NGI Zero Commons Fund (2026-02Z)

The NGI Zero Commons Fund (2026-02Z) is a European Union-funded initiative under the Horizon Europe programme, specifically aimed at supporting projects that develop, mature, and grow internet commons. It has a total budget of €10.4 million, co-funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. The opportunity is open to all applicants, including private individuals, organizations, companies, and research institutions. The submission period starts on December 1, 2025, and ends on February 1, 2026, with a flexible project duration of 1 to 12 months.

This call focuses on a wide range of eligible activities, including scientific research, development of open-source software and hardware, validation of technical solutions, security audits, documentation, standardization activities, user experience improvements, and participation in relevant community events. All project results must be published under open access or recognized free/open source licenses, ensuring that knowledge and resources are available for public use.

The evaluation of project proposals will be based on three criteria: technical merit, strategic relevance to the Next Generation Internet (NGI), and overall value for money, with a scoring scale of 1 to 7. Projects must achieve a score above 5.0 to qualify for funding. The fund's overarching goal is to address market failures in the current digital landscape and promote a resilient, trustworthy internet through open practices, thereby advancing public digital infrastructure.

The initiative also emphasizes collaborative efforts among varied stakeholders, often referred to as the "quadruple helix," involving the public sector, academia, industry, and civil society. Individual projects are encouraged to align with the NGI vision that promotes transparent governance and equitable digital access.

Overall, the NGI Zero Commons Fund represents a significant funding opportunity aimed at fostering innovative contributions to improve the internet's public nature, focusing on developing technological solutions that embrace open, sustainable, and communal principles.

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). It aims to support the development, maturation, and scaling of new internet commons across the technology spectrum. The fund is part of the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative and seeks to contribute to a resilient, trustworthy, and sustainably open internet.

The opening date for submissions is December 1, 2025, and the deadline for submission is February 1, 2026, at 12:00 Brussels time. The deadline model is single-stage. The expected duration of participation is flexible, ranging from 1 to 12 months. The total funding available is 10,400,000.00 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 topic is HORIZON-CL4-2023-HUMAN-01-11 - Next Generation Internet Fund (RIA).

Projects can be submitted through https://NLnet.nl/propose. Applicants should consult this page and the guide for applicants before preparing a 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 are evaluated based on three criteria, each scored on a 7-point scale: technical merit, strategic relevance to the Next Generation Internet, and overall value for money. The key objective is to deliver potential breakthrough contributions to the open internet. Projects must achieve a total weighted score above 5.0 (out of 7) to be selected.

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
Standardization 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 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 recognized free and open source license in its entirety.

The NGI Zero Commons Fund aims to address gaps in the current internet landscape by supporting collective action and public investment in free and open-source software and hardware, open standards, open data & AI, open science, creative commons, and open educational resources. It takes a holistic, full-stack approach to reclaim the public nature of the internet and ensure full coverage across the technology spectrum, from libre silicon to middleware and P2P infrastructure to end-user applications. The fund seeks to empower individuals, promote fair and innovative economies and societies, and restore the internet to health through the collaboration of the public sector, aligned companies, academia, and civil society (the quadruple helix). It 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. The fund welcomes new ideas and disruptive technologies, as well as the evolution and growth of existing future-proof technologies. Project results must be available under a free or open-source license to allow for scrutiny, reuse, and innovation.

In summary, the NGI Zero Commons Fund is a significant funding opportunity for projects that contribute to the development of a more open, resilient, and trustworthy internet. It supports a wide range of activities, from scientific research to software development and standardization, with a focus on open-source and open-access principles. The fund aims to foster collaboration between various stakeholders and promote innovative solutions that address the challenges facing the internet today. It is an open call for troubleshooters that help society tackle the hard but very very important challenges ahead.

Eligible Applicant Types: Anyone can apply, including private individuals and organisations of any type. This suggests that startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, nonprofits, governments, individuals, and public-private partnerships are all potentially eligible.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically cascade funding, as the NGI0 Commons Fund provides financial support to third parties.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if single applicants are preferred. However, the mention of the "quadruple helix" (collaboration of public sector, companies, academia, and civil society) suggests that collaborative projects are viewed favorably, but single applicants are not excluded.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The call has a clear European dimension, being co-funded from the European Union's Horizon Europe program. Additional funding is provided by Switzerland. Therefore, eligibility likely extends to the EU, countries associated with Horizon Europe, and Switzerland.

Target Sector: The program targets the ICT sector, specifically focusing on the Next Generation Internet (NGI) and digital commons. This includes areas like open source software and hardware, open standards, open data & AI, open science, creative commons, and open educational resources. It also touches upon virtual and augmented reality, generative AI, and intelligent mediators.

Mentioned Countries: Switzerland is explicitly mentioned as providing additional funding. The program is funded by the European Commission, implying the EU member states are relevant.

Project Stage: The program supports projects across various stages, including research, design, development, validation, and scaling of internet commons. It aims to deliver, mature, and scale new internet commons, suggesting a focus on projects that are beyond the initial idea stage but may not yet be fully commercialized.

Funding Amount: The total funding available is €10,400,000. The expected duration of participation is 1-12 months, suggesting that individual project funding amounts will vary, but likely fall within the €50k–€200k or €200k–€1M range depending on the project scope and duration.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as stated in the description: "it really is an open call." The deadline model is single-stage.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money, as the program provides financial support to third parties.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be single-stage, as indicated by the "Deadline model single-stage" information.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the scoring system provides some insight. Projects need a total weighted score above 5.0 (out of 7) to be selected, suggesting that only the highest-scoring projects will be funded. Without further information, it is difficult to estimate the success rate, but it is likely to be in the 10 to 39% range or below 10%.

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 support from Switzerland, aimed at fostering the development and scaling of internet commons. This initiative seeks to address market failures and promote a resilient, trustworthy, and sustainably open internet by supporting projects that contribute to the Next Generation Internet vision. The fund is open to a wide range of applicants, including individuals and organizations of all types, provided their proposals align with the NGI vision and have research and development as their primary objective.

The fund supports activities across the technology spectrum, from libre silicon to middleware and P2P infrastructure to end-user applications. Eligible activities include scientific research, open source software and hardware development, validation of technical solutions, software engineering, security audits, documentation, standardization, usability improvements, and measures supporting deployability. All project results must be published under open access licenses.

The application process is a single-stage open call, with projects evaluated based on technical merit, strategic relevance to the Next Generation Internet, and value for money. The goal is to support projects that can deliver breakthrough contributions to the open internet and address the challenges of creating a more equitable and innovative digital society. The initiative encourages collaboration between the public sector, companies, academia, and civil society to restore the internet and economies to health, aligning with the European Commission's vision for Web 4.0.