Politecnico di Milano, Blockchain & Web3 Observatory 2025 Partnership

Polka_Italy
2d 23hrs ago
2 Comments

Dear Polkadot Community,

We are happy to propose a strategic partnership with Politecnico di Milano’s Blockchain & Web3 Observatory for 2025 and before submitting an official proposal on OpenGov we would love to hear your thoughts.

This collaboration could position Polkadot as a leader in Web3 development and governance across Italy and Europe. By securing a Partner-level sponsorship, Polkadot would gain access to the Observatory’s Web3 Hub, enabling us to:

  • Direct engagement and relationships with Italian and European institutions, startups, regulators, and enterprises.
  • Access to cutting-edge blockchain research, policy reports, and innovation hub.
  • Presence in 5 dedicated workshops in Milan (event in May is excluded due to time limitation in this proposal), and 2 conferences (1 international in Paris and 1 Italian in Milan).
  • Boost Polkadot’s visibility within the European blockchain ecosystem in reports, events, and media coverage.

Key Goals of this Partnership

  • Educate institutions and regulators on Polkadot’s technology and potential..
  • Showcase Polkadot's use cases (DeFi, Gaming, Identity, Social, …) to Enterprises and Startups.
  • Gain access to a network of Italian and European startups and enterprises in the blockchain sector.
  • Initiate the discussion to integrate Polkadot Blockchain Academy courses into the Politecnico di Milano’s curriculum.
  • Contribute to academic and regulatory research initiatives (not included if custom research is needed).
  • Enhance Polkadot’s brand visibility in Italy and Europe.

Estimated Budget (Worst Scenario)

As the final schedule for workshops and conferences is not yet confirmed, we are presenting a worst-case scenario for budgeting purposes. The partnership will include participation in 7 events for the 4 members of the team: 6 in Milan, Italy, and 1 international conference in Paris, France.

To be honest, to optimize this partnership, we would need support from marketing and event bounties. This would enable us to:

  • Provide accurate quotes and expenses closer to event dates.
  • Reduce the overall budget by avoiding worst-case cost estimations.
  • Split partnership and administrative costs to Marketing Bounty. Travels, Events managements, contingency and taxes to event bounty.
  • Avoid that the costs may vary depending on the EUR-to-USD exchange rate (i.e. 1 Eur = 1.13 USD on May 11th, while 1.00 Eur = 1.11 USD on May 13th).

Marketing Costs:

  • Partnership Contribution (fixed price): Funding for Politecnico di Milano’s Blockchain & Web3 Observatory initiative. (€21,500 tax excluded)
  • Administration (fixed price): Expenses for coordinating and overseeing the partnership with Politecnico di Milano for the whole 2025. (€4,000 tax excluded)
  • Taxes: Compliance with Italian tax regulations (26*TOTAL/74). (€9,000)

Total €34,500

Events Costs:

  • Travel and Accommodation Expenses (estimated): Costs for 4 team members attending: 
    • 6 events in Milan, Italy - full day
    • 1 international conference in Paris, France - 2 full days

(very hard to estimate now, each event between €2,500 tax excluded)

  • Events Management, Organization, and Participation (fixed price): Participation in 5 workshops (excluding the May event) and 2 conferences (including the Paris conference). (Each event €5,000 tax excluded)
  • Slippage Fee: Add 10% of the total for unforeseen expenses due to incomplete event details. (€750 tax excluded)
  • Taxes: Compliance with Italian tax regulations (26*TOTAL/74). (€3,000)

Total €11,250 each event. (Total all events €78,750 taxes and slippage included)

Estimated Grand Total €113,250 → $125,875 (1.00 Eur = 1.11 USD on May 13th)

Here you can find our detailed proposal -> https://docs.google.com/document/d/18tZb10CiWGuQ349h7eOWdcc0x35HK1WVtiyMdRfRgsQ/edit?usp=sharing

What are your thoughts on this partnership proposal?

Your feedback is invaluable as we explore this opportunity to elevate Polkadot’s influence and impact in Italy.

Polkadot Italia Team

Overview of the Blockchain & Web3 Observatory

The Blockchain & Web3 Observatory has been established in 2017 and hosted by Politecnico di Milano since. According to the prestigious QS 2025 ranking, the Politecnico di Milano is the 1st university of Italy and the 21st in the world for Engineering and Technology (Politecnico's figures).  

The Observatory is a premier research and innovation hub dedicated to blockchain technology and decentralized systems. It aims at driving blockchain adoption, fostering research, and creating synergies between academia, institutions, and industry leaders. As blockchain technology continues to evolve, institutional engagement and structured research are critical for widespread adoption. Over the years, this initiative has evolved into a key player in the European Web3 ecosystem, bridging the gap between academia, industry, and regulatory bodies.

Core Activities & Achievements:

  • Academic Research & Publications: Conducting studies on blockchain adoption, governance, and regulatory trends, with several high-impact research papers published annually.
  • Enterprise & Institutional Engagement: Partnering with enterprises and regulatory bodies to explore real-world blockchain applications.
  • Workshops & Conferences: Organizing high-profile workshops, hackathons, and conferences, attracting key industry stakeholders and policymakers.
  • Regulatory Advisory & Policy Contributions: Contributing insights to European regulatory discussions and working closely with institutions to shape blockchain-friendly policies.
  • Web3 Innovation Hub: Supporting the development and experimentation of blockchain solutions, fostering collaboration between startups, enterprises, and academia.

More details about this partnership are available in this presentation file.

Who We Are

Polkadot Italia is a team of four members—Michele (TheWhiteRabbit), Remo (Anamix), Patrizia (PatriziaM4W), Damiano (Yamne). We are Polkadot enthusiasts, ambassadors, and validators dedicated to growing the Polkadot ecosystem in Italy since the begging of 2025. We are trying to achieve this through a long-term strategy focused on creating an Italian Hub which will represent a coordinated environment in providing essential updates, news and other content and assisting the Italian community through community management, consulting, support and moderation (on our social media channels, X, Telegram and YouTube), creating and sharing useful content, providing awareness of the governance process and OpenGov proposals, fostering discussion and active participation, organizing local events and participations, and initiating collaborations with educational institutions and within the ecosystem.

Our social media channels:

X (https://x.com/PolkadotItalia)

Telegram (https://t.me/polkadot_italia_community)

YouTube (https://youtube.com/@Polkadot_Italia)

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