Pre-Proposal Discussion: Privacy at Scale via JAM-Based Enhancements for Polkadot

Posted by: Chanderprakash Sharma (on-chain identity TBD)
Date: August 06, 2025
Track: Medium Spender (Research + Development)
Requested Funding: 150,000 DOT

Summary

I’m proposing a PhD research project at Newcastle University, supervised by Dr. Aydin Abadi, to integrate privacy-preserving mechanisms into Polkadot’s Join-Accumulate Machine (JAM) runtime. This work aims to enable confidential messaging and data exchange for parachains and relayers, enhancing Polkadot’s core protocol with privacy-by-design. The funding will support a 3–4 year PhD, covering tuition, stipend, and research costs, with deliverables including protocol designs, Substrate/JAM prototypes, benchmarks, and academic publications.

Why This Matters

Polkadot’s ecosystem thrives on interoperability, but native confidentiality for cross-chain messaging and relayer operations remains underdeveloped. With JAM as Polkadot’s next-generation runtime, we have a unique opportunity to embed scalable privacy features at the protocol level. This research will:

• Strengthen Polkadot’s appeal for privacy-sensitive use cases (e.g., identity, finance, messaging).
• Deliver open-source tools and academic insights to benefit developers and the broader ecosystem.
• Position Polkadot as a leader in privacy-first blockchain design.

Proposal Overview

Problem: Polkadot lacks native privacy mechanisms for parachain messaging and relayer workflows, limiting its adoption for sensitive applications.
Opportunity: JAM’s flexible architecture allows embedding cryptographic primitives like encrypted channels and zero-knowledge state transitions.
Solution: Research and prototype privacy-enhanced communication within JAM and Substrate, rigorously benchmarked for scalability.

Key Goals

1. Design protocol-level primitives for confidential messaging in JAM.
2. Develop Substrate + JAM prototypes supporting encrypted relay and parachain communication.
3. Benchmark performance on test networks.
4. Publish academic papers and developer guides.

Scope

• Inclusions: Cryptographic design, prototype implementation, benchmarks, documentation, and academic output.
• Exclusions: Full parachain launch, production support, or marketing.

Timeline & Milestones

Phase	Timeline	Deliverables
Planning & Design	0–6 months	Protocol design docs, technical specs
Prototype Development	6–18 months	Substrate + JAM prototype, initial benchmarks
Evaluation & Publication	18–30 months	Academic paper, developer guides, open-source tools

Budget Breakdown

Item	Cost (GBP)	DOT Equivalent*
Tuition Fees (International)	£84,000 (4 years)	~75,000 DOT
Stipend (UKRI-equivalent)	£76,948 (4 years)	~68,500 DOT
Computing & Software Licenses	£2,000	~1,800 DOT
Cloud & Testnet Hosting	£3,000	~2,700 DOT
Travel & Conferences	£4,000	~3,600 DOT
Miscellaneous Costs	£2,000	~1,800 DOT
Total	£171,948	~150,000 DOT

*Note: DOT equivalent based on approximate exchange rates as of August 2025. Final DOT value will be calculated at submission.

Funding Usage

• Tuition & Stipend: Covers 4 years of international PhD fees (£21,000/year) and living stipend (£19,237/year, aligned with UKRI 2024–25 rates).
• Research Costs: Supports compute resources, testnet infrastructure, and conference participation to ensure robust development and dissemination.
• Payout Structure: Milestone-based disbursements with regular community updates.

Expected Outcomes

• Functional JAM prototypes enabling privacy-enhanced messaging.
• Reusable Substrate modules for parachain confidentiality.
• Academic paper and open-source tools to drive ecosystem adoption.
• Strategic positioning of Polkadot for privacy-sensitive applications.

Risks & Mitigations

• Technical Complexity: Mitigated through incremental development and community feedback.
• Timeline Delays: Addressed via milestone checkpoints and regular reporting.
• Security Risks: Managed with academic oversight (Dr. Aydin Abadi) and cryptographic audits.

Why Support This?

This project aligns with Polkadot’s vision of a scalable, interoperable, and innovative blockchain ecosystem. By embedding privacy directly into JAM, we can unlock new use cases and attract developers building secure, confidential applications. The open-source deliverables and academic output will amplify Polkadot’s technical leadership and global impact.

Next Steps

1. Gather community feedback via this PolkAssembly discussion.
2. Finalize the proposal with detailed timelines and Dr. Aydin Abadi’s credentials.
3. Submit the formal on-chain proposal, linking this discussion and external documentation.

Call to Action

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Does this align with Polkadot’s priorities? Are there specific technical or community considerations I should address? Your input will shape the final proposal to maximize impact for the ecosystem.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to pioneer privacy at scale in Polkadot!