NGI Fediversity open call (2026-06F)

NGI Fediversity open call (2026-06F) is a cascade funding opportunity under Horizon Europe supporting R&D to develop reproducible, NixOS-based hosted cloud and Fediverse services that improve portability, security and deployability. The call has a total budget of €365,000 with grants ranging from 5,000 to €50,000 per project, typical durations of 1–12 months and a lifetime cap of €60,000 per third party. Proposals must demonstrate a clear European dimension, be R&D focused, publish outcomes open access under recognized free/open source licences, and comply with NLnet eligibility rules. Deadline for single-stage submission is 01 June 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time and applications are submitted via nlnet.nl/propose.

Quick summary

Small to medium R&D grants to develop open source software, tooling and deployment practices for Fediversity (NixOS-based hosting and Fediverse services). Projects must publish outcomes as open access and release code/hardware under recognised libre/open licences. Apply via NLnet.

Grant size:Individual proposals: €5 000 to €50 000. Total sub-grant budget available: €365 000 (Fediversity programme); lifetime cap per recipient: €60 000 ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: anyone (private individuals and organisations of any type).
2. 2Project duration: typically 1–12 months (flexible).
3. 3Evaluation: scored on technical merit (30%), NGI/Fediversity relevance (40%), value for money (30%); threshold 5.0/7.

What is funded (typical activities)

Qualifying activities include R&D, open source software and hardware design, validation and testing, security audits and CI setup, packaging and deployability work (Nix/NixOS preferred), documentation and usability work, standardisation fees, community events, essential infrastructure costs and project management — provided outputs are open and have clear link to Fediversity objectives.

How to apply

Submit concise proposals (main application ~2 pages) through NLnet’s proposal portal; follow the Fediversity guide for applicants and FAQ for eligibility and submission rules. Projects should demonstrate European dimension and R&D focus.

Footnotes

1. 1Apply and find application guidance at NLnet propose page NLnet propose and Fediversity main page Fediversity.

Key facts and deadlines

Call title:NGI Fediversity open call (2026-06F). Host and grant-handling organisation: NLnet Foundation (Fediversity consortium partner). EC grant agreement: 101136078 (HORIZON-CL4 Pilots for the Next Generation Internet). Opening date: 01 April 2026. Submission deadline: 01 June 2026 12:00 Brussels time (single-stage submission model). Expected project duration: 1–12 months (flexible). Total funding available for this call listing: €365 000,00 (the wider NGI Fediversity sub-granting budget across the programme is communicated as ca. €450 000 for the round of grants distributed between Dec 2023 and Nov 2026). All deliverables and scientific outcomes must be open access; software and hardware must be published under recognised free/open source licences.

Funding Range:Individual project proposals should request between €5 000 and €50 000. The maximum cumulative grant per third party over the lifetime of NGI Fediversity is €60 000 ¹.

What the programme funds (eligible activities)

NGI Fediversity supports small to medium R&D grants for activities that directly advance Fediversity objectives (service portability, hosted cloud services, personal freedom, reproducible/declarative deployments using Nix/NixOS). Eligible activity types include, but are not limited to, the following cost-effective and clearly linked R&D tasks:

1. 1Scientific research and validation studies relevant to Fediversity and the NGI vision
2. 2Design and development of open source software and open hardware
3. 3Validation or constructive inquiry into existing or novel technical solutions
4. 4Software engineering to adapt projects to new usage areas or to improve software quality
5. 5Formal security proofs, security audits, and the setup and design of software testing and CI/CD
6. 6Documentation for researchers, developers and end users, including educational materials
7. 7Standardisation activities (including membership fees for standards bodies where relevant)
8. 8User requirements gathering and improvements to usability and inclusive design
9. 9Measures to support broader deployability, e.g. packaging and reproducible deploy artifacts
10. 10Participation in developer and community events (hackathons, IETF, W3C, FOSDEM, RIPE etc.) including admission, travel and subsistence
11. 11Other activities relevant to robust software development and deployment practices
12. 12Project management and out-of-pocket costs for essential infrastructure to deliver the project

Eligibility and who can apply

Who may apply:Anyone — private individuals and organisations of any type can submit proposals. There is no categorical exclusion by legal form: startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, nonprofits, NGOs, public bodies, and individuals are all eligible provided proposals meet the call criteria and boundary conditions. Projects must be written in English and have research and development as their primary objective. Proposals must have a clear European dimension; projects that fail the hard eligibility (knock-out) criteria will be marked ineligible at initial screening.

Funding type and administration

Primary financial mechanism:grant (cascade funding / sub-grants administered by NLnet Foundation on behalf of the Fediversity consortium). Grants are awarded as donations/grants by NLnet (a public benefit organisation). The exact amount awarded is determined by NLnet based on projected costs and value for money; final grant value is established in a Memorandum of Understanding between NLnet and the grantee.

Consortium requirement and partnering

Consortium requirement:single applicant allowed. A consortium is not required. The programme explicitly supports individual applicants and single-entity proposals; collaboration and partnerships are permitted and can be described in the proposal, but there is no mandatory multi-party consortium requirement for sub-grants.

Geographic eligibility and scope

Beneficiary geographic scope:Projects must demonstrate a clear European dimension. The call is part of the EU Next Generation Internet initiative and administered by NLnet; applicants from EU Member States and associated countries are the expected primary applicants, and proposals are assessed for European relevance. The call materials and NLnet guidance emphasise alignment with NGI objectives and European impact.

Target sectors and technical focus

Primary target sector:ICT with emphasis on open source software and infrastructure for the Fediverse and hosted cloud services. Thematic areas include: cloud hosting stacks, service portability, reproducible packaging and deployment (Nix/NixOS and Nix package manager), federated social web (Fediverse services such as Mastodon, PeerTube, Lemmy, Matrix), private cloud storage, privacy-preserving services, security engineering, CI/CD and reproducible build chains, accessibility (WCAG), and standardisation and community engagement. Projects that do not relate to the Nix ecosystem are advised to consider alternative NGI programmes (e.g. NGI Zero Commons Fund) if more appropriate.

Project maturity and expected deliverables

Project stage expected:R&D / development / validation / demonstration. The call funds short-to-medium term R&D efforts (1–12 months) that deliver demonstrable technical outcomes such as reproducible deployment artifacts, open source codebases, documentation, security audits, user research, packaging and integration with NixOS, and examples showing deployment of web services (LAMP, NodeJS, Java containers, Matrix, PeerTube, Mastodon, Nextcloud etc.). Projects must publish outputs openly and make code and artifacts available under recognised free/open source licences. WCAG compliance for delivered software artefacts is required where relevant.

Selection, scoring and evaluation process

Submission route and guidance:Proposals are submitted through NLnet’s application system at nlnet.nl. Applicants must read the call-specific guide for applicants before completing the short submission (main application equivalent of two pages for the core text, with attachments optional). Scoring model: three criteria scored on a 7-point scale with weights: technical merit/excellence and feasibility (30%), strategic relevance to NGI Fediversity and expected contribution to programme goals (40%), and overall value for money/cost effectiveness (30%). To progress, a project must obtain a total weighted score above 5.0 (out of 7). All outcomes must be published open access and code must be fully open source.

1. 1Submission: single-stage initial application (through NLnet portal).
2. 2First stage: eligibility check (hard knock-out criteria) plus initial scoring based on submitted text.
3. 3Second stage: interactive review for strategic projects — reviewers may ask clarifying questions and request minor plan revisions; independent verification of claims may occur.
4. 4Final check: independent review committee validates selection and budgets; Memorandum of Understanding finalises award.

Because of the interactive second stage and independent review committee validation, the practical evaluation path combines a one-step submission with up to two additional interactive appraisal rounds. In summary the process involves at least two formal review stages (initial scoring and second interactive review) followed by independent committee validation.

Scoring threshold, deliverables and compliance

Minimum acceptance score to advance:weighted score above 5.0/7. Mandatory publication requirements: scientific outcomes must be open access; novel software/hardware must be published under recognised free/open licences; produced software artefacts should be WCAG compliant where applicable; project deliverables must be publicly available to access amendments or new grants in future rounds.

Submission format, application template and form structure

NLnet uses a light-weight application form designed to be concise. Applicants are urged to prepare longer answers offline and attach supporting material if needed. The core form fields and recommended structure (as reflected in NLnet guidance) are:

1. 1Project identification: title, primary contact, organisation or individual details, preferred call topic (Fediversity).
2. 2Abstract: concise description of the project and expected outcomes (high-level summary covering problem, solution and impact).
3. 3Background and track record: prior involvement with relevant projects/organisations and key contributions.
4. 4Objectives and deliverables: clear list of technical deliverables and milestones; how success will be measured.
5. 5Methodology and tasks: break down main tasks with associated effort, roles and rates; be explicit about personnel effort and rates.
6. 6Budget explanation: what the requested budget will be used for (personnel, travel, events, infrastructure, audit/security costs); optional full budget attachment.
7. 7European dimension: explain European relevance and expected impact across Europe.
8. 8Risks and mitigation: significant technical challenges and proposed mitigation strategies.
9. 9Ecosystem and uptake: ecosystem description, planned engagement with actors upstream/downstream, promotion and sustainability plans.
10. 10Use of AI declaration: whether generative AI was used to prepare the proposal (per NLnet policy).
11. 11Privacy acknowledgement: confirmation of reading NLnet privacy statement and consent to processing of personal data.

Attachments:optional attachments (HTML, PDF, OpenDocument, plain text), total attachment limit 50 MB. The main submission must be self-contained and concise (the main application equivalent of two pages is expected for the core proposal text).

Assessment timeline and contract stage

After submission NLnet typically contacts applicants within a few days after the deadline. The second-stage interactive review may include clarifying questions and small plan adjustments. If selected, NLnet issues an offer and establishes a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which finalises the grant amount and project conditions. If applicants disagree with the offered grant size they may decline before signing the MoU.

Co-funding and eligible costs

Co-funding requirement:No explicit co-funding obligation is stated for applicants. The grant amount should be the amount necessary to deliver the project objectives and NLnet will adjust proposed budgets for ineligible costs. Applicants can declare other funding sources; total cost-effectiveness and value for money are assessed during evaluation. NLnet classifies grants as charitable donations under favourable tax conditions.

Consortium, conflicts of interest and reviewer policy

Review independence and conflicts:NLnet performs reviews with professional staff and an independent review committee of domain experts who validate final selections. Consortium partners and staff that are part of the Fediversity consortium are excluded from applying. NLnet maintains explicit conflict-of-interest rules; members of the review committee and their close relatives are excluded from submitting projects. Volunteer involvement in not-for-profits and associations is not automatically disqualifying provided independence principles are respected.

Application stages count and success rate information

Number of selection stages:technically single-stage submission, followed by at least two review steps (initial eligibility and scoring; second interactive review with clarifications and potential revisions) and final independent review committee validation. For classification purposes this equates to a 2–3 stage assessment process. Success rates: the call documentation does not publish explicit success rate percentages. Selection depends on meeting knock-out eligibility criteria and achieving a weighted score above 5.0/7; available budget and ranking determine final funding decisions. Because funding rounds are frequent and budgets limited, success rates vary by round and are not specified in the public call text.

How to apply and important links

Submission URL and guidance:submit via NLnet’s proposal form at nlnet.nl. Read the NGI Fediversity guide for applicants and FAQ on the Fediversity call page before preparing your submission. Use plain text for main answers and attach longer technical documentation as attachments. NLnet recommends preparing answers offline to avoid browser session issues. See the official Fediversity call page and NLnet guide for detailed eligibility and MoU examples Fediversity call page NLnet propose Guide for Applicants FN:1.

Mentioned countries and geographic notes

Explicit country mentions in source material include EU Member States and Nordic countries referenced via consortium partner NORDUnet (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden) and general European dimension requirements. The call is administered within the European Commission’s NGI initiative and expects proposals with clear European relevance. Primary geographic eligibility: EU/European (projects must demonstrate European dimension and impact).

Final summary — what this opportunity is about and how to approach it

NGI Fediversity open call (2026-06F) is a cascade funding opportunity administered by NLnet under the Fediversity consortium and the European Commission’s Next Generation Internet programme. It aims to accelerate deliverables that make it easier to run and host privacy-preserving, portable, reproducible and open services for the Fediverse and other hosted cloud scenarios, with an emphasis on Nix/NixOS-based reproducible packaging and deployment. The call awards small-to-medium sized R&D grants (€5K–€50K per project) to individuals and organisations across Europe for short to medium-term R&D, development, validation and demonstration activities. Proposals must be concise, primarily R&D focused, have a clear European dimension, publish outcomes under open licences and demonstrate excellent technical merit, strategic alignment with NGI Fediversity objectives and good value for money. Submit via NLnet’s online proposal form, follow the Guide for Applicants closely, prepare attachments only as supporting material, and be prepared for an interactive review if your proposal passes initial scoring. This is a practical funding channel for developers, researchers and organisations working on open source infrastructure, security, reproducible deployments, and Fediverse hosting/tooling to take focused work to a demonstrable outcome and potentially scale later through complementary NGI programmes.

Footnotes

1. 1Full Guide for Applicants and call details are available on NLnet’s Fediversity pages: nlnet.nl. Submission is via nlnet.nl. The guide contains the full rules for eligibility, process descriptions, example MoU and conflict-of-interest policies.

Opportunity Overview

The NGI Fediversity open call (2026-06F) is a cascade funding opportunity under the European Commission's Horizon Europe programme, specifically HORIZON-CL4 for Pilots for the Next Generation Internet. It supports R&D projects advancing easy-to-use, hosted cloud services based on NixOS, emphasizing service portability, personal freedom, security, and reproducibility for Fediverse and other internet services. The call addresses challenges in software supply chains, deployment complexity, and high availability, aiming for an open, trustworthy internet without tracking or exploitation.

Fediversity is an EU-funded project (Grant Agreement 101136078) running until November 2026, with a total cascade funding budget of €450,000 across multiple calls. This specific call has €365,000 available.

Key Dates and Submission

Opening Date:01 April 2026

Deadline:01 June 2026, 12:00 Brussels time (single-stage submission)

Submission Portal:Proposals submitted via NLnet Propose. Prepare offline; max 2 pages equivalent for main application. Check guide for applicants first.

Expected project duration:1-12 months (flexible). Official EU portal: EU Funding Portal. Additional resources: Fediversity Main Page, Fediversity Site, Guide for Applicants.

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Open to anyone, including private individuals, organizations of any type (SMEs, academics, public sector, non-profits). Proposals must align with NGI vision, have R&D as primary objective, demonstrate clear European dimension, and relate to Nix functional package management system (non-Nix projects directed to NGI Zero Commons Fund). Consortium partners and staff excluded.

• In line with NGI Fediversity goals: NixOS-based deployments for Fediverse services (e.g., PeerTube, Mastodon, Owncast, Lemmy), email servers, VPN, private cloud, wikis.
• English language; concise (2 pages max main text).
• Open outputs: scientific results open access; software/hardware under recognized FOSS licenses.
• No generative AI in proposals without disclosure.

Funding Details

Amount determined by necessity for objectives, value for money. Adjusted for ineligible costs. Finalized in Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Successful projects may scale via other NLnet programmes like NGI0 Commons Fund.

Evaluation Process

Three-stage process:(1) Eligibility check (knock-out: NGI alignment, R&D focus, European dimension); (2) Scoring (weighted: 30% technical merit, 40% strategic relevance/NGI Fediversity impact, 30% value for money; min 5.0/7 to advance); interactive clarifications possible; (3) Independent review committee validation.

1. 1First stage: Initial scoring and eligibility.
2. 2Second stage: Clarifying questions, revisions, re-scoring.
3. 3Final: Independent experts check eligibility, budgets; ranking until budget exhausted.

Key objective:Breakthrough contributions to NixOS-based portable cloud services. Review by NLnet professional staff + independent committee (academia, open source, public sector). Conflicts managed rigorously.

Eligible Activities

• Scientific research.
• Open source software/hardware design/development.
• Validation of technical solutions.
• Software engineering for new uses/quality improvements.
• Security audits, testing, CI setup.
• Documentation, educational materials.
• Standardisation (incl. fees).
• Usability/inclusive design, user requirements.
• Deployability measures (e.g., Nix packaging).
• Event participation (hackathons, IETF, FOSDEM; travel costs).
• Robust development practices.
• Project management.
• Essential infrastructure costs.

Strategic Focus and Examples

Projects must advance Fediversity:NixOS declarative/reproducible deployments for complex services (Fediverse: Mastodon/PeerTube/Lemmy/Owncast + add-ons; email/VPN/cloud/wiki). Emphasize high availability, security, scalability without user lock-in.

Consortium:NLnet Foundation (coordinator), NORDUnet, Tweag, Open Internet Foundation (OIDF). Builds on prior NGI-funded projects.

Additional Applicant Notes

• Proposals scored on 7-point scale; focus on what/how, not why.
• Include task breakdown, budget justification, comparisons to existing work.
• Attachments: HTML/PDF/ODF/txt (max 50MB).
• Post-award: Public deliverables under FOSS; WCAG compliance for software.
• Privacy: NLnet handles data per statement.
• Contact: Via NLnet for questions.

Footnotes

1. 1Data synthesized from EU Funding Portal, NLnet Fediversity pages, and guide for applicants as of March 2026. Verify latest on official sites before applying.