Professional standards without political conformity.
Membership is voluntary and revocable. It signals a commitment to transparent operating practices - how you research, disclose, and explain - and never agreement with the positions of any other member.
What is asked of every member
Eight requirements. All of them concern process and transparency; none of them concern what you conclude.
Registered and verifiably active DRep
You hold a current DRep registration under the governance rules in force, and your activity can be checked on-chain by anyone.
Publish a short governance philosophy
A few paragraphs describing how you approach decisions. There is no correct philosophy - only a published one.
Maintain at least one public contact method
Delegators must be able to reach you. An email, a forum handle, or a community channel is enough.
Complete and maintain a material-conflict disclosure
Employment, advisory roles, and proposal relationships that a reasonable delegator would want to know about, kept current.
Accept the independence clause and code of conduct
The Institute may never direct your vote. In return, members agree to argue in good faith and without personal attack.
Commit to reasonable public rationale for material votes
Not every vote, and not to a template. Material governance actions should come with an explanation a delegator can read.
Complete Governance Fundamentals during onboarding
One orientation track covering the constitution, the action types, and the mechanics of the process.
Accept process-based review only
Membership review looks at whether commitments were kept. It never looks at the direction of a vote.
Statuses, not tiers
These describe where an application or a set of commitments currently stands. They are not a ladder, and none of them rank one member above another.
Applicant
In processAn application has been received and baseline qualifications are being checked.
- Not yet listed in the public directory
- Full Academy access from the moment you sign in
- No commitments published yet
Member
ActiveBaseline qualifications met and the standards attestation signed.
- Public standards profile is live
- Full Academy access, the same as every signed-in learner
- One vote in the Membership Assembly
Member in Good Standing
Commitments currentAll disclosures current and onboarding education complete. A statement about upkeep, not about quality.
- Disclosure reviewed within the last twelve months
- Orientation and annual refresher complete
- Eligible to stand for internal elected roles
Inactive / Lapsed
Needs attentionA commitment has fallen out of date, or the DRep registration is no longer active.
- Profile shows the lapse plainly, without commentary
- Reinstated as soon as the item is brought current
- No penalty, no public sanction, no ranking effect
Fellow
Future recognitionA planned, non-hierarchical recognition for sustained contribution to education, mentorship, or public goods.
- Recognises contribution to the commons, never voting record
- Confers no additional authority over standards
- Not yet active - reserved for a later phase
Member onboarding
Kwesi Mensah · Membership Assembly · animated poster, production target 2–3 min
The first thirty days as a member: completing your public profile, filing your first conflict disclosure, finishing the Governance Fundamentals orientation, and publishing your first rationale under the standards.
What membership gives you access to
Capability, not influence. Everything here helps you reach your own conclusion more competently.
Public standards profile
A permanent page showing your philosophy, commitments, disclosures, and contact routes.
Academy access
Every learning track, from Governance Fundamentals to treasury and market structure.
Private completion records
Finishing a course issues a private record of participation, visible only to you. Never certification, never a score.
Live workshops and office hours
Recurring sessions on live governance questions, recorded and published where possible.
Expert access
Time with protocol, treasury, security, legal, and delivery specialists who explain, never conclude.
Peer review
Small circles that pressure-test your reasoning before you publish it, not after.
Member templates
Rationale formats, due-diligence checklists, and disclosure scaffolds you can adapt freely.
Mentorship
Pairing for new representatives with someone who has already worked through the learning curve.
Standards consultation and voting
Comment on drafts and vote in the Assembly on what the standards say.
Eligibility for elected roles
Stand for the Standards Council, Education Council, or Process Review Panel.
Early research access
Briefings and analysis circulated to members before public release.
The things people ask first
If your question is not here, the contact page reaches a person, not a form queue.
No. The Institute shall never endorse, coordinate, prescribe, reward, or punish the direction of a member's vote on a Cardano governance action. There is no recommended position, no whip, and no internal poll on live governance actions.
No. Vote direction is outside the jurisdiction of every body in the Institute, including the Process Review Panel. Two members can reach opposite conclusions from the same briefing and both remain in good standing.
No. This is an independent community initiative. It is not affiliated with Intersect, the Cardano Foundation, IOG, or Emurgo, and it holds no formal role in Cardano governance.
Yes. Delegated stake is not a qualification and is never displayed as a ranking. The baseline is an active registration and a willingness to work transparently.
Membership is free while the Institute is being established. If contributions are introduced later, they will be voluntary and capped, and no contribution level will ever change a member's rights, standing, or placement in the directory.
Yes, in defined roles. Experts, educators, researchers, and delegators can contribute to the Academy, the resource library, and public comment on standards. Only registered DReps hold membership and Assembly votes.
Material conflicts are disclosed on your public profile and kept current. Undisclosed material interests are a process matter the Review Panel can consider; disclosed ones are simply information a delegator can weigh.
A monthly briefing on governance practice
Standards updates, new research, and academy releases. No voting recommendations - ever.