NGI Assure 8th Open Call

NGI Assure, co-funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 957073, foresees as an eligible activity the provision of financial support to third parties, as a means to achieve the objectives of the “Next Generation Internet” initiative – and thus to contribute to a resilient, trustworthy and sustainably open internet.

NGI Assure is looking for building blocks that contribute to providing assurances include (but are not limited to) quantum-proof cryptography, public key infrastructure, (augmented) authenticated key exchange, ratchet mechanisms (such as the Noise protocol) that securely chain key material, distributed hash tables and DAGs to make P2P interaction more secure, conflict-free replicated data types, mixnets and onion routing mechanisms, consensus protocols, distributed ledgers and (post) blockchain technologies that create redundant data sets managed independently by mutually distrustful parties, a priori usage control, symbolic and formal proofs, and tamperproof open hardware implementations of core cryptographic primitives. The work needs to become available under free and open source licenses.

We are looking for deep tech components; the outcomes of NGI Assure shall contribute towards identifying and solving current issues, but do not need to provide a complete solution by themselves (although they may). NGI Assure strengthens the means we have for collaboration among all humans, replacing assumptions and potentially unjustified trust with uncompromising safeguards and verifiability where possible.

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 Assure mentioned above – providing – 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
standardisation 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

Project full name: NGI Assure
Deadline: 1 April 2022
Expected duration of participation: 1 – 12 months (may change according to the needs of the projects)
Total EU funding available: Maximum amount of financial support for each third party: €50 000 / €200 000
Submission & evaluation process:

Project proposals should be in line with the NGI vision and the topic of trustworthiness and technical assurances. They should have research and development as their primary objective, and should be complete and concise (no longer than two pages for the main application). Proposals should have a clear European dimension.

Further information:

A more complete overview of the call text and proposal guidelines can be found on the official project web site: https://www.assure.ngi.eu

Email address for further information: ngi-assure@nlnet.nl

More information about Next Generation Internet: https://ngi.eu

https://ngi-assure-opencall.fundingbox.com/