone
Milestone 2 - Evidence Gathering is due on 15 September 2026. The next phase gathers and logs primary and secondary evidence, assesses credibility, compares relevant competitors and alternatives, reviews Cardano activity, conducts targeted interviews and completes a mid-point checkpoint against the agreed framework.
The contractual outputs are a populated credibility ledger, competitive teardown, activity-evidence review, interview log, preliminary synthesis and mid-point checkpoint note. These are not claimed as Milestone 1 outputs.
Public communication summary
Project purpose. The project assesses whether AI can support a credible commercial position for Cardano, for which use cases and audiences, and under which technical, adoption and evidence conditions.
Milestone achievement. Milestone 1 establishes the research questions, method, 50-source baseline, initial hypotheses, assessment rubric, credibility-ledger structure, stakeholder segmentation, 50-organisation recruitment universe and CPC kick-off record.
Key takeaway. The research tests Cardano's proposed AI position as a hypothesis. Later recommendations will distinguish technical capability, demonstrated activity, commercial demand and strategic inference, including monitor and no-go outcomes.
What comes next. Milestone 2 populates the evidence and interview records and produces the first comparative findings.
Attestation
I confirm that the information in this report is accurate and that the deliverables described have been completed as stated.
Authorised signatory: Zakaryae Boudi, Project Lead
Original report date: 12 August 2026
Revision date: 10 September 2026