Hello guys, i'd like to answer to Yongfeng:

7. Why is a separate funding request being made, if the Polkadot Community Foundation already receives treasury support for legal operations?

It is true that the Polkadot Community Foundation (PCF) is receiving treasury funding through a separate, dedicated proposal. However, those funds are allocated to cover the structural legal and administrative setup of the foundation and do not include handling the operational details of specific initiatives, such as this partnership.

In particular, the PCF funding does not cover:

• The operational management of individual initiatives
• Banking transfer fees and financial handling
• Documentation review and due diligence for each project
• Any legal expenses specific to this partnership or similar activities

Hello @PolkaBiz_Voting, Hi Mario and Christian,
I completely understand your concerns about the potential impact of this proposal, I would likely share them if I were in your position. That’s exactly why I want to emphasize that, as you rightly pointed out, this is a pilot initiative.

The goal is to explore whether a closer and ongoing collaboration with one of Europe’s most prestigious universities could lead to something meaningful for both us and the Polkadot ecosystem.

Of course, if after a year we see that the initiative hasn’t delivered tangible results, I would be the first to suggest not renewing it. That said, considering the people involved and the kind of research the Politecnico di Milano is doing, we believe it’s worth giving this experiment a chance.

The requested amount is relatively modest and won’t strain the treasury. Moreover, the W3F will support every workshop and event, helping us closely monitor and evaluate the actual impact of this collaboration.

For these reasons, we’re asking the community to support this opportunity, not just to explore this path now, but potentially to extend it in the future and replicate it in other countries as well, with the support of the Politecnico di Milano, which holds a strong reputation among European universities.

@FlezSoHot
We initially approached both the Marketing Bounty and the Events Bounty, and in both cases we were advised to submit this request via OpenGov.

The PCF-related cost has been intentionally overestimated to avoid any potential payment blockers or delays any unspent funds will be returned to the treasury. This is a safeguard rather than an actual expected expense.

Regarding coordination: the effort and responsibility involved in managing a partnership of this scale through to Q1 2026 is significant. We believe the budget is justified, especially when compared with similar proposals in fact, we would argue that our ask is on the lower end of what’s typically requested for this level of commitment.

@EzioRed
Yesterday, as an exception, we were in Milan at a meeting organized by the guys from the Politecnico together with:

Alessandro Giovannini, European Central Bank (BCE)
Alexandra Soroko, Visa
Ares Wekwerth, AllUnity (stablecoin)

I don't know what other European initiative is trying to get in touch with the institutions, we at Polkadot Italia could do it. Furthermore, participation in the workshops is open to everyone based on their level of experience and domain of activity, as explained yesterday at the AAG.

All we need is the support of the community.

@Polkadotters
For more detailed information, I recommend reading my thread on X about it.
https://x.com/thewhiterabbitM/status/1941028148734304549