Through an agile and flexible process, following the Horizon Europe cascade funding mechanism, ongoing NGI Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) provide support to projects from outstanding academic researchers, hi-tech startups and SMEs.
Funding is allocated to projects using short research cycles targeting the most promising ideas. Each of the selected projects pursue their own objectives, while the NGI RIAs provide the programme logic and vision, technical support, coaching and mentoring, to ensure that projects contribute towards a significant advancement of research and innovation in the NGI initiative.
The focus is on advanced concepts and technologies that link to relevant use cases and that can have an impact on the market and society over all. Applications and services that innovate without a research component are not covered by this model.
NGI Zero Entrust
NGI ZERO ENTRUST 5th Open Call
Trustworthiness and data sovereignty
Opening date: 1st April
Closing date: 1st August 12:00 CET (noon)
Short description: We need a more resilient, trustworthy and open internet, empowering the end-users. Trust is only justified and sustainable if it the technology in question is up for the job, and is secure-by-design as well as trustworthy. Much of the software, services and devices does not measure up, and it is quite unlikely this will just improve by itself. NGI0 Entrust is designed to move beyond the status quo and create a virtuous cycle of innovation through free and open source software, libre hardware and open standards. If we want everyone to use and benefit from the internet to its full potential without holding back, the internet must be built on strong and transparent technologies that allow for permissionless innovation and are equally accessible to all.
Target participants: Independent researchers and developers to create powerful new technologies, and to help them put it in the hands of future generations as building blocks for a fair and democratic society and a sustainable and open economy that benefits all.
Visit: nlnet.nl/entrust
Apply: nlnet.nl/propose
Contact for more info: nlnet.nl/entrust
NGI Zero Core
NGI Zero Core 1st Open Call
We want a more resilient, trustworthy and open internet. We want to empower end-users. Given the speed at which the ‘twin transition’ is taking place, we need a greener internet and more sustainable services sooner rather than later. Neither will happen at global scale without protocol evolution, which — as the case of three decades of IPv6 introduction demonstrates — is extremely challenging. NGI0 Core is designed to push beyond the status quo and create a virtuous cycle of innovation through free and open source software, libre hardware and open standards. If we want everyone to use and benefit from the internet to its full potential without holding back, the internet must be built on strong and transparent technologies that allow for permissionless innovation and are equally accessible to all.
Opening date: 1st April 2023
Closing date: 1st August 12:00 CET
Short description: We are looking for troubleshooters that help society tackle the ossification of the internet and other hard but very very important challenges, each of which has significant social and economic consequences. We need new ideas and disruptive core technologies, while at the same time evolving and growing existing technologies that are still enough future-proof. The project results become available under an open source license, so anyone can read and validate the source code, and anyone can use the code to create technology that fits their own purposes. The right to reuse and right to repair not only allow for unrestricted scrutiny and permissionless innovation, but also help to reduce e-waste. And the use of standards enables interoperability and redundancy in implementation to reduce the risk of compromise and failure.
We are seeking project proposals between 5.000 and 50.000 euro’s — with the possibility to scale them up if there is proven potential. Reliability, confidentiality, integrity, security, and resource efficiency should be the ‘new normal’ of the internet, something ordinary users should not have to worry about — users should be in control. So let’s make it happen.
Target participants: We assist independent researchers and developers to create powerful new technologies, and to help them put it in the hands of future generations as building blocks for a fair and democratic society and a sustainable and open economy that benefits all. Have a look at other NGI Zeroprogrammes to see the kind of efforts we mean, but don’t be afraid to send something completely different if you think you can contribute to the topic — it really is an open call.
Visit: nlnet.nl/core/
Apply: nlnet.nl/propose/
Contact for more info: nlnet.nl/core/
NGI Zero Review
NGI Zero Review Open Call
Supporting quality and maturity of digital commons.
Opening date: 1st August 2022
Closing date: 31st July 2025
Short description: NGI Zero Review is a three year support programme offering various targeted services to free and open source projects within the Next Generation Internet initiative.
Goal is to improve the quality and inclusiveness of these projects, and make them more sustainable where possible by supporting the most promising ideas to live up to high standards (sometimes called “walk the talk”) in terms of security, privacy, accessibility, open source licensing compliance, standardisation, etc.
Target participants: The NGI Zero Review program is open to grantees withing the NGI initiative. Available to free and open source projects if the project has received a grant from the Next Generation Internet initiative, and contributes to the vision of the Next Generation Internet.
Visit: nlnet.nl/NGI0/review/
Contact for more info: nlnet.nl/NGI0/review/
NGI SEARCH
NGI SEARCH 2ND OPEN CALL IS OUT!
Everything you need for a successful search project
Opening date: 1st March 2023
Closing date: 1st of June 2023
Short description:
The NGI Search project aims to change the way we use and experience, search and discover data and resources, on the internet and web. Funded by the European Commission, NGI Search will fund up to €150,000 per open-source project and provide technology, business and innovation support.
Selected projects will benefit in a number of ways:
- Joining the NGI SEARCH Support Programme with a duration of up to 12 months
- Receiving funding of up to €50,000 if the applicant is a natural person applying on their behalf or up to €150,000 if the applicant is applying as an organisation
- Option to receive Technical, Business and Innovation mentoring provided by the NGI Search project partners
Target participants: Open Call applicants can be entrepreneurs, tech-geeks, developers, socially engaged people, SMEs (including newly established organisations), research organisations, academic research groups, non-profit organisations etc.
For the purposes of the application process, applicant types are divided into two main groups:
- Natural Persons who reside in an EU Member State or in Horizon Europe Associated Countries or
- Organisations officially registered in an EU Member State or in Horizon Europe Associated Countries
The project also accepts consortia of natural persons, consortia of organisations or consortia of natural persons and organisations, meeting the eligibility criteria described above. However, there is a limit of 3 members per team.
Visit: www.ngisearch.eu
Call: ngi-search-2nd-open-call.fundingbox.com
Contact for more info: www.ngisearch.eu/view/Main/Contacts
NGI Sargasso
NGI Sargasso Open Call
European collaboration with the US and Canada: General Open Call
Opening date: 1st July 2023
Closing date: 31st July 2023 at 17:00 CEST / 10:00 CDT | Selected projects will receive up to 100 000 € in funding
Short description:
NGI Sargasso is a project that aims to strengthen EU cooperation and partnerships with the US and Canada in the Next Generation Internet. The initiative focuses on improving the internet’s human-centric approach through the promotion of openness, inclusion, transparency, privacy, cooperation, and data protection. NGI Sargasso’s objective is to revolutionize the Next Generation Internet technologies and standards while ensuring interoperability and promoting innovation and creativity.
The project is based on a transatlantic collaborative ecosystem to enhance online privacy and security and establish global standards for NGI accessible to everyone. NGI Sargasso’s mission is to contribute to a sustainable open internet environment through experimentation of new ideas, prototype implementation, and contribution to standards and open-source communities.
Knowledge Areas covered by the Call: trust, data sovereignty, digital identity, internet architecture, decentralised technologies, new internet commons, interoperability, and standardization.
Target participants:
NGI Sargasso Open Call is open to universities, research centers, SMEs, startups, NGOs, and foundations.
Teams must have at least one member from the EU and another from the USA or Canada to be eligible for the proposal submission. The initiative seeks to promote collaboration and partnerships across the transatlantic ecosystem for the development of Next Generation Internet technologies. Proposals submitted to the NGI Sargasso Open Call must use at least one of the following technologies: AI, blockchain and DLTs, data, cybersecurity, 6G and novel networks, IoT, open-source hardware and software, and software architectures. The technologies are critical to improving the internet’s security, scalability, and efficiency.
How to find your USA or Canadian partner:
- Register on the Brokerage Platform.
- Register to the Matchmaking Session.
Visit: ngisargasso.eu
Contact for more info: [email protected]
NGI Sargasso
NGI Sargasso Open Call
NGI Sargasso and Canada collaborative Open Call in Digital Identities
Opening date: 1st July 2023
Closing date: 31st July 2023 at 17:00 CEST / 10:00 CDT
Short description:
NGI Sargasso plays a crucial role in promoting collaboration between Canada and the EU in digital credential interoperability. The project aims to facilitate cross-border collaboration to promote innovation and digital transformation.
The collaborative call runs alongside the Canadian call for proposals on digital credential interoperability and mutual recognition, with NGI Sargasso providing funding to European entities and the Canadian government financing their Canadian counterparts. The goal is to establish internationally recognized standards and best practices for digital credentials and establish a seamless and interoperable ecosystem. The collaboration will focus on technical, semantic, legal and regulatory, governance, and user experience interoperability.
The call aims to fund projects that tackle challenges related to interoperability testing, issuing and verification services, digital wallet interoperability, and decentralised trusted data registries. This collaborative effort between Canada and the EU aims to advance interoperability and mutual recognition of digital credentials.
Focus Areas covered by the Call: technical, semantic, legal and regulatory, governance, and user experience interoperability.
Target participants:
NGI Sargasso Open Call is open to eligible entities, including universities and research centres, NGOs and foundations, and SMEs and startups. These entities should be legally identified under these categories and align with NGI Sargasso’s areas of focus, including trust, data sovereignty, digital identity, internet architecture, decentralised technologies, new internet commons, interoperability, and standardization. The initiative seeks to promote innovation and collaboration in developing novel knowledge areas and technologies to improve the internet’s human-centric approach.
Teams must have at least one partner from the EU and another from Canada.
How to find your Canadian partner: NGI Sargasso will match you with one of the beneficiaries of the parallel Canadian call.
Visit: ngisargasso.eu
Contact for more info: [email protected]