***revised proposal***Polkadot Blockchain Academy, PBA Campus 7, The JAM Course launch, University pilot, ongoing PBA-X evolution, Alumni program.
Beneficiary:****This new proposal replaces referenda 1472, we are switching to USDT and a tranche based funds release schedule to ease pressure on treasury funds, everything else remains the same as 1472.****
The Future of Polkadot Depends on Talent
The Polkadot Blockchain Academy (PBA) is the single largest and most effective pipeline of talent into the Polkadot ecosystem. Over the past three years, close to 750 learners have completed our courses, many of whom now produce significant contributions towards Polkadot or ecosystem projects.
We are at a pivotal moment. The future of Polkadot depends not just on innovation but on a steady stream of highly skilled, motivated builders who can create and execute impactful projects, advance the network's capabilities and drive adoption. The PBA has proven its ability to deliver, our alumni are shaping the ecosystem, and demand for our programs has never been higher.
To capitalize on this momentum, we are requesting nine months of funding to scale our programs and diversify our offerings, making PBA more inclusive, relevant and far-reaching than ever before.
Why support PBA? A Track Record of Success
- We are the largest producer of well educated, Polkadot-native talent – No other initiative has onboarded more developers successfully.
- Close to 70% of 409 PBA Campus graduates actively contributed to open-source Polkadot-related repositories in 2024.
- Trusted by ecosystem leaders – Parity, The Web3 Foundation and other top teams recruit directly from our alumni.
- Expanding accessibility – Our online course, PBA-X, launched in January with 580+ learners, and close to 60% completion rate, proving demand for remote education for a diverse audience. Ongoing Evolution:
Scaling & Strengthening the Polkadot Talent Engine
With this funding, we will:
- Expand PBA’s flagship in-person PBA Campus program (Wave 7) to train and place the next cohort of high-impact developers.
- Launch The JAM Course, an intensive in person course demystifying Polkadot’s JAM protocol, for top-tier engineers from the Web3 community.
- Grow university partnerships, integrating PBA content into curricula and securing the next generation of builders.
- Enhance alumni engagement through ongoing participation orientated events, education, placement and mentorship opportunities.
- Build upon the success of PBA-X to offer new content based on the needs of the ecosystem, whilst continuing to run the original PBA-X content for 5 more cohorts in 2025.
- Continue to identify, mentor and funnel new projects into the ecosystem via the Pitch and Mentor program.
Polkadot’s growth depends on its builders. By funding PBA, we secure a sustainable, scalable pipeline of developers, entrepreneurs and advocates who will drive the ecosystem forward.
Follow the below link to find out more about our latest proposal;
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11fKCbYG79VomgYFK4FDsK534ihmfSDG3wCnmLpo_kws/edit?tab=t.0
Comments (9)
Proposal Passed
3
of 3Summary
0%
Aye
0%
Nay
Aye (92)0.0 DOT
Support0.0 DOT
Nay (14)0.0 DOT
Voting Data
Approval%
Support%
Threshold0.00%
Threshold0.00%
Comments (9)
GM Tim,
I'm happy to see PBA continuously evolving. As a member of the community, collectives, and DAOs, I've noticed growing concerns about budgets. I assume the same applies to PBA. I'm fully aligned with PBA’s mission and commitment to education—not just because I’m an alumnus, but because I genuinely care about educational programs that help the ecosystem thrive by fostering new use cases, attracting developers, and converting founders into Polkadot.
The next steps for this proposal seem solid, focusing on alliances and partnerships with universities to ensure the continuous development of PBA without relying solely on constant cohorts. This approach also strengthens operational execution by the core team, reinforcing long-term sustainability. I fully support this direction, and it leads me to a broader question about the future.
Are there any plans to establish PBA as a sort of franchise or to create a physical academy in a Special Economic Zone? This could integrate the online PBA-X program, offer on-site courses as usual, and focus on business development for the supported regions near this hypothetical structure.
From my perspective, my main concern is developing something truly impactful, feasible, and replicable worldwide through solid methodology and great teams.
As always, I can only say: Dope—or in British slang, "safe."
Thanks for keeping the project alive. I hope to see this proposal move forward, and if not, I’d love to understand the next steps once it passes.
Thank you, PBA—kudos, and keep up the great work!
Edgar Salinas
PBA 4
It's an AYE but with low conviction because the ratio amount in $ versus duration covered (9 months only) is still insane. At this rate the whole Polkadot DAO will go bankrupt and all these people you train will be trained in vain. Please lower your ambitions in the size of the events. The gain is not proportional to the investment. The first $ are worth much more than the last $ and you could be only a little less impactful for a lot less money.
GM Tim,
I'm happy to see PBA continuously evolving. As a member of the community, collectives, and DAOs, I've noticed growing concerns about budgets. I assume the same applies to PBA. I'm fully aligned with PBA’s mission and commitment to education—not just because I’m an alumnus, but because I genuinely care about educational programs that help the ecosystem thrive by fostering new use cases, attracting developers, and converting founders into Polkadot.
The next steps for this proposal seem solid, focusing on alliances and partnerships with universities to ensure the continuous development of PBA without relying solely on constant cohorts. This approach also strengthens operational execution by the core team, reinforcing long-term sustainability. I fully support this direction, and it leads me to a broader question about the future.
Are there any plans to establish PBA as a sort of franchise or to create a physical academy in a Special Economic Zone? This could integrate the online PBA-X program, offer on-site courses as usual, and focus on business development for the supported regions near this hypothetical structure.
From my perspective, my main concern is developing something truly impactful, feasible, and replicable worldwide through solid methodology and great teams.
As always, I can only say: Dope—or in British slang, "safe."
Thanks for keeping the project alive. I hope to see this proposal move forward, and if not, I’d love to understand the next steps once it passes.
Thank you, PBA—kudos, and keep up the great work!
Edgar Salinas
PBA 4
It's an AYE but with low conviction because the ratio amount in $ versus duration covered (9 months only) is still insane. At this rate the whole Polkadot DAO will go bankrupt and all these people you train will be trained in vain. Please lower your ambitions in the size of the events. The gain is not proportional to the investment. The first $ are worth much more than the last $ and you could be only a little less impactful for a lot less money.