Vara Network, one of the leading blockchains built on the Gear Protocol, is inviting builders to accelerate the development of its ecosystem with a new Grants Program, offered by the Gear Foundation.

The Gear Foundation, which is a nonprofit that’s dedicated to growing Vara Network through research support, community engagement and education, said the Grants Program is focused on project development, growth and innovation.

It’s seeking builders focused on all aspects of Web3, though it’s primarily interested in requests for proposals from gaming, DeFi, mobile games, infrastructure and tooling projects. To help teams understand its ecosystem needs, it detailed some of the specific niches within those segments that it’s hoping to attract. 

For instance, Vara Network provides the infrastructure for mobile game developers to create truly decentralized, fully on-chain, automated game experiences, with its rapid transaction capabilities standing out as a must-have in games where transactions occur frequently. To that end, it’s inviting projects focused on building new games, Telegram games and token wallets, analogs to Flappy Bird, and blockchain sandbox games to apply for a grant.

Vara also wants to build out its DeFi ecosystem, with an interest in projects for crypto asset lending and borrowing, stablecoins, asset staking, liquid staking, DeFi trade optimization and real-world asset tokenization. On the infrastructure side, Vara is looking to support a wide spectrum of projects building services around blockchain interoperability, token standardization, Telegram-based crypto wallets, private authentication systems, simplified user experiences, blockchain security, universal gas fees, IDE support for the Sails development framework, and streamlined dApp deployment. 

In addition, Vara hopes to attract tooling developers working on aspects such as smart contract IDEs, modules for Sails, analysis tools, monitoring tools and more. Other examples include projects working on NFT trading and crypto development hubs.

As part of the application process for the Gear Foundation Grants Program, developers are requested to submit details of how their project will contribute to the growth of Vara’s ecosystem, either by unlocking new use cases, adding more users, or something else.

Applications will be assessed based on criteria such as how the project will contribute to the wider Vara Network ecosystem, competitive analysis of their business model and tech stacks, their roadmap, the team’s experience and how it intends to use the funding, with the final decision being sent via email.

Whatever amount granted to a project will be paid out according to a milestone-based system, with applicants asked to suggest what these milestones should be. There’s no set limit on the size of its grants, though Vara states that it will likely average between $10,000 and $30,000 for most projects. Applicants can expect to hear back within four-to-six weeks, and may be required to attend an interview with the Gear Foundation’s review committee to explain specific aspects of their project and technology.

Successful applications will then be required to attend an onboarding meeting, where they'll be introduced to their technical point of contact, who acts as a guide throughout the development process, the Gear Foundation said. 

Developers and project leaders can apply to the Grant Program now, and receive a host of benefits besides funding. For instance, the program also provides access to developer tools, resources and documentation, technical support, including the opportunity to pose questions to Vara’s development team, strategic advice for growing their business, and perhaps most important, introductions to ecosystem partners, prospective mentors and venture capital funds.