NGI Zero Commons Fund (2025-08Z)

The NGI Zero Commons Fund is a funding initiative under the European Union's Horizon Europe program, complemented by contributions from Switzerland. It is designed to support the development and maturation of the Next Generation Internet and digital commons, providing financial support primarily through grants. The fund offers a total of €19.4 million, with individual project funding typically ranging from €50,000 to €200,000 and projects lasting between 1 to 12 months. The application process operates under an open call system with a single-stage submission process, and proposals need to be submitted by August 1, 2025.

Eligible applicants include small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), research institutions, universities, individual researchers, developers, and NGOs engaged in open-source projects related to internet technologies, cybersecurity, AI, and decentralized technologies. The geographic scope for applications is limited to EU Member States and Associated Countries, including Switzerland.

The fund supports a wide range of activities that align with its objective of fostering a resilient, trustworthy, and open internet. Eligible activities include scientific research, designing and developing open-source software and hardware, validation of technical solutions, software engineering, usability improvements, documentation, standardization efforts, and participation in relevant technical events. All project outcomes are required to be published under a free or open-source license.

The evaluation process for applications assesses technical merit, strategic relevance, and overall value for money, with a minimum score of 5.0 out of 7 required for selection. While specific success rates are not disclosed, the competitive nature of the funding suggests a moderate chance of approval, likely in the range of 10% to 39%.

The initiative emphasizes a collective approach to reclaiming the public nature of the internet, aiming to empower individuals, businesses, and civil society in their digital interactions. It promotes the development of technologies that not only enhance digital infrastructure but also contribute to sustainable and equitable economic and social structures. The fund aligns with broader strategic visions, including the European Commission's vision for Web 4.0, focusing on new paradigms that responsibly utilize technologies like virtual and augmented reality and generative AI.

For comprehensive details, applicants are encouraged to review the proposal guidelines and the call text available on the project’s official website. The overarching goal of the NGI Zero Commons Fund is to bridge current gaps in the internet landscape, supporting innovation that leads to a more open, collaborative, and efficient digital ecosystem.

The NGI Zero Commons Fund is a funding opportunity co-funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101135429. Additional funding is provided by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The fund aims to support the Next Generation Internet initiative by providing financial support to third parties, fostering a resilient, trustworthy, and sustainably open internet. The call falls under the topic HORIZON-CL4-2023-HUMAN-01-11 - Next Generation Internet Fund (RIA).

The opening date for submissions is June 1, 2025, and the deadline for submission is August 1, 2025, at 12:00 Brussels time. The expected duration of participation is flexible, ranging from 1 to 12 months. The total funding available is 19,400,000.00 EUR. The project acronym is NGI0 Commons Fund, and the full name of the EU-funded project is "Create, mature and grow internet commons".

The fund supports activities that contribute to the development, maturation, and scaling of new internet commons across the technology spectrum, including libre silicon, middleware, P2P infrastructure, and end-user applications. It promotes a holistic, full-stack approach to reclaim the public nature of the internet.

Eligible activities for financial support 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 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
Standardisation activities, including membership fees of standards bodies
Understanding user requirements and improving usability/inclusive design
Necessary measures in support of broader 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 software and hardware must be published under a recognised free and open source license in its entirety.

Anyone can apply, 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 two pages for the main application), and have a clear European dimension.

Projects are evaluated based on a 7-point scale across three criteria: technical merit, strategic relevance to the Next Generation Internet, and overall value for money. A total weighted score above 5.0 (out of 7) is required for selection. The key objective is to deliver potential breakthrough contributions to the open internet.

The NGI Zero Commons Fund aims to address gaps in the current internet landscape by fostering collective action and public investment. It seeks to empower individuals, businesses, and civil society to secure their security and long-term operational availability through shared building blocks and collective resources. The fund encourages new ideas and disruptive technologies while also supporting the evolution of existing future-proof technologies. It promotes collaboration between the public sector, aligned companies, academia, and civil society (the quadruple helix) to restore the internet and economies to health. The fund also aims to bring about new paradigms like the European Commission's vision for Web 4.0, which harnesses technologies like virtual and augmented reality, generative AI, and intelligent mediators in a responsible way to sustainably serve society.

Project results must be available under a free or open-source license, allowing anyone to read and validate the source code and use the code or open data for their own purposes. The right to reuse and repair promotes unrestricted scrutiny, permissionless innovation, and reduces e-waste. The use of standards enables interoperability and redundancy in implementation to reduce the risk of compromise and failure.

Proposals can be submitted through https://NLnet.nl/propose. Applicants are advised to check this page and the guide for applicants before writing a proposal. A more complete overview of the call text and proposal guidelines can be found on the official project website: https://NLnet.nl/commonsfund.

In summary, the NGI Zero Commons Fund is a significant funding opportunity within the Horizon Europe program, designed to bolster the Next Generation Internet by supporting projects that develop and scale open and free technologies, standards, and resources. It targets a wide range of applicants, from individuals to organizations, encouraging innovative solutions that contribute to a more resilient, trustworthy, and open internet. The fund prioritizes projects with strong technical merit, strategic relevance to the NGI initiative, and value for money, with a focus on open access and open-source principles. It aims to foster collaboration across sectors and promote the development of technologies that benefit society as a whole, aligning with the European Commission's vision for Web 4.0.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to anyone, including private individuals and organisations of any type.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically cascade funding, which involves the provision of financial support to third parties.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if single applicants are preferred. It appears open to both, as "anyone can apply".

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The opportunity has a clear European dimension, being co-funded from the European Union's Horizon Europe program. Additional funding is provided by Switzerland. Therefore, it is likely that applicants from the EU and Switzerland are eligible.

Target Sector: The program targets the Next Generation Internet (NGI) and digital commons. This includes a broad range of technologies and areas such as: free and open source software and hardware, open standards, open data & AI, open science, creative commons, open educational resources, libre silicon, middleware, P2P infrastructure, end-user applications, virtual and augmented reality, generative AI, and intelligent mediators.

Mentioned Countries: Switzerland, EU.

Project Stage: The program supports projects that aim to deliver, mature, and scale new internet commons. This suggests that the projects can be in the development, validation, demonstration, commercialization, or scale-up stages. The program seeks to address "technical debt" and evolve existing future-proof technologies, indicating support for various stages of maturity.

Funding Amount: The total funding available is €19,400,000. The expected duration of participation is 1-12 months, suggesting that individual project funding will vary, but is likely to be under €1M, and possibly significantly less depending on the number of projects funded.

Application Type: The application type is an open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money.

Application Stages: The deadline model is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but projects need a total weighted score above 5.0 (out of 7) to be selected, suggesting a competitive process. Therefore, the success rate is likely to be in the 10 to 39% range or below.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

The NGI Zero Commons Fund is a funding opportunity under the European Union's Horizon Europe program, with additional funding from Switzerland, aimed at fostering the development and growth of the Next Generation Internet and digital commons. The fund supports a wide range of projects, from research and development to scaling and maturation of internet commons across the technology spectrum. This includes areas like open-source software and hardware, open data, AI, and emerging technologies like virtual and augmented reality. The call is open to anyone, including individuals and organizations, with a clear European dimension to their projects. The application process involves submitting a concise proposal that is evaluated based on technical merit, strategic relevance to the NGI, and value for money. The fund seeks to address gaps in the current internet landscape by supporting projects that contribute to a resilient, trustworthy, and sustainably open internet. The total funding available is €19.4 million, and projects can last from 1 to 12 months. The goal is to empower individuals, businesses, and civil society to take control of their digital lives and create more fair and innovative economies and societies. The program supports activities such as scientific research, open-source development, validation of technical solutions, software engineering, security audits, documentation, standardization, usability improvements, and participation in relevant events. All project results must be available under a free or open-source license.