[DRAFT] An R&D Grants Fund for Licensable SDK Modules

Summary I am proposing the Hub create a dedicated R&D Module Grants Fund — a governance-overseen program that funds ecosystem builders to design, build, audit, and maintain SDK modules. In return, the Hub gets a pipeline of licensable modules that accrue value back to ATOM. Cosmos has achieved EVM parity, but our actual moat — the SDK and the modules on top of it — is stagnating. Cosmos Labs is the sole maintainer and developer of new modules. There is no clear path for ecosystem builders to build, monetize, or license modules. Net-new module development has effectively stopped. App chains are migrating out. An R&D Grants Fund is the cleanest way to change that. This is not ecosystem charity, and it is not seed-investing in projects or dApps. It is direct investment in the SDK as a product — with concrete deliverables (modules), a licensing path, and ATOM accrual built in, in alignment with the enterprise module licensing roadmap. The fund financially aligns developer incentives with real Cosmos-specific problems that may not otherwise have a sustainable business model on their own. For example, a vault module for ATOM and ICS20 assets is not economically viable to build…

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I want to offer my constructive support for this proposal. Bringing forward creative ideas that aim to generate real value is formidable, and I believe we should now dedicate our time and energy to maturing concepts like this one, which actually bring something tangible to the ecosystem.

However, for this not to remain just good intentions, we must mature the idea with realistic data and projections. The next step should be to actively seek out and consult with institutional investors or real enterprises to see if they would actually find paying for these licenses attractive. If we are going to invest community funds in R&D, we must structure it so that these costs are reimbursable or generate a return on investment (ROI) within a reasonable timeframe.

This is everyone’s job. Our duty as a community is not just to wait for a vote and press a button, but to anticipate the hurdles we might face along the way and brainstorm solutions together (such as who will audit the code, how license pricing will be set, etc.).

I genuinely really like this vision of continuing to evolve and seeking real business models for the Hub. Thank you for the proposal; let’s work on the numbers.

Same opinion that TRAVE. How to make sure we don’t just pay for modules that end up never being used and generate zero revenue?

The only way I could support something like this would be to release to fund once the module is being brought / use and generate money.

If not we may just pay for air