Interchain Foundation (ICF), a Switzerland-based foundation that is supporting, promoting, and advancing open and decentralized systems, announced last week it was awarding grants to blockchain architects Althea, Chainsafe, Confio, Lunie, Iqlusion and Regen Network. According to ICF, the funding will help these projects build the software, applications, and ideas to galvanize the success of the interoperable blockchain ecosystem, Cosmos.
ICF further reported that the latest projects will join Agoric, Interchain GmbH, Informal Systems, and Tendermint Inc, as core contributors to the Cosmos ecosystem. Together, each will spearhead the development of the open-source decentralized toolkits and protocols, which are Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC), Tendermint Core, and the Cosmos SDK. Each of the projects are assigned to do the following:
- Althea will receive funding from ICF to continue production of Peggy, an Ethereum Peg zone. The team will focus on building the Cosmos SDK application for moving assets on and off Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) based Proof of Work chains. Peggy will enable an anti-fragile array of interchain routes with certain features and security assumptions being operated by various entities.
- Chainsafe, a major contributor on the project to date, received funds to build Ethermint to a production-ready stage, enabling current EVM based projects to migrate to Cosmos based architecture.
- Confio received funding from ICF to support its work on the CosmWasm Smart Contract Module for the Cosmos SDK as it related to IBC. This will further support features such as Dynamic IBC and a Javascript light client.
- Lunie will continue the development of the flagship open-source wallet in the Cosmos ecosystem and to expand the platform to support more networks.
- Iqlusion will use funds to develop and maintain Inter-Blockchain Communication with work on the Relayer Client
- Regen Network will lead maintenance and community engagement for the Cosmos SDK.
Speaking about the funding, Billy Rennekamp, Grant Manager of Interchain Foundation, stated:
“By expanding the ecosystem of core contributors to the Cosmos stack we’re one step closer to making the vision of the ‘Internet of Blockchains’ a reality. As an open source project to its core, the enthusiasm of the Cosmos community has made the ecosystem what it is today — a sovereign, secure, and sustainable ecosystem of decentralized networks. I’m really excited to see what happens next.”
