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Cardano, known for its scientific approach and peer-reviewed research, is setting a bold course for the future.

Input Output (IO), a research and development company and the driving force behind Cardano, has unveiled an ambitious Strategic Research Agenda spanning nine thematic focus areas. 

In a recent tweet via the official IO X handle, Input Output Research communicated its vision for Cardano and its 2030 outlook, highlighting nine thematic focus areas that ranged from scaling the Ouroboros protocol stack to building a next-level identity and credential layer and enabling interchains designed to address some of blockchain's most pressing challenges and opportunities.

The nine thematic focus areas in order are: the world’s operating system, Ouroboros Omega, Tokenomicon, Global Identity, Democracy 4.0, the internet Hydra-ted, Interchains, Core Zero-knowledge capabilities and the post-quantum landscape.

More on focus areas

The focus area "the world's operating system" seeks to strengthen Cardano’s capabilities to develop smart contracts efficiently and securely while building infrastructure that enables more services. 

Second, as the Cardano ecosystem grows, improvements to Ouroboros are necessary to handle increased transaction throughput and processing demands.

Third,  Cardano stands out with features like native user-defined assets and upcoming Babel fees for flexible transaction payments. However, despite its importance, tokenomics remains under-researched in blockchain technology.

Global identity presents key focus areas, which include embedding global identity within Cardano’s core functionalities — such as transactions, smart contracts and governance — and enhancing compatibility across its broader ecosystem. 

Democracy 4.0 will ensure the safe execution of voting rights and incentivize and enable the exercise of voting rights.

Hydra, interchains, ZK and quantum development

Hydra significantly enhances Cardano’s scalability by enabling faster transaction processing with lower fees and reduced latency, making it ideal for high-throughput applications such as gaming and supply chains. 

As blockchain ecosystems evolve, Cardano’s support for both layer-1 and layer-2 cross-chain dApps could make it a preferred choice for developers and enterprises seeking a secure and efficient multi-chain environment.

By prioritizing pluggable ZK tooling, Cardano will position itself as a leader in privacy-preservation and secure transactions.

Lastly, enhancements aimed at reducing computational demands and bolstering scalability will fortify Cardano’s infrastructure with adaptable and future-proof cryptographic solutions.