NGI Fediversity open call (2025-10F)

The NGI Fediversity open call is a funding initiative under the Horizon Europe program aimed at promoting research and development projects that contribute to decentralized, privacy-focused internet solutions through open-source innovation. This program has a total budget of 365,000 euros available for projects, with individual funding requests ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 euros. The call is open for submissions starting August 1, 2025, with a submission deadline of October 1, 2025, at 12:00 Brussels time.

Eligible applicants include private individuals as well as organizations of all types, including startups, SMEs, universities, and NGOs. There are no restrictions on legal entity status or commercial versus non-commercial orientation. The call does not mandate consortium formation, meaning individual applicants can apply solo or collaborate if they choose.

The initiative specifically seeks projects focusing on the Next Generation Internet (NGI), targeting ICT sectors that involve decentralized internet services and technologies such as Fediverse platforms, cloud services, and user-friendly software that enhances privacy, scalability, and service portability. The call emphasizes open-source software development, scientific research, validation, technical inquiry, and usability improvement, among other activities.

Projects will be assessed on a 7-point scale across three main criteria: technical merit (30% weight), strategic alignment with NGI goals (40% weight), and overall value for money (30% weight). To be considered, proposals need a minimum weighted score of 5.0 out of 7. The expected duration for project completion is flexible, ranging from 1 to 12 months.

The program aims to support efforts that simplify the deployment and maintenance of internet-based services, ensuring that solutions are accessible, user-friendly, and uphold personal freedoms and privacy. All funded projects are required to publish their scientific outcomes openly, and any created software or hardware must be released under a recognized free and open-source license.

More information, including guidelines for proposals, evaluation criteria, and a dedicated submission portal, can be found on the official call page. Successful projects may have opportunities to scale further with additional funding from related initiatives, supporting a sustained effort to develop effective, user-centric internet services.

The NGI Fediversity open call (2025-10F) is a funding opportunity under the HORIZON-CL4-2023-HUMAN-01-12 topic, which focuses on Pilots for the Next Generation Internet (IA). The call aims to support research and development projects that contribute to the Fediversity project's goals of bringing easy-to-use, hosted cloud services with service portability and personal freedom to everyone.

The opening date for the call is 01 August 2025, and the deadline for submissions is 01 October 2025 at 12:00 (Brussels time). The call follows a single-stage submission model. The expected duration of participation in a project is flexible, ranging from 1 to 12 months. The total funding available for this call is 365,000.00 EUR. However, the task description mentions 450,000 EUR in small to medium-size R&D grants. Project proposals should request between 5,000 and 50,000 EUR.

The project acronym is Fediversity, and the full name of the EU-funded project is also Fediversity. The grant agreement number is 101136078.

Projects can be submitted through the website https://NLnet.nl/propose. Applicants are advised to check this page and the guide for applicants before preparing their proposal.

The call is open to anyone, including private individuals and organizations of any type. Project proposals should align with the NGI vision and have research and development as their primary objective. Proposals should be complete, concise (no longer than the equivalent of two pages for the main application), and have a clear European dimension.

Projects will be evaluated based on a 7-point scale using three criteria:

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)

To be selected, projects need a total weighted score above 5.0 (out of 7). The key objective is to deliver potential break-through contributions to the objectives of NGI Fediversity and bring easy-to-use, hosted cloud services with service portability (based on functional packaging) and personal freedom at their core to everyone.

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 NGI Fediversity and the objectives set out in the call:

Scientific research
Design and development of open source software and open hardware
Validation or constructive inquiry into existing or novel technical solutions
Software engineering aimed at adapting to new usage areas or improving software quality
Formal security proofs, security audits, setup and design of software testing and continuous integration
Documentation for researchers, developers, and end-users, including educational materials
Standardization activities, including membership fees of standards bodies
Understanding user requirements and improving usability/inclusive design
Necessary measures in support of (broad)er deployability, e.g., packaging
Participation in technical, developer, and community events like hackathons, IETF, W3C, RIPE meetings, FOSDEM, etc. (admission fee, travel and subsistence costs)
Other activities that are relevant to adhering to robust software development and deployment practices
Project management
Out-of-pocket costs for infrastructure essential to achieving the above

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

More information, including the complete call text, proposal guidelines, and an FAQ, can be found on the main call page: https://NLnet.nl/fediversity. The official project website is https://fediversity.eu.

The call addresses the challenges of deploying internet-based services, which are often complex and require significant effort to maintain and secure. Fediversity aims to provide high-quality, secure IT systems for everyday use, based on NixOS, a Linux distribution with a unique approach to package and configuration management. NixOS is declarative, makes upgrading systems reliable, and is reproducible, making it suitable for complex deployment scenarios.

The call encourages contributions that help Fediversity achieve its goals, particularly in areas such as running state-of-the-art services for the Fediverse (e.g., PeerTube, Mastodon, Owncast, Lemmy) and deploying traditional services like e-mail servers, VPNs, and private cloud storage. Successful projects may have the opportunity to scale up in other programs funded by NLnet, such as the NGI0 Commons Fund.

In summary, this funding opportunity seeks to foster the development of an open, trustworthy, and reliable internet by supporting projects that enhance the Fediversity ecosystem. It provides grants ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 EUR for R&D activities that contribute to easy-to-use, hosted cloud services with service portability and personal freedom at their core, with a focus on leveraging NixOS for reproducible and reliable deployments. The call is open to individuals and organizations and encourages contributions to various aspects of software development, security, documentation, and community engagement.

Eligible Applicant Types: Anyone can apply, including private individuals and organisations of any type.

Funding Type: Grant. Specifically, small to medium-size R&D grants. This is also referred to as cascade funding.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, the language used suggests that single applicants are welcome ("Anyone can apply"). Therefore, it is likely that either a single applicant or a consortium is acceptable.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The proposal should have a clear European dimension, implying that applicants should be based in Europe or that the project should benefit Europe. The mention of "Brussels time" for the deadline further suggests a European focus.

Target Sector: ICT, specifically focusing on the Next Generation Internet (NGI), cloud services, service portability, personal freedom, open-source software and hardware, and the Fediverse. The call targets the development and deployment of easy-to-use, hosted cloud services with a focus on security, privacy, and scalability. Relevant technologies include NixOS, PeerTube, Mastodon, Owncast, Lemmy, VPN, private cloud storage, and wikis.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on projects with a "clear European dimension," implying a European scope.

Project Stage: The projects should be in the research and development stage. The call aims to support activities ranging from scientific research and design to validation, software engineering, security audits, and documentation. The goal is to bring the next generation of mobile solutions closer to deployment.

Funding Amount: The call seeks project proposals between 5,000 and 50,000 euros. The total funding available for this call is 365,000 euros. A total of 450,000 euro in small to medium-size R&D grants will be awarded.

Application Type: Open call. Projects can be submitted through a specific website.

Nature of Support: Money. Beneficiaries will receive financial support in the form of grants.

Application Stages: The deadline model is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rate cannot be determined from the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This opportunity is an open call for proposals under the NGI Fediversity initiative, seeking to award small to medium-sized R&D grants ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 euros to projects that contribute to the development of easy-to-use, secure, and scalable hosted cloud services. The initiative aims to promote service portability, personal freedom, and an open, trustworthy internet. The call is open to anyone, including private individuals and organizations, with projects that align with the NGI vision and have a clear European dimension. The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2025.

The Fediversity project, funded under the Horizon Europe program (Grant Agreement number 101136078), focuses on addressing the challenges of deploying and maintaining internet-based services by leveraging technologies like NixOS. It aims to enable individuals and communities to easily host and manage services such as Fediverse applications (PeerTube, Mastodon, etc.), email servers, VPNs, and private cloud storage.

The call specifically encourages proposals that contribute to the Fediversity goals of making these services more accessible and user-friendly. Eligible activities include scientific research, open-source software and hardware development, validation of technical solutions, software engineering, security audits, documentation, standardization activities, usability improvements, and measures to support deployability. All scientific outcomes and software/hardware developed must be published under open access and free/open-source licenses, respectively.

Projects will be evaluated based on technical merit, strategic relevance to NGI and Fediversity goals, and value for money. The total funding available for this call is 365,000 euros, and the expected duration of participation is flexible, ranging from 1 to 12 months. Successful projects may have the opportunity to scale up in other NLnet-funded programs like the NGI0 Commons Fund.