The Internet Society Foundation, an organisation that is focused on funding initiatives that help strengthen and broaden the reach of the internet has announced calls for application for its 2023 program tagged the Internet Society Foundation Research Grant Program. The aim of this year’s funding is to support global research collaboration that advances understanding of the internet and its value for all.
The Internet Society Foundation is a funding initiative that strengthens the Internet in function and reaches so that it can effectively serve all people. Their work advances the vision of the Internet Society (ISOC) which stands for “the Internet is for everyone”. They support efforts to ensure that the internet is open, globally-connected, secure, and trustworthy.
Program Objectives
⦁ Promote novel methodologies that generate solutions to Internet-related challenges
⦁ Identify and support a diverse and collaborative group of researchers and research institutions
⦁ Facilitate access to intersectional research that can be applied to decision-making in government and industry.
Internet Society Foundation Research Grant program is intended for research that is applied and open, meaning the research seeks to answer a real-world question and should be openly published and made available to the scientific community at no cost. The Foundation supports research involving human or animal subjects when the project has been certified by a responsible body to be ethical and in compliance with local law. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator of the project to obtain these certifications.
Area of focus:
Your statement of interest and subsequent proposals should address topics related to one of the following thematic areas:
Greening the Internet: The Internet both affects and is affected by the environment and climate change. Having a critical awareness of this impact is key to the Internet’s resilience and ensures its sustainability for generations to come. This awareness may include
⦁ An assessment of energy consumption by the Internet, or the toxins and waste generated by its use.
⦁ It may consider the enabling effect the Internet has on other sectors to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
⦁ It may examine the ways in which climate change and extreme weather threaten Internet infrastructure and limit connectivity.
Task: Your Research focusing on Greening the Internet should promote an awareness of these and other issues concerning the Internet’s environmental footprint and the sustainability measures needed for it and the planet to thrive.
The Internet Economy: New and emerging Internet-based activities have the power to disrupt our economic landscapes and lead to unpredictable economic futures. Having a firm grasp of the interactions that create the Internet Economy has the potential to reshape this uncertainty. Unpacking how the Internet transforms traditional ideas about competition, production, and consumption of goods and services could be useful in allowing for equitable and gainful participation of everyone in a rapidly digitizing global economy.
Task: Your Research proposals focus on the Internet Economy and should present an analysis of past or present ecosystems that yields insight into the future of the Internet and its dependent markets.
A Trustworthy Internet: The Internet is completely trustworthy if and only if it is completely resilient, reliable, accountable, and secure in a way that consistently meets users’ expectations for information and services. The Internet is only worthy of trust when it conforms with what people expect will happen regardless of whether or not those expectations are reasonable. Further, trustworthiness is not a matter of only one layer in the network, and it is possible that some parts of the Internet are trustworthy while other parts are not. For example, while the application layer may be reliable or secure, there may be gaps in the logic or infrastructure, or there may be mistrust in the content.
Task: Your Research engaging the idea of A Trustworthy Internet should attempt to explain how the Internet does or does not meet user expectations and what should or shouldn’t be done about it.
Decolonizing the Internet: Internet Society Foundations acknowledge that the Internet’s development depended on industrial societies that, by their nature, used resources from lands dispossessed from Indigenous people and communities throughout the world.
Task: Your Research on Decolonizing the Internet should explore these practices and other methods toward an Internet for everyone.
Eligibility
⦁ Independent researchers should have a postgraduate research degree (Ph.D., Masters) and peer-reviewed publications, patents, and academic or independently published work in the relevant area.
⦁ Public research institutions should be 501c3 or equivalent and should have a mission that is aligned with that of the Foundation. (Private institutions are not eligible entities to receive funding).
⦁ Additional eligibility requirements for all Foundation grants are outlined here. All applicants must ensure that they meet these basic requirements. Underrepresented groups in the research world are highly encouraged to apply.
Funding Requirement
To receive funding from the Internet Society Foundation, all applicant organizations applying must meet the following three (3) requirements:
⦁ Be a legally registered 501(c)(3) OR equivalent. (Before awarding funds to any organization, the Foundation will verify this equivalency)
⦁ Possess alignment with the purposes and activities of Internet Society (ISOC), the Foundation’s supported organization
⦁ Have an official bank account in their name (based on their legal registration)
Application Process
Applicants are required to submit a single application through Flux. (which will be reviewed by staff to ensure the proposal is aligned with thematical areas and eligibility requirements.)
View the application template.
Selection Criteria
Researchers are encouraged to submit a full application to be reviewed by the Independent Program Review Committee. Final submissions will be selected based on the following
⦁ Is the research in line with one of the Foundation’s thematic areas?
⦁ Is the research novel?
⦁ Is the research applied?
⦁ Is the research collaborative?
Funding
The program provides two levels of funding:
⦁ Independent researchers may apply for funding up to US$200,000. Grants will be awarded directly to individuals who are identified as the principal investigator on the project and he/she will be responsible for grant management including all reporting requirements during the life of the grant.
⦁ Organizations and institutions may apply for funding up to US$500,000. One or more awards in each of the thematic areas are anticipated subject to fiscal year funding.
What they don’t fund
⦁ Projects that are unrelated to the Internet and the mission of the Internet Society
⦁ Projects that provide personal monetary gain
⦁ Political campaigns, voter registration, lobbying efforts, or other attempts to influence legislation
⦁ Endowments, buildings, or capital campaigns
⦁ Projects that exclusively serve religious purposes
⦁ Activities completed or costs incurred before the award, without prior approval
⦁ Tuition assistance
⦁ Transactions or grants prohibited by the Internet Society Foundation’s Bylaws, Conflict of Interest Policy, or other governing documents.
Dissertations and postdoctoral researchers will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Deadline:
Application is Open from April 12 to May 31
For more information, visit the site.
