What is the NGI?

Networked connectivity raises a lot of issues: privacy, security of data, lock-in potential (of user data, of business data or even processes) etc… The EC is reaching out to the community to co-define the Next Generation Internet (NGI) that should be user-centric by design. The NGI community is meant to raise feedback, to introduce and connect key players from research institutes, large (multinational) enterprises, start-ups and SMEs, and even individuals (activists, artists, …). NGI is not only about technology, it is also about psychology, business models, law, user-research, arts…

NGI Forum 2021

The NGI Forum 2021 was a key event for the unveiling of plans for future NGI Funding under Horizon Europe. More than 600 people tuned in live to watch the two-day event featuring the latest NGI innovations and high level European policy makers - as well as more than 640 people joining workshop sessions. The links in the text will lead you to the recordings.

Open calls

Depending on who you are, there are two entry points for funding.

The Horizon Europe RIA and IA calls

These call topics require a consortium with partners from at least 3 countries, a typical project duration of 36 months and budgets between 1 and 3 MEUR).

You'll find the call topics related to NGI-challenges in Horizon Europe mostly in the Pillar II (Global Challenges & European Industrial Competitiveness), more specifically in they are grouped in Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry & Space). Within that cluster, it is Destination 6 (a Human-centered and Ethical development of digital and industrial technologies) that should get your attention to find the open calls. Watch the presentation of Jorge Gasós (from the EC) to grab the first info.

And of course, attend the horizon europe cluster 4 infodays to get full details. Destination 6 is dealt with on 29.06 at 13:15 and on 30.06 at 09:00.

Calls through cascading funding

There is also a more approachable possibility for individuals/start-ups/SMEs with ideas: through several open calls NGI wants to pick up the ideas that don’t fit with the classic funding schemes. The focus will be on short-term research, concepts and technologies that can be brought quickly to the market and to the society. The open calls differ in topic, scope and how they are organised; and budgets range from 5 kEUR (for ideas) up to 200 kEUR (for an MVP incubation trajectory).

Currently open are

• Fed4Fire+ (closing 2021-06-29)
• ESSIF-LAB Open Calls (closing 2021-07-07)
• NGI Zero Discovery (closing 2021-08-01)
• NGI Assure 4th Open Call (closing 2021-08-01)
• NGI Atlantic open call 4 (closing 2021-09-15)

More information

More detailed information can be found on the NGI website.