Hi everyone,
We’re excited to share our proposal for Catalyst: ALBA: Cardano U-Labs Chile–Mexico Pilot for Node Ops & DApps.
In Latin America, most universities still teach blockchain only as theory or business concepts. There are almost no labs where students can actually run a node, build a validator, or deploy a small dApp. This means Cardano adoption struggles compared to platforms already embedded in academic curricula.
With ALBA, we want to change this. Together with Universidad de Chile and Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, we’re setting up two pilot labs where students and professors can:
- Operate real Cardano relays with low-cost servers and Raspberry Pi clusters.
- Learn smart contract development with Aiken-first courses.
- Train Faculty Champions and TAs so the labs don’t disappear when the grant ends.
- Publish all teaching materials, runbooks, and classroom images open-source in Spanish and English, so any university can replicate the model.
- Connect the labs through a cross-border hackathon and a research PoC on Hydra + DIDs.
This is not just about classrooms—it’s about creating a sustainable academic network for Cardano in Latin America, where students become developers, professors become long-term mentors, and universities become nodes of decentralization.
We are requesting ₳60,000 for 6 months. With this, we’ll deliver two functioning labs, trained faculty, a pilot course, open-source materials, and a hackathon that connects students locally and globally.
We’d love your feedback, ideas, and support. Together we can make Cardano a long-term presence in universities, starting in Chile and Mexico.