Projects can be submitted through https://NLnet.nl/propose, please check this page as well as the guide for applicants before you start writing a proposal - this might save you a lot of work.

Anyone can apply, including private individuals and organisations of any type. Project proposals should be in line with the NGI vision and within the topic of trust and data sovereignty on the internet. They should have research and development as their primary objective, and should be complete and concise (no longer than the equivalent of two pages for the main application, see the submission form). Proposals should have a clear European dimension.

Projects are scored on a 7 point scale on three criteria: technical merit, strategic relevance to the Next Generation Internet and overall value for money. The key objective is to deliver potential break-through contributions to the open internet. Projects will need a total weighted score above 5 (out of 7) in order to be selected.

The following types of activities qualify for financial support, provided they are cost effective and have a clear link to the topics directly relevant to NGI0 Entrust mentioned above - privacy, trust & data sovereignty on the Internet - and the objectives set out in the call:

All scientific outcomes must be published as open access, and any software and hardware must be published under a recognised free and open source license in its entirety.

NGI0 Entrust, co-funded from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101069594, foresees as an eligible activity the provision of financial support to third parties, as a means to achieve the objectives of the Next Generation Internet initiative and to contribute to a resilient, trustworthy and sustainably open internet.

These days many of us entrust rather critical parts of our lives to technology. We are always connected, and allow the internet to convey very personal messages and expose extremely sensitive data to it. Since the internet like most technology was never designed with that kind of usage in mind, this is a liability and in many cases an unwise or even unhealthy dependency — beyond the significant technical weaknesses which put us at risk, we often find ourselves in a situation where we have little autonomy and our data is just taken and used without our consent.

NGI0 Entrust is designed to help us move beyond the status quo and create a virtuous cycle of innovation through free and open source software, open 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 digital commons: strong and transparent technologies that allow for permissionless innovation and are equally accessible to all. Reliability, confidentiality, integrity, security and data portability should be the 'new normal' of the internet, something ordinary users should not have to worry about — users should be in control.

NGI0 Entrust supports independent researchers and developers working on digital commons in order to restore and maintain European sovereignty, and to secure democratic ownership of the digital society. NGI Zero Entrust aims to enable and assist independent researchers and developers to create powerful new technology that benefit end users, and to help them put it in the hands of future generations as building blocks for a fair and democratic society and an open economy that benefits all.

This concerns any technological component internet users collectively depend on, and which can be improved with regards to trustworthiness, resilience, privacy preserving characteristics and data and service portability. Among others we are looking to deliver "architectures, protocols and services to ensure that end-users can exert their rights (e.g. under the GDPR) and benefit from decentralised technological solutions that ensure that they are fully in control of their personal data on the Internet." Examples include mobile operating systems, internet and web protocols, open hardware laptops and phones, encryption tools and videoconferencing services.

We are looking for new ideas and core technologies that help society tackle hard but very very important challenges, each of which has significant social and economic consequences. 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.