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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of the NGI Fediversity open call is to deliver potential breakthrough contributions to the goals of NGI Fediversity, specifically focusing on bringing easy-to-use, hosted cloud services with service portability and personal freedom to everyone. - Target recipient: Private individuals and organizations of any type. - Size: Supports small to medium-size R&D grants. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Focuses on Next Generation Internet (NGI), cloud services, open source software, and digital commons. - Geographic scope: Projects must have a clear European dimension. - Key filtering criteria: Projects must align with the NGI vision, have research and development as their primary objective, and contribute to NGI Fediversity's goals. - Grant frequency: This is the sixth call, implying a recurring program.

Financial Structure

Total funding available for this call: 450,000 EUR.
Grant amount per project: Between 5,000 EUR and 50,000 EUR.
Eligible costs include: scientific research, design and development of open source software and open hardware, validation or constructive inquiry into existing or novel technical solutions, software engineering, formal security proofs/audits/testing, documentation, standardisation activities (including membership fees), understanding user requirements and improving usability/inclusive design, necessary measures for deployability (e.g., packaging), participation in technical/developer/community events (admission, travel, subsistence costs), other relevant activities for robust software development/deployment, project management, and out-of-pocket costs for essential infrastructure.
No explicit matching fund or co-financing requirements are specified.
Payment schedules and financial reporting requirements are not detailed in the provided information.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type

Private individuals
Organizations of any type

Project Focus and Scope

Primary objective must be research and development (R&D).
Proposals should be in line with the NGI vision.
Projects should have a clear European dimension.
Activities must be cost-effective and have a clear link to the topics directly relevant to NGI Fediversity and the objectives set out in the call.
All scientific outcomes must be published as open access.
Any novel software and hardware created must be published under a recognized free and open source license in its entirety.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Submission

Latest submission deadline: 2025-10-01 12:00:00+0000.
Applications must be submitted through https://NLnet.nl/propose.

Required Documentation

Proposals should be complete and concise, no longer than the equivalent of two pages for the main application (refer to the submission form for specifics).
Applicants are advised to check the guide for applicants and frequently asked questions (FAQ) before starting to write a proposal.
Prepare longer answers offline to avoid issues with browser sessions.

Project Duration

Project duration is flexible, ranging from 1 to 12 months.

Post-Award Requirements

All scientific outcomes of funded projects must be published as open access.
Any novel software and hardware created must be published under a recognized free and open source license in its entirety.

Evaluation Criteria

Scoring Criteria (Projects require a total weighted score above 5.0 out of 7)

Technical Merit: 30% weight
Strategic Relevance to the Next Generation Internet and expected contribution to the goals of NGI Fediversity: 40% weight
Overall Value for Money: 30% weight

Expected Outcomes and Impact

Deliver potential breakthrough contributions to the objectives of NGI Fediversity.
Bring easy-to-use, hosted cloud services with service portability (based on functional packaging) and personal freedom to everyone.

Quality and Standards

Project results should become available under an open source license, enabling scrutiny, reuse, and permissionless innovation.
Use of standards is encouraged to enable interoperability and redundancy, reducing risk of compromise and failure.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Open Source and Open Access Mandate

All scientific outcomes must be published as open access.
Any novel software and hardware created must be published under a recognized free and open source license in its entirety.

European Dimension

All project proposals must demonstrate a clear European dimension.

Ethical and Societal Impact

Projects should contribute to an open, trustworthy, and reliable internet for all, emphasizing user control, privacy, and freedom from tracking or exploitation.
Focus on secure IT systems for everyday use.

Project Context and Scalability

The initiative is based on NixOS, and proposals related to this technology or its application within the Fediverse (e.g., Mastodon, PeerTube, Lemmy) are highly relevant.
Successful projects may have the opportunity to scale up in other programs funded by NLnet, such as the NGI0 Commons Fund.

Unique Opportunity

This is an opportunity to contribute to reshaping the internet's future, with a focus on open and secure digital commons. The call encourages 'out-of-the-box' ideas if they align with the topic and eligibility criteria.

Grant Details