Strengthen D.U.C.K.: Governance, Assurance, and Real-World Adoption

Community Grants / Initiatives
4

Hi all,

Over the last six months we have been working on the “Strengthen D.U.C.K.: Governance, Assurance, and Real‑World Adoption” initiative. Building on the success of the original D.U.C.K. proposal (LINK), the delivery team, node operator and assurance partners have delivered all the outputs promised in the proposal resulting in ValOS (Validator Operations Standard). This post summarises what has been achieved and invites the LEGO council to verify the results and release the remaining grant payment.

Governance & Coordination

  • Selection of an appropriate foundation for D.U.C.K.’s governance [Reference: Transition to Lido Labs Foundation completed, ValOS GitHub]

  • Governance structure for IP, copyright and licensing [Reference: Legal assessment shared with Lido NOM workstream representatives]

  • Legal and operational integration plan [Reference: Transition to Lido Labs Foundation completed, ValOS GitHub]

  • Transition roadmap for implementation [Reference: Transition to Lido Labs Foundation completed, ValOS GitHub]

Content Expansion & Industry Alignment

  • Knowledge base expansion incorporating contributions from risk and assurance experts and feedback from pilot engagements [Reference: ValOS Release Version]

  • Defined content update process aligned with industry standards (e.g., ISO/SOC) and separate ISO/SOC‑specific content [Reference: Decision taken together with NOM workstream representatives to use ISO/SOC references only and mitigate risk of content mismatches, ValOS Release Version]

Framework Enablement

  • Defined roles, responsibilities and decision‑making processes [Reference: Governance Documentation shared with NOM workstream representatives]

  • Design of a proof‑of‑assurance system (e.g., NFT badge) to verify reviewed entities [Reference: Decision taken together with NOM workstream representatives to use a public register on the ValOS Website]

  • Community and stakeholder engagement strategy [Reference: Strategy shared with NOM workstream representatives]

  • Rebranding to establish a strong assurance identity [Reference: Rebranding to “Validator Operations Standard (ValOS)”, ValOS GitHub]

  • Partnership outreach and agreements with key industry players (assurance firms, node operators, Web3 professionals) [Reference: Request of DUCK FLAP Grant (LINK) and use of the approved funds to subsidize ValOS early-adopter assessments, outreach and agreement initiated and shared with NOM workstream representatives]

In accordance with the payment structure outlined in our proposal, these deliverables mark the completion of the “Assurance Upgrade” milestone. We kindly ask a LEGO representative to confirm that the deliverables meet the agreed quality standards and proceed with disbursing the remaining 50% ($37,600.00) of the grant.

We would like to thank all contributors, the Lido DAO NOM workstream, the LEGO council, our partners and the wider node‑operator community for their trust and support. We are excited about the go-live and adoption of ValOS as a recognized assurance framework and are eager to continue our work going forward.

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