From 74ace2be10efa3fdda67b0dcea1dd7b91d6930a0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: cinereal Date: Wed, 14 May 2025 10:51:13 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] format for VCS --- fediversity.md | 843 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------------- 1 file changed, 607 insertions(+), 236 deletions(-) diff --git a/fediversity.md b/fediversity.md index 4198fb2..00517ad 100644 --- a/fediversity.md +++ b/fediversity.md @@ -23,12 +23,20 @@ Let's make the internet once again the safe and collaborative, thus federated, space that it originally promised to be. -Fediversity is part of the future of open collaboration and open discussion, forming a federated safe space for what used to be called social networking. The Fediverse, funded by the NGI program as an implementation of such a federated space, is already taking shape and approaching ten million users. It has special safeguards for marginalized and oppressed groups in our global society. This NGI technology is mature enough to be joined by older institutions and organizations, many tech-savvy media outlets and public institutions have already joined[^1]. But for wider adoption the Fediverse needs to be supported by dedicated and knowledgeable support organisations, for which this project will lay the groundwork in the form of reproducible deployment configurations, how-to documents, cookbooks, playbooks and descriptions of success stories. +Fediversity is part of the future of open collaboration and open discussion, forming a federated safe space for what used to be called social networking. +The Fediverse, funded by the NGI program as an implementation of such a federated space, is already taking shape and approaching ten million users. +It has special safeguards for marginalized and oppressed groups in our global society. +This NGI technology is mature enough to be joined by older institutions and organizations, many tech-savvy media outlets and public institutions have already joined[^1]. +But for wider adoption the Fediverse needs to be supported by dedicated and knowledgeable support organisations, for which this project will lay the groundwork in the form of reproducible deployment configurations, how-to documents, cookbooks, playbooks and descriptions of success stories. -Not only will we create a complete script for support organisations that want to host Fediverse services and other open discussion tools on how to deploy them on their infrastructure, we will also onboard several public organisations that want to use these services to show-case, and to gain and document experience on do's and don'ts. After all, public communication infrastructure, even though very practical, isn't easy to do and this project is accordingly about creating a simple to use, very practical and safe environment to communicate, assembling various powerful components that NGI and others have built into unified end-to-end services. This is where we can make a difference, especially in contrast to existing centralized solutions owned by Big Tech. +Not only will we create a complete script for support organisations that want to host Fediverse services and other open discussion tools on how to deploy them on their infrastructure, we will also onboard several public organisations that want to use these services to show-case, and to gain and document experience on do's and don'ts. +After all, public communication infrastructure, even though very practical, isn't easy to do and this project is accordingly about creating a simple to use, very practical and safe environment to communicate, assembling various powerful components that NGI and others have built into unified end-to-end services. +This is where we can make a difference, especially in contrast to existing centralized solutions owned by Big Tech. -**Open Source, Open Standards, Open Dependencies** -All software used, produced or needed by our project and it's outcomes will be licensed under a valid Open Source Software license, will not be encumbered by patents unless covered under the Open Invention Network and will not use API's or services that are not reproducible in a fully free manner. The only exception is for the UX design test-lab environment that will be used to ensure maximum interoperability with closed source but widely used systems and software (like operating systems and web-browsers). +## Open Source, Open Standards, Open Dependencies + +All software used, produced or needed by our project and it's outcomes will be licensed under a valid Open Source Software license, will not be encumbered by patents unless covered under the Open Invention Network and will not use API's or services that are not reproducible in a fully free manner. +The only exception is for the UX design test-lab environment that will be used to ensure maximum interoperability with closed source but widely used systems and software (like operating systems and web-browsers). No software specific for or usable by any single organisation will be created or produced under this grant. @@ -38,60 +46,109 @@ No software specific for or usable by any single organisation will be created or ### Objectives -*Fediversity: Privacy-friendly, sustainable, transparent fair.* The Open Internet Discourse Foundation project Fediversity is an effort to bring easy-to-use, hosted cloud services with personal freedom at their core to individuals and institutions. We want to provide everyone with high-quality, secure IT systems for everyday use. Without tracking, without exploitation, in a way that makes sustainable use of the world. +*Fediversity: Privacy-friendly, sustainable, transparent fair.* The Open Internet Discourse Foundation project Fediversity is an effort to bring easy-to-use, hosted cloud services with personal freedom at their core to individuals and institutions. +We want to provide everyone with high-quality, secure IT systems for everyday use. +Without tracking, without exploitation, in a way that makes sustainable use of the world. -The goal of this project is to have a major impact on the future of the internet, our societies and economies -- a unique and meaningful contribution to the *Next Generation Internet* initiative: +The goal of this project is to have a major impact on the future of the internet, our societies and economies — a unique and meaningful contribution to the *Next Generation Internet* initiative: -The proposed work aims to generate new business opportunities by **hosting open social platforms for public organizations and educational institutions. By offering a package of ActivityPub services** that emphasize on user control and privacy. The project aims to provide hosting organizations with a clear roadmap to implement and monetize those offerings and aims to attract both public and educational institutions as potential users. The main objective is to offer an **alternative to big tech services and companies that operate closed ecosystems**[^2], thereby creating a safe social network (open internet discourse) where end-users have control over the content they share. +The proposed work aims to generate new business opportunities by **hosting open social platforms for public organizations and educational institutions. +By offering a package of ActivityPub services** that emphasize on user control and privacy. +The project aims to provide hosting organizations with a clear roadmap to implement and monetize those offerings and aims to attract both public and educational institutions as potential users. +The main objective is to offer an **alternative to big tech services and companies that operate closed ecosystems**[^2], thereby creating a safe social network (open internet discourse) where end-users have control over the content they share. -ActivityPub is a protocol that enables interoperability between different social media platforms, allowing users to connect and communicate across different networks. It is the de-facto standard for interoperable social media and even some of the big social media platforms are starting to adopt it as well[^3]. By building services based on this protocol, our project aims to promote decentralization and data portability, which are key principles of the NGI programme. +ActivityPub is a protocol that enables interoperability between different social media platforms, allowing users to connect and communicate across different networks. +It is the de-facto standard for interoperable social media and even some of the big social media platforms are starting to adopt it as well[^3]. +By building services based on this protocol, our project aims to promote decentralization and data portability, which are key principles of the NGI programme. This objective aligns with the work programme topic by promoting innovation in the area of open social platforms and advancing the development of alternative digital solutions that are more user-centric and transparent. -To achieve this objective, our project will need to work on several fronts. First,we will need to develop a way to deliver the software that implements the ActivityPub protocol and provides users with a social media platform that is easy to use and accessible. We need to do this in a predictable and sustainable way. This will require expertise in software development and system administration, user experience design, and user engagement. Second, we will need to build partnerships with organizations and institutions that can help promote the use of those services. This will require outreach and engagement strategies that are tailored to different sectors and demographics. +To achieve this objective, our project will need to work on several fronts. +First,we will need to develop a way to deliver the software that implements the ActivityPub protocol and provides users with a social media platform that is easy to use and accessible. +We need to do this in a predictable and sustainable way. +This will require expertise in software development and system administration, user experience design, and user engagement. +Second, we will need to build partnerships with organizations and institutions that can help promote the use of those services. +This will require outreach and engagement strategies that are tailored to different sectors and demographics. -Another objective of the proposed work is to offer a **federated approach to social media and communication**. This increases privacy because we prioritize user privacy by giving users control over their own data. Users can choose to use different servers based on their own privacy preferences, and can even run their own servers if they wish to. -This means that the proposed Activity-Pub services will be designed to allow users to interact with each other across different platforms and services, creating a more **decentralized and connected online environment**. This objective is important as it promotes a more open and democratic approach to social media and communication that is not reliant on a few dominant platforms. +Another objective of the proposed work is to offer a **federated approach to social media and communication**. +This increases privacy because we prioritize user privacy by giving users control over their own data. +Users can choose to use different servers based on their own privacy preferences, and can even run their own servers if they wish to. +This means that the proposed Activity-Pub services will be designed to allow users to interact with each other across different platforms and services, creating a more **decentralized and connected online environment**. +This objective is important as it promotes a more open and democratic approach to social media and communication that is not reliant on a few dominant platforms. In addition, the team will have to find ways to ensure that all parts of our services use** open-source software (and hardware where possible)**. -This will promote transparency and enable end-users to verify that their data is being handled ethically and in compliance with data privacy regulations. It also contains Freedom. Open source software is by definition accompanied by open source licenses, which give users the freedom to use, modify, and distribute the software as they see fit, without restrictions or limitations. +This will promote transparency and enable end-users to verify that their data is being handled ethically and in compliance with data privacy regulations. +It also contains Freedom. +Open source software is by definition accompanied by open source licenses, which give users the freedom to use, modify, and distribute the software as they see fit, without restrictions or limitations. -On the point of **open hardware: **even though we would love to do further research on the possibilities of the use of open hardware we already know from our experience in trying to use open hardware in the past that this is a hugely expensive thing to do. One of the main problems here is that initiatives like NixOS currenly only support x64 based architectures. The use of (for example) OpenPower or RiscV would require a massive investment in basic operating system principles. +On the point of **open hardware: **even though we would love to do further research on the possibilities of the use of open hardware we already know from our experience in trying to use open hardware in the past that this is a hugely expensive thing to do. +One of the main problems here is that initiatives like NixOS currenly only support x64 based architectures. +The use of (for example) OpenPower or RiscV would require a massive investment in basic operating system principles. -The proposed ActivityPub services will also be designed to be **fully portable** (something we like to call **'service portability'**). This means that users will be able to (easily and fully) switch between different hosting providers and platforms without losing their data or online presence. This objective is important as it promotes user control and choice, allowing users to choose a way of offering services that best meets their needs without being locked into a particular platform or service and it gives users more flexibility, it being hosted or selfhosted. +The proposed ActivityPub services will also be designed to be **fully portable** (something we like to call **'service portability'**). +This means that users will be able to (easily and fully) switch between different hosting providers and platforms without losing their data or online presence. +This objective is important as it promotes user control and choice, allowing users to choose a way of offering services that best meets their needs without being locked into a particular platform or service and it gives users more flexibility, it being hosted or selfhosted. The use of service portability also enhances the security of the data and reducesthe risk of data loss or corruption during a transition from one provider to another. -Just providing the service won't be enough. We need to make sure our proposed services will successfully be adopted via outreach, marketing, partnerships and support. A list of objectives related to this topic: +Just providing the service won't be enough. +We need to make sure our proposed services will successfully be adopted via outreach, marketing, partnerships and support. +A list of objectives related to this topic: **Raising awareness about the benefits of decentralized, federated -social media and communication.** The first objective of outreach and marketing efforts should be to educate potential customers about the benefits of decentralized, federated social media and communication. This may involve creating marketing materials that explain the advantages of ActivityPub services, such as greater user control, increased privacy, and more diverse online communities. +social media and communication.** +The first objective of outreach and marketing efforts should be to educate potential customers about the benefits of decentralized, federated social media and communication. +This may involve creating marketing materials that explain the advantages of ActivityPub services, such as greater user control, increased privacy, and more diverse online communities. **Engaging with potential customers through targeted marketing and -outreach campaigns.** In order to reach potential customers, outreach and marketing efforts should be targeted towards public organizations and educational institutions. This may involve creating specific campaigns that address the unique needs and concerns of each group, as well as utilizing social media, email marketing, and other digital marketing channels to reach a wider audience. +outreach campaigns.** +In order to reach potential customers, outreach and marketing efforts should be targeted towards public organizations and educational institutions. +This may involve creating specific campaigns that address the unique needs and concerns of each group, as well as utilizing social media, email marketing, and other digital marketing channels to reach a wider audience. **Developing partnerships and collaborations with relevant organizations -and influencers.** Another objective of outreach and marketing efforts should be to develop partnerships and collaborations with relevant organizations and influencers. This may involve partnering with other open-source software providers or industry associations to promote the benefits of federated social media and communication, as well as collaborating with influencers or through leaders in the industry to raise awareness of the proposed ActivityPub services. +and influencers.** +Another objective of outreach and marketing efforts should be to develop partnerships and collaborations with relevant organizations and influencers. +This may involve partnering with other open-source software providers or industry associations to promote the benefits of federated social media and communication, as well as collaborating with influencers or through leaders in the industry to raise awareness of the proposed ActivityPub services. -**Providing customer support and training to ensure successful -adoption.** Once potential customers have expressed interest in the proposed ActivityPub services, it will be important to provide them with customer support and training to ensure successful adoption. This may involve offering onboarding sessions, providing technical support, and creating training materials that help users understand how to use the ActivityPub services effectively. +**Providing customer support and training to ensure successful adoption.** +Once potential customers have expressed interest in the proposed ActivityPub services, it will be important to provide them with customer support and training to ensure successful adoption. +This may involve offering onboarding sessions, providing technical support, and creating training materials that help users understand how to use the ActivityPub services effectively. **Monitoring and evaluating adoption rates and customer satisfaction.** -Finally, it will be important to monitor and evaluate adoption rates and customer satisfaction with the proposed ActivityPub services. This may involve tracking user engagement, conducting customer satisfaction surveys, and analyzing feedback to identify areas for improvement and ensure ongoing success. +Finally, it will be important to monitor and evaluate adoption rates and customer satisfaction with the proposed ActivityPub services. +This may involve tracking user engagement, conducting customer satisfaction surveys, and analyzing feedback to identify areas for improvement and ensure ongoing success. -**Relevancy **Overall, this proposal is highly relevant to the HORIZON EU Programme, specifically to the Human-centric Internet topic. The objective of this topic is to support research and innovation in creating a more human-centric internet that prioritizes user privacy, security, and control, while also promoting the ethical use of technology. The proposed work aligns with this objective by promoting a federated approach to social media that prioritizes user control and privacy, and by using open-source software and hardware to promote transparency and ethical use. +**Relevancy** +Overall, this proposal is highly relevant to the HORIZON EU Programme, specifically to the Human-centric Internet topic. +The objective of this topic is to support research and innovation in creating a more human-centric internet that prioritises user privacy, security, and control, while also promoting the ethical use of technology. +The proposed work aligns with this objective by promoting a federated approach to social media that prioritizes user control and privacy, and by using open-source software and hardware to promote transparency and ethical use. -**Measurability **Measuring the success of this objective will depend on several metrics, such as the number of users who sign up for our services, the level of engagement among users, and the number of organizations and institutions that adopt our platform. Verifying the success of this objective will require user feedback, engagement metrics, and independent audits to ensure that our services are meeting the highest standards of privacy and security. +#### Measurability -The proposed work is realistically achievable. The use of open-source software and hardware, along with the focus on portability, will enable the proposed ActivityPub services to be easily adopted by our target audiences. The proposed federated approach to social media and communication aligns with the growing demand for decentralized and user-controlled alternatives to traditional social media platforms. + +The proposed work is realistically achievable. +The use of open-source software and hardware, along with the focus on portability, will enable the proposed ActivityPub services to be easily adopted by our target audiences. +The proposed federated approach to social media and communication aligns with the growing demand for decentralized and user-controlled alternatives to traditional social media platforms. ### Ambition -**Decentralized, federated social media and communication:** Our proposed project focuses on developing ActivityPub services for decentralized, federated social media and communication. Although some decentralized social media platforms already exist, they are often not interoperable and not widely deployed. Our project aims to provide a comprehensive set of ActivityPub services that makes it easy for hosting companies and public organizations to adopt and use decentralized social media and communication tools. This is a new concept that goes beyond the state-of-the-art in terms of offering a complete and easy-to-use package of services for decentralized, federated social media and communication. The proposed project aims to provide open social platforms that are an alternative to closed ecosystems (such as Twitter and Facebook) offered by large tech companies. This is an ambitious goal because it requires a significant shift in how people use and access social media. +**Decentralized, federated social media and communication:** +Our proposed project focuses on developing ActivityPub services for decentralized, federated social media and communication. +Although some decentralized social media platforms already exist, they are often not interoperable and not widely deployed. +Our project aims to provide a comprehensive set of ActivityPub services that makes it easy for hosting companies and public organizations to adopt and use decentralized social media and communication tools. +This is a new concept that goes beyond the state-of-the-art in terms of offering a complete and easy-to-use package of services for decentralized, federated social media and communication. +The proposed project aims to provide open social platforms that are an alternative to closed ecosystems (such as Twitter and Facebook) offered by large tech companies. +This is an ambitious goal because it requires a significant shift in how people use and access social media. -**Use of open-source software and hardware:** Another innovative aspect of our proposed project is the extensive use of open-source software and hardware. While open-source software is becoming more common, the use of open-source hardware is less common in the tech industry. (Our project aims to promote the use of open-source hardware and provide a model for others to follow in this regard.) This is an ambitious goal that demonstrates a commitment to the principles of openness and transparency. +**Use of open-source software and hardware:** +Another innovative aspect of our proposed project is the extensive use of open-source software and hardware. +While open-source software is becoming more common, the use of open-source hardware is less common in the tech industry. +(Our project aims to promote the use of open-source hardware and provide a model for others to follow in this regard.) This is an ambitious goal that demonstrates a commitment to the principles of openness and transparency. -**Portability of services:** The project plans to offer portability of services, allowing users to easily export their data from the platform and import it on another platform. This is a unique feature beyond what is currently available on the market. +#### Portability of services + +The project plans to offer portability of services, allowing users to easily export their data from the platform and import it to another platform. +This is a unique feature beyond what is currently available on the market. ## Methodology @@ -99,158 +156,271 @@ For the software development side of things (developing the ActivityPub packages The main takeaway here is 'iterative development', which means the development process is a cycle, where we go back through the steps based on feedback and challenges that present themselves along the way. -1. **Planning:** During the planning phase, the team will identify the key features and requirements of the ActivityPub service packages. - This will involve collaborating with stakeholders and users to understand their needs and expectations. The team will then create a prioritized list of features and user stories, which will form the basis of the development plan. -1. **Designing:** In the designing phase, the team will create the overall architecture and design of the software. This will involve defining the various components of the ActivityPub service packages, such as the user interface, database schema, and application programming interfaces (APIs). The team will also identify any third-party libraries or tools that would be needed to implement the software. -1. **Coding:** During the coding phase, the team will start implementing the software. The Agile methodology emphasizes on working in short, focused iterations, so the team will break down the development work into small, manageable tasks. Each task would be assigned to a team member, who would work on it until it is completed. -1. **Testing:** The testing phase involves verifying that the software works as expected. The team will develop a suite of automated tests that cover all the key features and scenarios of the ActivityPub service packages. This will include unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests. The team will also perform manual testing to ensure that the user experience is smooth and error-free. -1. **Releasing:** The final phase of the Agile methodology is releasing the software to users. The team will deploy the ActivityPub service packages to a production environment, and monitor its performance and user feedback. The team will then use this feedback to inform further iterations of the software, and prioritize the next set of features and improvements. +1. **Planning:** + During the planning phase, the team will identify the key features and requirements of the ActivityPub service packages. + This will involve collaborating with stakeholders and users to understand their needs and expectations. + The team will then create a prioritised list of features and user stories, which will form the basis of the development plan. +1. **Designing:** + In the designing phase, the team will create the overall architecture and design of the software. + This will involve defining the various components of the ActivityPub service packages, such as the user interface, database schema, and application programming interfaces (APIs). The team will also identify any third-party libraries or tools that would be needed to implement the software. +1. **Coding:** + During the coding phase, the team will start implementing the software. + The Agile methodology emphasizes on working in short, focused iterations, so the team will break down the development work into small, manageable tasks. + Each task would be assigned to a team member, who would work on it until it is completed. +1. **Testing:** + The testing phase involves verifying that the software works as expected. + The team will develop a suite of automated tests that cover all the key features and scenarios of the ActivityPub service packages. + This will include unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests. The team will also perform manual testing to ensure that the user experience is smooth and error-free. +1. **Releasing:** + The final phase of the Agile methodology is releasing the software to users. + The team will deploy the ActivityPub service packages to a production environment, and monitor its performance and user feedback. + The team will then use this feedback to inform further iterations of the software, and prioritize the next set of features and improvements. In the context of building partnerships, mainly with public organisations and NRENs, we will apply Design Thinking as a methodology. -Design Thinking is a user-centered, iterative methodology that is used to solve complex problems and create innovative solutions. It involves a five-step process that includes empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing. The following is an overview of how Design Thinking can be applied to build partnerships with public organizations and research and educational institutions: +Design Thinking is a user-centered, iterative methodology that is used to solve complex problems and create innovative solutions. +It involves a five-step process that includes empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing. +The following is an overview of how Design Thinking can be applied to build partnerships with public organizations and research and educational institutions: -1. **Empathy:** The first step in the Design Thinking process is to understand the needs, goals, and challenges of the target partners. - This can be done through research, interviews, surveys, and other forms of data collection. By empathizing with the target partners, we can gain a deeper understanding of their perspectives and identify opportunities for collaboration. -1. **Definition:** Once we have a clear understanding of the target partners' needs, goals, and challenges, we can define the problem space and identify areas of mutual interest. This involves synthesizing the research data and creating a problem statement that is focused on meeting the target partners' needs. -1. **Ideation:** The ideation phase involves generating a wide range of ideas for how we can address the problem statement and meet the target partners' needs. This can be done through brainstorming sessions, workshops, and other forms of collaborative ideation. The goal is to generate a diverse set of ideas that can be evaluated and refined in the next phase. -1. **Prototyping:** In the prototyping phase, we create low-fidelity prototypes of the most promising ideas generated in the ideation phase. These prototypes can take the form of mockups, wireframes, or other simple prototypes that can be tested and evaluated with the target partners. -1. **Testing:** The final phase of the Design Thinking process involves testing the prototypes with the target partners and gathering feedback. This feedback can be used to refine the prototypes and develop a more detailed plan for collaboration. +1. **Empathy:** + The first step in the Design Thinking process is to understand the needs, goals, and challenges of the target partners. + This can be done through research, interviews, surveys, and other forms of data collection. + By empathising with the target partners, we can gain a deeper understanding of their perspectives and identify opportunities for collaboration. +1. **Definition:** + Once we have a clear understanding of the target partners' needs, goals, and challenges, we can define the problem space and identify areas of mutual interest. + This involves synthesising the research data and creating a problem statement that is focused on meeting the target partners' needs. +1. **Ideation:** + The ideation phase involves generating a wide range of ideas for how we can address the problem statement and meet the target partners' needs. + This can be done through brainstorming sessions, workshops, and other forms of collaborative ideation. + The goal is to generate a diverse set of ideas that can be evaluated and refined in the next phase. +1. **Prototyping:** + In the prototyping phase, we create low-fidelity prototypes of the most promising ideas generated in the ideation phase. + These prototypes can take the form of mockups, wireframes, or other simple prototypes that can be tested and evaluated with the target partners. +1. **Testing:** + The final phase of the Design Thinking process involves testing the prototypes with the target partners and gathering feedback. + This feedback can be used to refine the prototypes and develop a more detailed plan for collaboration. -To apply Design Thinking to our project, we would start by conducting research and gathering data on the needs, goals, and challenges of public organizations and educational and research institutions that could be potential partners. This can involve interviews with key stakeholders, surveys of potential partners, and analysis of existing data sources. +To apply Design Thinking to our project, we would start by conducting research and gathering data on the needs, goals, and challenges of public organizations and educational and research institutions that could be potential partners. +This can involve interviews with key stakeholders, surveys of potential partners, and analysis of existing data sources. -Using this research, we will then define the problem space and identify areas of mutual interest. This will involve creating a problem statement that focuses on meeting the needs of public organizations and educational and research institutions in the area of federated social networking. +Using this research, we will then define the problem space and identify areas of mutual interest. +This will involve creating a problem statement that focuses on meeting the needs of public organizations and educational and research institutions in the area of federated social networking. -Next, we will generate a wide range of ideas for how we can address the problem statement and meet the needs of potential partners. This will involve brainstorming sessions, workshops, and other forms of collaborative ideation with key stakeholders. +Next, we will generate a wide range of ideas for how we can address the problem statement and meet the needs of potential partners. +This will involve brainstorming sessions, workshops, and other forms of collaborative ideation with key stakeholders. Using the ideas generated in the ideation phase, we will then create low-fidelity prototypes of the most promising ideas. -Finally, we will test the prototypes (alphas, betas of our services) with potential partners and gather feedback. This feedback will then be used to refine the prototypes and develop a more detailed plan for collaboration. Through this process, we can build strong partnerships with public organizations and research and educational institutions that are based on mutual benefit and shared decision-making. +Finally, we will test the prototypes (alphas, betas of our services) with potential partners and gather feedback. +This feedback will then be used to refine the prototypes and develop a more detailed plan for collaboration. +Through this process, we can build strong partnerships with public organizations and research and educational institutions that are based on mutual benefit and shared decision-making. -Our project is designed to comply with the 'do no significant harm' principle as per Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 2020/852. We are committed to ensuring that our methodology is environmentally friendly and does not significantly harm any of the six environmental objectives of the EU Taxonomy Regulation. +Our project is designed to comply with the 'do no significant harm' principle as per Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 2020/852. +We are committed to ensuring that our methodology is environmentally-friendly and does not significantly harm any of the six environmental objectives of the EU Taxonomy Regulation. -Regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) based systems, we do not plan to use AI in our project. However, if we were to use AI, we would ensure that our systems are technically robust, socially robust, reliable, and able to provide suitable explanations of their decision-making processes. We would also follow industry-standard practices and regulations to minimize any unintended harm and safeguard the physical and mental integrity of humans. +Regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) based systems, we do not plan to use AI in our project. +However, if we were to use AI, we would ensure that our systems are technically robust, socially robust, reliable, and able to provide suitable explanations of their decision-making processes. +We would also follow industry-standard practices and regulations to minimize any unintended harm and safeguard the physical and mental integrity of humans. To make sure we can achieve our project objectives, we have outlined a project management strategy: -- We will develop a clear and detailed project plan: This will outline the tasks that need to be completed, who is responsible for each task, timelines, and dependencies. -- Establish effective communication: Regular communication with all stakeholders is crucial for keeping everyone informed about progress, identifying and addressing issues, and ensuring that everyone is on the same page. To this end we will also outline a communication plan to make sure all relevant stakeholders (European Commission, team members, both internal as external contractors) are well-informed throughout the process. -- Monitor progress: Regular monitoring of project progress against the plan can help identify any potential delays or issues and allow for adjustments to be made to keep the project on track. -- Mitigate risks: Identify potential risks and develop strategies for mitigating them. This can help reduce the likelihood of delays or failures. -- Ensure proper resource allocation: Make sure that resources, including staff, budget, and technology, are allocated appropriately to support theproject objectives. -- Stay flexible: We are prepared to adjust the project plan and approach as needed to ensure that objectives are met. +- We will develop a clear and detailed project plan: + This will outline the tasks that need to be completed, who is responsible for each task, timelines, and dependencies. +- Establish effective communication: + Regular communication with all stakeholders is crucial for keeping everyone informed about progress, identifying and addressing issues, and ensuring that everyone is on the same page. + To this end we will also outline a communication plan to make sure all relevant stakeholders (European Commission, team members, both internal as external contractors) are well-informed throughout the process. +- Monitor progress: + Regular monitoring of project progress against the plan can help identify any potential delays or issues and allow for adjustments to be made to keep the project on track. +- Mitigate risks: + Identify potential risks and develop strategies for mitigating them. + This can help reduce the likelihood of delays or failures. +- Ensure proper resource allocation: + Make sure that resources, including staff, budget, and technology, are allocated appropriately to support the project objectives. +- Stay flexible: + We are prepared to adjust the project plan and approach as needed to ensure that objectives are met. -Integrating NGI technologies, projects and tools into our proposed work can help to leverage existing expertise and resources in the field and build upon the work of other researchers and innovators. Some examples of NGI technologies and other technologies that will be evaluated to be integrated into our project are the following: +Integrating NGI technologies, projects and tools into our proposed work can help to leverage existing expertise and resources in the field and build upon the work of other researchers and innovators. +Some examples of NGI technologies and other technologies that will be evaluated to be integrated into our project are the following: ![](Pictures/mastodon.svg){width="1.2165in" height="1.4055in"} -[**Mastodon**](https://joinmastodon.org/): This federated microblogging platform is already getting tractionas the alternative to the Twitter platform and will most certainly be included in our business development. We aim however to not make this a 'single offering'. We want to also include other ActivityPub projects and even other NGI technologies. We believe bundling projects as a combined offering is the way to create a solid business case. +[**Mastodon**](https://joinmastodon.org/): +This federated microblogging platform is already getting tractionas the alternative to the Twitter platform and will most certainly be included in our business development. +We aim however to not make this a 'single offering'. +We want to also include other ActivityPub projects and even other NGI technologies. +We believe bundling projects as a combined offering is the way to create a solid business case. -[**Peertube**](https://joinpeertube.org/): This alternative to Big Tech's video platforms is already getting known, but there is not too much content to be found. We aim to include Peertube in combination with other ActivityPub projects in such a way that makes it easy to start using it. Peertube could be a separate 'single offering'. +[**Peertube**](https://joinpeertube.org/): +This alternative to Big Tech's video platforms is already getting known, but there is not too much content to be found. +We aim to include Peertube in combination with other ActivityPub projects in such a way that makes it easy to start using it. +Peertube could be a separate 'single offering'. ![](Pictures/pixelfed.svg){width="1.2071in" height="1.3937in"} -[**Pixelfed**](https://pixelfed.org/): This service to quickly and easily share pictures with other people, which could be seen as an alternative to Instagram, needs a good reason to be included in serious environments like research projects. We will have to find out if there are good use cases for this tool in the public sector. +[**Pixelfed**](https://pixelfed.org/): +This service to quickly and easily share pictures with other people, which could be seen as an alternative to Instagram, needs a good reason to be included in serious environments like research projects. +We will have to find out if there are good use cases for this tool in the public sector. -[**IRMA/Yivi**](https://nlnet.nl/project/IRMA-made-easy): We will most certainly use IRMA (soon to be Yivi) as a strong and privacy friendly way to log in to services. +[**IRMA/Yivi**](https://nlnet.nl/project/IRMA-made-easy): +We will most certainly use IRMA (soon to be Yivi) as a strong and privacy friendly way to log in to services. -[**Hubzilla**](https://nlnet.nl/project/Hubzilla): We expect Hubzilla to be a better choice than Mastodon in some use cases. +[**Hubzilla**](https://nlnet.nl/project/Hubzilla): +We expect Hubzilla to be a better choice than Mastodon in some use cases. ![](Pictures/lets-connect.svg){width="1.1909in" height="1.3756in"} -[**Let's Connect! VPN**](https://nlnet.nl/project/LetsConnect-P2P): This open and easy-to-use VPN solution might just provide the fully private environment and extra security for use cases where secrecy is needed that projects designed to be open to the world cannot provide. +[**Let's Connect! VPN**](https://nlnet.nl/project/LetsConnect-P2P): +This open and easy-to-use VPN solution might just provide the fully private environment and extra security for use cases where secrecy is needed that projects designed to be open to the world cannot provide. -[**Matrix**](https://matrix.org/): The Matrix protocol and corresponding servers will most certainly be part of the suite of products that will be offered. +[**Matrix**](https://matrix.org/): +The Matrix protocol and corresponding servers will most certainly be part of the suite of products that will be offered. -[**Owncast**](https://nlnet.nl/project/Owncast): As a companion to Peertube, Owncast might prove very interesting as alternative to Big Tech's streaming solutions, such as Twitch. +[**Owncast**](https://nlnet.nl/project/Owncast): +As a companion to Peertube, Owncast might prove very interesting as alternative to Big Tech's streaming solutions, such as Twitch. -[**NixOS**](https://nixos.org/): We will certainly use NixOS as a basis for all our services. We see NixOS as the only way to reliably create a reproducible outcome for all the work we create. +[**NixOS**](https://nixos.org/): +We will certainly use NixOS as a basis for all our services. +We see NixOS as the only way to reliably create a reproducible outcome for all the work we create. ![](Pictures/scion.svg){width="1.2055in" height="1.3925in"} -[**SCION**](https://nlnet.nl/project/SCION-Swarm/): We will try to include the SCION networking features in our offerings, especially since they are in many places already used by universities and research institutions. +[**SCION**](https://nlnet.nl/project/SCION-Swarm/): +We will try to include the SCION networking features in our offerings, especially since they are in many places already used by universities and research institutions. The list above are just examples, we will evaluate more options and try to find added value in the combination of different technologies. -Which NGI technologies will eventually be chosen to use, is very much dependant on the value for actual use they provide based on the outcome of our research with the stakeholders. We aim for maximum value to the stakeholders based on the technologies available. +Which NGI technologies will eventually be chosen to use, is very much dependant on the value for actual use they provide based on the outcome of our research with the stakeholders. +We aim for maximum value to the stakeholders based on the technologies available. -In **any case we will implement** the following technologies in our offerings: **NixOS** as a foundation, and 'fediverse packages': +In **any case we will implement** the following technologies in our offerings: +**NixOS** as a foundation, and 'fediverse packages': **Mastodon**, **Peertube**, **Pixelfed** and **Matrix**. Which other packages we will descide to support will depend in part on the outcome of the 'pilot projects' that will be requested by the NORDUnet members and in part on the packages that will be adressed in the 'subgrant projects' that will be requested in the 'open calls'. The result of the work in both the hosting and public organisations verticals should be generic enough to support all NGI packages sufficiently documented and packaged in NixOS. -In the pursuit of our objectives to generate new business opportunities in hosting 'Open Social Platforms' and providing a safe social network alternative to large closed ecosystems social media, we recognize the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach. We believe that integrating expertise and methods from different disciplines will be critical in achieving our goals. +In the pursuit of our objectives to generate new business opportunities in hosting 'Open Social Platforms' and providing a safe social network alternative to large closed ecosystems social media, we recognize the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach. +We believe that integrating expertise and methods from different disciplines will be critical in achieving our goals. -Our team consists of individuals with backgrounds in software development, system administration, data privacy, marketing, and business development. We will also seek the input and collaboration of experts in fields such as social science, media studies, and education. +Our team consists of individuals with backgrounds in software development, system administration, data privacy, marketing, and business development. +We will also seek the input and collaboration of experts in fields such as social science, media studies, and education. -For instance, to make our products easily usable for end-users who typically do not have in-depth knowledge of open-source software, we will need to incorporate user experience design and human-computer interaction principles. We will also need to work with experts in data privacy and cybersecurity to ensure that our platforms are secure and protect user data. In addition, we will collaborate with experts in media and education to ensure that our services are accessible to these groups and meet their needs. +For instance, to make our products easily usable for end-users who typically do not have in-depth knowledge of open-source software, we will need to incorporate user experience design and human-computer interaction principles. +We will also need to work with experts in data privacy and cybersecurity to ensure that our platforms are secure and protect user data. +In addition, we will collaborate with experts in media and education to ensure that our services are accessible to these groups and meet their needs. -We will establish cross-functional teams to ensure that all expertise and methods are integrated efficiently. We will also hold regular meetings and workshops to facilitate communication and collaboration between team members from different disciplines. +We will establish cross-functional teams to ensure that all expertise and methods are integrated efficiently. +We will also hold regular meetings and workshops to facilitate communication and collaboration between team members from different disciplines. -In summary, we believe that integrating expertise and methods from different disciplines will be essential in achieving our objectives of providing a safe social network alternative and generating new business opportunities. We will work closely with experts from various fields to ensure that our platforms meet the needs of end-users and stakeholders, and we will continue to prioritize cross-disciplinary collaboration throughout the project. +In summary, we believe that integrating expertise and methods from different disciplines will be essential in achieving our objectives of providing a safe social network alternative and generating new business opportunities. +We will work closely with experts from various fields to ensure that our platforms meet the needs of end-users and stakeholders, and we will continue to prioritize cross-disciplinary collaboration throughout the project. -Integrating social sciences and humanities into our project would be essential to ensure that the development of the open social platforms is aligned with ethical and societal considerations. Specifically, social sciences and humanities expertise could help us understand the potential social and economic impacts of our project, and how we can ensure that the benefits are widely distributed and inclusive. +Integrating social sciences and humanities into our project would be essential to ensure that the development of the open social platforms is aligned with ethical and societal considerations. +Specifically, social sciences and humanities expertise could help us understand the potential social and economic impacts of our project, and how we can ensure that the benefits are widely distributed and inclusive. -For example, we will engage social scientists to study user behavior and preferences to ensure that the platforms are user-friendly, accessible, and engaging. Humanities experts could help us address ethical issues related to user data privacy, content moderation, and community guidelines. Additionally, social sciences expertise could be valuable in developing effective marketing and out-reach strategies to promote the use of our open social platforms. +For example, we will engage social scientists to study user behavior and preferences to ensure that the platforms are user-friendly, accessible, and engaging. +Humanities experts could help us address ethical issues related to user data privacy, content moderation, and community guidelines. +Additionally, social sciences expertise could be valuable in developing effective marketing and out-reach strategies to promote the use of our open social platforms. -To integrate social sciences and humanities into our project, we will establish collaborations with academic institutions or research organizations specialized in these fields. We will also invite social scientists and humanities scholars to participate in project meetings, workshops, and conferences to provide their feedback and insights. Furthermore, we will prioritize conducting user studies, surveys, and focus groups to capture feedback from diverse groups of users and stakeholders. +To integrate social sciences and humanities into our project, we will establish collaborations with academic institutions or research organizations specialized in these fields. +We will also invite social scientists and humanities scholars to participate in project meetings, workshops, and conferences to provide their feedback and insights. +Furthermore, we will prioritize conducting user studies, surveys, and focus groups to capture feedback from diverse groups of users and stakeholders. Gender dimension and global diversity -To ensure that gender is taken into account in this project, it is important to conduct a gender analysis and to integrate a gender perspective into all aspects of the project, from the design and implementation of the ActivityPub services to the outreach and marketing efforts. This may involve, for example, ensuring that the platform is accessible and user-friendly for all genders, conducting user research that takes into account the diverse needs and perspectives of different genders, and engaging with organizations and influencers that have a strong focus on gender equality and women's empowerment. Some more specific ways we want to ensure that the gender dimension is taken into account for our project: +To ensure that gender is taken into account in this project, it is important to conduct a gender analysis and to integrate a gender perspective into all aspects of the project, from the design and implementation of the ActivityPub services to the outreach and marketing efforts. +This may involve, for example, ensuring that the platform is accessible and user-friendly for all genders, conducting user research that takes into account the diverse needs and perspectives of different genders, and engaging with organizations and influencers that have a strong focus on gender equality and women's empowerment. +Some more specific ways we want to ensure that the gender dimension is taken into account for our project: -1. **Gender-neutral language:** We'll ensure that language used in the project materials is gender-inclusive. For instance, we'll use "they" instead of "he" or "she" when referring to an unknown person. +1. **Gender-neutral language:** + We'll ensure that language used in the project materials is gender-inclusive. + For instance, we'll use "they" instead of "he" or "she" when referring to an unknown person. We'll also ensure that titles and descriptions are gender-inclusive. For instance, we'll use Mx instead of "Mr" or "Ms" and director instead of "directress" or "director\". -1. **Data collection:** We'll collect data on gender to help identify any potential gender disparities or biases in the project. This can help ensure that the project is inclusive and equitable. -1. **Stakeholder engagement:** We'll engage with stakeholders, including women's groups, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized communities, to ensure that their perspectives and needs are considered in the project design and implementation. -1. **Impact assessment:** We'll conduct a gender impact assessment to identify the potential gender disparities and ensure that the project has a positive impact on whichever gender or non-gender people identify as and that the information won't be use to discriminate any gender or non-gender person. +1. **Data collection:** + We'll collect data on gender to help identify any potential gender disparities or biases in the project. + This can help ensure that the project is inclusive and equitable. +1. **Stakeholder engagement:** + We'll engage with stakeholders, including women's groups, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized communities, to ensure that their perspectives and needs are considered in the project design and implementation. +1. **Impact assessment:** + We'll conduct a gender impact assessment to identify the potential gender disparities and ensure that the project has a positive impact on whichever gender or non-gender people identify as and that the information won't be use to discriminate any gender or non-gender person. -One of the nice things about using the NGI technologies that make up the Fediverse (i.e. ActivityPub protocol, Mastodon, Peertube et all) is that they have been designed by and are used by groups of people that are typically not welcome in Big Tech offerings due to there gender-diversity. Queer and Transpeople are very well represented on Mastodon for example. This fact makes the whole project support gender-inclusiveness and global diversity on a higher level. +One of the nice things about using the NGI technologies that make up the Fediverse (i.e. ActivityPub protocol, Mastodon, Peertube et all) is that they have been designed by and are used by groups of people that are typically not welcome in Big Tech offerings due to there gender-diversity. +Queer and Transpeople are very well represented on Mastodon for example. +This fact makes the whole project support gender-inclusiveness and global diversity on a higher level. -As a team, we can adopt several open science practices to ensure our project is transparent, reproducible, and accessible. For instance, we can use open-source tools to develop and share our code, data, and research findings. We can also document our work flow and methodology to allow others to reproduce our results. Additionally, we can make our project more inclusive by involving a diverse set of contributors, and by considering the gender dimension when designing and implementing our project. Overall, open science practices can enhance the quality and impact of our work while promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing with the wider scientific community. Some more specific examples: +As a team, we can adopt several open science practices to ensure our project is transparent, reproducible, and accessible. +For instance, we can use open-source tools to develop and share our code, data, and research findings. +We can also document our work flow and methodology to allow others to reproduce our results. +Additionally, we can make our project more inclusive by involving a diverse set of contributors, and by considering the gender dimension when designing and implementing our project. +Overall, open science practices can enhance the quality and impact of our work while promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing with the wider scientific community. Some more specific examples: -1. **Open source software:** Using open source software for our project allows for transparency and encourages collaboration with other parties. We can use open source tools and libraries for data analysis and other tasks and also contribute to other ongoing open source projects. -1. **Code sharing:** Sharing our code on open source platforms like GitLab and BitBucket allows others to see and use our code, replicate our results, and build on our work. This encourages collaboration, improved code quality, openness and transparency, and reproducibility. -1. **Data sharing:** Sharing our data can be done through open data platforms like Kaggle or Zenodo. This allows others to access our data and use it for their own research. It also encourages transparency and reproducibility. -1. **Pre-registration:** Pre-registering our study or analysis plan in a public repository, such as the Open Science Framework (OSF), can help prevent data dredging and increase the transparency and reproducibility of our work. -1. **Open peer review:** Sharing our research and inviting feedback from peers can lead to valuable insights and collaboration and that will improve the quality of the end-product. We can use open peer review platforms like PeerJ or F1000Research to encourage this. -1. **Licensing:** Choosing an open source license for our project can ensure that others can use, modify, and distribute your work, while also giving credit to the original author. Common open source licenses include the MIT License, Apache License, and GNU General Public License. +1. **Open source software:** + Using open source software for our project allows for transparency and encourages collaboration with other parties. + We can use open source tools and libraries for data analysis and other tasks and also contribute to other ongoing open source projects. +1. **Code sharing:** + Sharing our code on open source platforms like GitLab and BitBucket allows others to see and use our code, replicate our results, and build on our work. + This encourages collaboration, improved code quality, openness and transparency, and reproducibility. +1. **Data sharing:** + Sharing our data can be done through open data platforms like Kaggle or Zenodo. + This allows others to access our data and use it for their own research. + It also encourages transparency and reproducibility. +1. **Pre-registration:** + Pre-registering our study or analysis plan in a public repository, such as the Open Science Framework (OSF), can help prevent data dredging and increase the transparency and reproducibility of our work. +1. **Open peer review:** + Sharing our research and inviting feedback from peers can lead to valuable insights and collaboration and that will improve the quality of the end-product. + We can use open peer review platforms like PeerJ or F1000Research to encourage this. +1. **Licensing:** + Choosing an open source license for our project can ensure that others can use, modify, and distribute your work, while also giving credit to the original author. + Common open source licenses include the MIT License, Apache License, and GNU General Public License. By incorporating these open science practices into our project, we can promote transparency, collaboration, and reproducibility, which can ultimately lead to more impact-full end result. Research **data management and management of other research outputs:** Applicants generating/collecting data and/or other research outputs (except for publications) during the project must provide maximum 1 page on how the data/research outputs will be managed in line with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), addressing the following (the description should be specific to your project): -As part of our project, we will be generating and collecting various types of data and research outputs, such as experimental data, images, and numerical data. In order to manage these outputs effectively, we will follow the **FAIR principles**, which promote data that is **Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.** +As part of our project, we will be generating and collecting various types of data and research outputs, such as experimental data, images, and numerical data. +In order to manage these outputs effectively, we will follow the **FAIR principles**, which promote data that is **Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.** -To ensure our data is **Findable**, we will assign each data set a unique and persistent identifier, such as a digital object identifier (DOI). The data will be available and contain information about the creator, date of creation and any associated publications. We will also use trusted repositories to store our data, making it easier for others to discover and access. +To ensure our data is **Findable**, we will assign each data set a unique and persistent identifier, such as a digital object identifier (DOI). +The data will be available and contain information about the creator, date of creation and any associated publications. +We will also use trusted repositories to store our data, making it easier for others to discover and access. -To make our data **Accessible**, we will provide open access to our data whenever possible. If there are restrictions on the data, we will clearly explain why and provide provisions for access to restricted data for verification purposes. +To make our data **Accessible**, we will provide open access to our data whenever possible. +If there are restrictions on the data, we will clearly explain why and provide provisions for access to restricted data for verification purposes. -**Interoperability** will be ensured by adhering to standards, formats, and vocabularies for data and metadata. This will make it easier for others to understand and clear that they are designed with reuse and interoperability in mind. +**Interoperability** +will be ensured by adhering to standards, formats, and vocabularies for data and metadata. +This will make it easier for others to understand and clear that they are designed with reuse and interoperability in mind. -Finally, we will ensure our data is **Reusable** by using appropriate licenses for data sharing and re-use, such as Creative Commons or Open Data Commons licenses. We will also make tools, software, and models available to enable others to generate, validate, and interpret our data. The data will be well documented with clear descriptions of the data collection methods, data processing steps and any relevant assumptions or limitations. +Finally, we will ensure our data is **Reusable** +by using appropriate licenses for data sharing and re-use, such as Creative Commons or Open Data Commons licenses. +We will also make tools, software, and models available to enable others to generate, validate, and interpret our data. +The data will be well documented with clear descriptions of the data collection methods, data processing steps and any relevant assumptions or limitations. -Throughout the project, we will assign a person or team responsible for data management and quality assurance, and we will estimate the curation and storage/preservation costs for the data. By following these practices and developing a detailed data management plan (DMP) for making our data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, we will ensure that our research outputs are of the highest quality and can be widely shared and used by others. +Throughout the project, we will assign a person or team responsible for data management and quality assurance, and we will estimate the curation and storage/preservation costs for the data. +By following these practices and developing a detailed data management plan (DMP) for making our data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, we will ensure that our research outputs are of the highest quality and can be widely shared and used by others. Methodology challenges -One of the challenges we have identified is ensuring the security and privacy of our users' data. To overcome this challenge, we will use industry-standard open-source encryption methods and regularly update our software and hardware solutions to stay ahead of potential threats. -A periodic (monthly or bi-monthly) check if all security measures have been taken and if any updates are needed will be held. Where and if possible we will automate these checks and integrate them in a 24/7 monitoring system.\ +One of the challenges we have identified is ensuring the security and privacy of our users' data. +To overcome this challenge, we will use industry-standard open-source encryption methods and regularly update our software and hardware solutions to stay ahead of potential threats. +A periodic (monthly or bi-monthly) check if all security measures have been taken and if any updates are needed will be held. +Where and if possible we will automate these checks and integrate them in a 24/7 monitoring system. Another challenge is that much of the software we aim to implement is still fairly new and as a result still changes frequently, we will have to keep up with the change and at the same time provide a stable and predictable platform to our users. -Work package interdependancies +### Work package interdependancies -To give a clear view of what interdepencancies we expect: +To give a clear view of what interdepencies we expect: WP1 Project Management will keep an overview of all other Work Packages. -WP2 Vertical: hosting will have a 'feedback loop' with WP3 and feed to WP6. +WP2 Vertical: +hosting will have a 'feedback loop' with WP3 and feed to WP6. -WP3 Vertical: public organisations will have a 'feedback loop' with WP2 and feed to WP6 +WP3 Vertical: +public organisations will have a 'feedback loop' with WP2 and feed to WP6 WP4 Open calls and grant management will feed back to the verticals and feed to WP6 @@ -258,17 +428,21 @@ WP5 Enhancement & Usability will feed back to the verticals and feed to WP6 This diagram graphically represents the relations: + + # Impact ## Project's pathways towards impact -Describe the unique contribution your project results would make towards (1) the **outcomes** specified in this topic, and (2) the **wider impacts**, in the longer term, specified in the respective destinations in the work programme. +Describe the unique contribution your project results would make towards (1) the **outcomes** +specified in this topic, and (2) the **wider impacts**, in the longer term, specified in the respective destinations in the work programme. Outcomes: - freedom of choice in the tools to use and (possibly) even alter to your own likings, especially in digital human interaction - more and better general availability of non-centrally managed social public domain -- a more secure take on open and federated networks by institutions State the target groups that would benefit. Even if target groups are mentioned in general terms in the work programme, you should be specific here, breaking target groups into particular interest groups or segments of society relevant to this project. +- a more secure take on open and federated networks by institutions State the target groups that would benefit. + Even if target groups are mentioned in general terms in the work programme, you should be specific here, breaking target groups into particular interest groups or segments of society relevant to this project. Target groups: @@ -284,7 +458,8 @@ The outcomes and impacts of your project may: - Give a better understanding of how to run, implement and manage federated social networks also in a more formalised structure. - Give companies and organizations that specialize in running decentralized internet infrastructure a better starting point. -- Safer social networks help prevent mental distress, take away the paranoia that comes with the panopticum feeling you get with centrally managed Big Tech infrastructure. These effects lower the risk of assault due to minority targeting and prevent suicide and mental health problems. +- Safer social networks help prevent mental distress, take away the paranoia that comes with the panopticum feeling you get with centrally managed Big Tech infrastructure. + These effects lower the risk of assault due to minority targeting and prevent suicide and mental health problems. Technological outcomes @@ -303,44 +478,97 @@ Societal outcomes - The platform's focus on privacy and data portability could lead to greater trust in social media platforms, which in turn could lead to increased participation and engagement online. - The project's promotion of a federated approach to social media and communication could contribute to the development of a more diverse and decentralized online ecosystem, which could have positive implications for free speech, community building, and information sharing. -**Target groups further categorized (and how we can impact them)** -Public organizations and NRENs (National Research and Education Networks) are broad target groups. We'll break them down in target groups relevant for our project. +### Target groups further categorised (and how we can impact them) -Public organizations can include government agencies, non-profit organizations, and public utilities. Some specific segments of public organizations include: +We'll break them down in target groups relevant for our project. -1. **Government organisations:** Municipalities, counties, and regional governments can benefit from an open and decentralized social media platform that allows them to communicate with their constituents in a secure and transparent manner. Government agencies often need to communicate with the public, but may not want to rely on commercial social media platforms that collect and sell user data. Our platform could provide a secure and privacy-respecting alternative for these agencies to share information and engage with their constituents. -1. **Public health organizations:** In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, public health organizations are under increasing pressure to communicate information effectively and efficiently. An open and decentralized social media platform could be used to share important public health information, provide updates on the status of the pandemic, and communicate with healthcare providers and other stakeholders. Healthcare providers may need to communicate sensitive information with patients and other providers, but must also comply with strict privacy regulations. Our platform could provide a secure and private way for these providers to share information and collaborate on patient care. -1. **Non-profit organizations:** Non-profit organizations often have limited resources and may not have the technical expertise to build and maintain their own communication platforms. Our platform could provide a low-cost and easy-to-use solution for these organizations to engage with their supporters and spread their message, in an open and transparent fashion. -1. **Educational institutions:** Schools, universities, and other educational institutions can benefit from an open and decentralized social media platform that allows them to communicate with students, parents, and other stakeholders. Our project can help these institutions to improve collaboration, knowledge sharing, and engagement, and to provide a secure and private platform for communication. Our platform could also provide an easy-to-use and customizable tool for these institutions to facilitate discussion and collaboration. +Public organisations can include government agencies, non-profit organisations, and public utilities. +Some specific segments of public organisations include: -National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) are high-speed networks dedicated to research and education, connecting universities, research institutions and other organizations. Some specific segments of NRENs include: +1. **Government organisations:** + Municipalities, counties, and regional governments can benefit from an open and decentralized social media platform that allows them to communicate with their constituents in a secure and transparent manner. + Government agencies often need to communicate with the public, but may not want to rely on commercial social media platforms that collect and sell user data. + Our platform could provide a secure and privacy-respecting alternative for these agencies to share information and engage with their constituents. +1. **Public health organizations:** + In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, public health organizations are under increasing pressure to communicate information effectively and efficiently. + An open and decentralized social media platform could be used to share important public health information, provide updates on the status of the pandemic, and communicate with healthcare providers and other stakeholders. + Healthcare providers may need to communicate sensitive information with patients and other providers, but must also comply with strict privacy regulations. + Our platform could provide a secure and private way for these providers to share information and collaborate on patient care. +1. **Non-profit organizations:** + Non-profit organizations often have limited resources and may not have the technical expertise to build and maintain their own communication platforms. + Our platform could provide a low-cost and easy-to-use solution for these organizations to engage with their supporters and spread their message, in an open and transparent fashion. +1. **Educational institutions:** + Schools, universities, and other educational institutions can benefit from an open and decentralized social media platform that allows them to communicate with students, parents, and other stakeholders. + Our project can help these institutions to improve collaboration, knowledge sharing, and engagement, and to provide a secure and private platform for communication. + Our platform could also provide an easy-to-use and customizable tool for these institutions to facilitate discussion and collaboration. -1. Universities and Research Institutions: These organizations need to collaborate and share research data with other institutions across the country or around the world. An open and decentralized social media platform like the one proposed in your project could provide a secure and standardized way for researchers to share data and communicate with each other, while also maintaining control over their own data and ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. -1. Libraries and Archives: These organizations often manage large collections of data and historical materials, including both physical and digital assets. An open and decentralized platform could provide a way for them to share and distribute this content, making it more accessible to researchers and the public while also preserving its authenticity and integrity. -1. Museums and cultural institutions: Museums and cultural institutions can benefit from an open and decentralized social media platform that allows them to engage with visitors and share information about their collections and exhibits. Our project can help these institutions to improve engagement and to reach new audiences. -1. Education and Training Providers: NRENs often provide access to online learning resources and tools for students and educators. An open and decentralized platform could provide a more flexible and customizable way for these providers to deliver content, while also ensuring privacy and security for their users. +National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) are high-speed networks dedicated to research and education, connecting universities, research institutions and other organizations. +Some specific segments of NRENs include: + +1. Universities and Research Institutions: + These organizations need to collaborate and share research data with other institutions across the country or around the world. + An open and decentralized social media platform like the one proposed in your project could provide a secure and standardized way for researchers to share data and communicate with each other, while also maintaining control over their own data and ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. +1. Libraries and Archives: + These organizations often manage large collections of data and historical materials, including both physical and digital assets. + An open and decentralized platform could provide a way for them to share and distribute this content, making it more accessible to researchers and the public while also preserving its authenticity and integrity. +1. Museums and cultural institutions: + Museums and cultural institutions can benefit from an open and decentralized social media platform that allows them to engage with visitors and share information about their collections and exhibits. + Our project can help these institutions to improve engagement and to reach new audiences. +1. Education and Training Providers: + NRENs often provide access to online learning resources and tools for students and educators. + An open and decentralized platform could provide a more flexible and customizable way for these providers to deliver content, while also ensuring privacy and security for their users. Based on the project objectives and potential impact on target groups, the scale and significance of the project's contribution to the expected outcomes and impacts can be estimated as follows: -- Scale: The project's focus on developing an open and decentralized social media platform can potentially benefit a large number of users who are seeking alternatives to big tech companies that operate closed ecosystems. The specific focus on public organizations and NRENs can target a niche market but with significant potential impact given the specific needs and requirements of these groups. -- Significance: The significance of the project's contribution can be evaluated based on several factors. For example, the platform's ability to provide users with more control, privacy, and data portability can have a significant impact on the way people interact with social media, potentially leading to more trust and engagement. +- Scale: + The project's focus on developing an open and decentralized social media platform can potentially benefit a large number of users who are seeking alternatives to big tech companies that operate closed ecosystems. + The specific focus on public organizations and NRENs can target a niche market but with significant potential impact given the specific needs and requirements of these groups. +- Significance: + The significance of the project's contribution can be evaluated based on several factors. + For example, the platform's ability to provide users with more control, privacy, and data portability can have a significant impact on the way people interact with social media, potentially leading to more trust and engagement. The platform's focus on open source and federated approaches can also foster innovation and collaboration, leading to a more diverse and competitive social media landscape.\ - In addition, the project's potential economic impact can be evaluated in terms of potential cost savings for public organizations and NRENs who may be currently paying for closed-source social media solutions. Finally, the project's potential impact on digital rights and online privacy can have significant societal implications, contributing to a more democratic and transparent online environment. + In addition, the project's potential economic impact can be evaluated in terms of potential cost savings for public organizations and NRENs who may be currently paying for closed-source social media solutions. + Finally, the project's potential impact on digital rights and online privacy can have significant societal implications, contributing to a more democratic and transparent online environment. -Quantitative estimates for these impacts will depend on the specific implementation and adoption of the platform, but it is possible to make some broad estimates based on existing data. For example, according to a 2020 survey by Pew Research Center, around 69% of US adults use social media, indicating a large potential user base for an alternative platform. In addition, a report by Research and Markets estimates that the global social media management software market will reach \$17.7 billion by 2026, indicating the potential economic impact of the project's focus on open-source and cost-effective solutions. Some other specific possible quantitative estimates: +Quantitative estimates for these impacts will depend on the specific implementation and adoption of the platform, but it is possible to make some broad estimates based on existing data. For example, according to a 2020 survey by Pew Research Center, around 69% of US adults use social media, indicating a large potential user base for an alternative platform. +In addition, a report by Research and Markets estimates that the global social media management software market will reach \$17.7 billion by 2026, indicating the potential economic impact of the project's focus on open-source and cost-effective solutions. +Some other specific possible quantitative estimates: -1. User adoption: If our project is successful in providing a user-friendly and privacy-focused social media platform, it could attract a significant number of users. For example, if the platform gains a 5% share of the global social media market by 2026, which is currently estimated at 3.6 billion users, that would translate to 180 million users. -1. Cost savings: By promoting the use of open-source software and decentralized infrastructure, our project could lead to cost savings for public organizations and NRENs. For example, if a large public organization is currently spending \$1 million per year on a closed-source social media platform, switching to your open-source platform could result in cost savings of up to 50%. -1. Data portability: Your project's focus on data portability could have significant benefits for users, allowing them to easily switch between social media platforms and take their data with them. For example, if 10% of users on a major social media platform decided to switch to your platform, and were able to easily transfer their data, that would equate to millions of users being able to regain control over their data. -1. Market disruption: If our project is successful in disrupting the market dominance of big tech companies in the social media space, it could have far-reaching impacts. For example, if our platform gains a significant share of the market, it could lead to a decrease in the power of big tech companies and more competition in the social media space, potentially leading to improved user privacy and better options for data management. +1. User adoption: + If our project is successful in providing a user-friendly and privacy-focused social media platform, it could attract a significant number of users. + For example, if the platform gains a 5% share of the global social media market by 2026, which is currently estimated at 3.6 billion users, that would translate to 180 million users. +1. Cost savings: + By promoting the use of open-source software and decentralized infrastructure, our project could lead to cost savings for public organizations and NRENs. + For example, if a large public organization is currently spending \$1 million per year on a closed-source social media platform, switching to your open-source platform could result in cost savings of up to 50%. +1. Data portability: + Your project's focus on data portability could have significant benefits for users, allowing them to easily switch between social media platforms and take their data with them. + For example, if 10% of users on a major social media platform decided to switch to your platform, and were able to easily transfer their data, that would equate to millions of users being able to regain control over their data. +1. Market disruption: + If our project is successful in disrupting the market dominance of big tech companies in the social media space, it could have far-reaching impacts. + For example, if our platform gains a significant share of the market, it could lead to a decrease in the power of big tech companies and more competition in the social media space, potentially leading to improved user privacy and better options for data management. -There are several requirements and potential barriers that may determine whether the desired outcomes and impacts of the project are achieved. Some of them are: +There are several requirements and potential barriers that may determine whether the desired outcomes and impacts of the project are achieved. +Some of them are: -1. Technical challenges: Developing an open and decentralized social media platform based on the ActivityPub protocol can be technically challenging. The project will need to address issues related to scalability, performance, security, and interoperability with other systems. Failure to overcome these technical challenges may hinder the project's ability to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. -1. Adoption by target groups: The success of the project will depend on the adoption of the platform by its target groups, such as public organizations and NRENs. The project will need to demonstrate the benefits of the platform and convince potential users to switch from their current social media platforms to the new one. Failure to achieve significant adoption may limit the project's ability to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. -1. Regulatory and legal requirements: The project will need to comply with regulatory and legal requirements related to data privacy, security, and intellectual property. Failure to comply with these requirements may lead to legal issues and hinder the project's ability to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. -1. Funding and resources: The project will require adequate funding and resources to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. The project team will need to secure sufficient funding and resources to cover the costs of software development, partnerships, and promotion. Failure to secure adequate funding and resources may limit the project's ability to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. -1. Competition: The project will face competition from other social media platforms, including big tech companies and other open-source projects. The project team will need to differentiate the platform and demonstrate its unique features and benefits. Failure to differentiate the platform from its competitors may limit the project's ability to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. +1. Technical challenges: + Developing an open and decentralized social media platform based on the ActivityPub protocol can be technically challenging. + The project will need to address issues related to scalability, performance, security, and interoperability with other systems. + Failure to overcome these technical challenges may hinder the project's ability to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. +1. Adoption by target groups: + The success of the project will depend on the adoption of the platform by its target groups, such as public organizations and NRENs. + The project will need to demonstrate the benefits of the platform and convince potential users to switch from their current social media platforms to the new one. + Failure to achieve significant adoption may limit the project's ability to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. +1. Regulatory and legal requirements: + The project will need to comply with regulatory and legal requirements related to data privacy, security, and intellectual property. + Failure to comply with these requirements may lead to legal issues and hinder the project's ability to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. +1. Funding and resources: + The project will require adequate funding and resources to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. + The project team will need to secure sufficient funding and resources to cover the costs of software development, partnerships, and promotion. + Failure to secure adequate funding and resources may limit the project's ability to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. +1. Competition: + The project will face competition from other social media platforms, including big tech companies and other open-source projects. + The project team will need to differentiate the platform and demonstrate its unique features and benefits. + Failure to differentiate the platform from its competitors may limit the project's ability to achieve its desired outcomes and impacts. ## Measures to maximise impact - Dissemination, exploitation and communication @@ -348,11 +576,19 @@ Communication and dissemination measures We've identified multiple dissemination measure we can apply to our project in our plan: -1. Developing key messages: We'll develop clear, concise, and compelling messaging that highlight the benefits and unique features of our project, such as the focus on **user control, privacy,** and **data & service portability**. -1. Using multiple channels: We will be utilizing a variety of channels to reach our target audiences outlined above, in particular through the **Fediverse** itself, webinars, blog posts, and press releases. -1. Building partnerships: We have identified a number of partners already like [SDEPS](https://www.sdeps.eu/) and [PublicSpaces](https://publicspaces.net/), [Internet Society](https://www.internetsociety.org/), [EDRi](https://edri.org/), [GÉANT](https://geant.org/), [RIPE](https://www.ripe.net/), [ECO](https://www.eco.de/), [APELL](https://www.apell.info/) and [CENTR](https://www.centr.org/) to help us reach out to our target audiences. These organizations share our **values and mission**. -1. Present the project at conferences and events: We'll participate in relevant conferences and events to raise awareness of our project and engage with potential users and partners. These will include hosting events (e.g. [Cloud Expo Europe](https://www.cloudexpoeurope.com/), [Cloudfest](https://www.cloudfest.com/), [Web Summit](https://websummit.com/)) and developer events like [FOSDEM](https://fosdem.org/), [OW2Con](https://www.ow2con.org/) and [CCC Congress](https://events.ccc.de/) to inform a diverse audience of the benefits of our stack and the other NGI technology solutions we are promoting. -1. Monitoring and evaluation: We will monitor the success of our dissemination activities and evaluate their effectiveness in reaching and engaging ourtarget audiences. We will then use this information to adjust and improve our strategies over time. +1. Developing key messages: + We'll develop clear, concise, and compelling messaging that highlight the benefits and unique features of our project, such as the focus on **user control, privacy,** and **data & service portability**. +1. Using multiple channels: + We will be utilizing a variety of channels to reach our target audiences outlined above, in particular through the **Fediverse** itself, webinars, blog posts, and press releases. +1. Building partnerships: + We have identified a number of partners already like [SDEPS](https://www.sdeps.eu/) and [PublicSpaces](https://publicspaces.net/), [Internet Society](https://www.internetsociety.org/), [EDRi](https://edri.org/), [GÉANT](https://geant.org/), [RIPE](https://www.ripe.net/), [ECO](https://www.eco.de/), [APELL](https://www.apell.info/) and [CENTR](https://www.centr.org/) to help us reach out to our target audiences. + These organisations share our **values and mission**. +1. Present the project at conferences and events: + We'll participate in relevant conferences and events to raise awareness of our project and engage with potential users and partners. + These will include hosting events (e.g. [Cloud Expo Europe](https://www.cloudexpoeurope.com/), [Cloudfest](https://www.cloudfest.com/), [Web Summit](https://websummit.com/)) and developer events like [FOSDEM](https://fosdem.org/), [OW2Con](https://www.ow2con.org/) and [CCC Congress](https://events.ccc.de/) to inform a diverse audience of the benefits of our stack and the other NGI technology solutions we are promoting. +1. Monitoring and evaluation: + We will monitor the success of our dissemination activities and evaluate their effectiveness in reaching and engaging ourtarget audiences. + We will then use this information to adjust and improve our strategies over time. Concrete examples of dissemination activities for our project will include: @@ -365,14 +601,28 @@ Concrete examples of dissemination activities for our project will include: Our communication strategies are already partially integrated in the dissemination measure above, but we'll outline them more in depth: -There are several communication strategies and measures that we will utilize during the whole lifespan of the project: +There are several communication strategies and measures that we will utilise during the whole lifespan of the project: -1. Developing a project website: A project website will serve as a central hub of information about our project. It will be used to share updates, news, publications, and other project-related information. The website will be designed to be accessible and user-friendly. -1. Using social media: We will reach out to Fediverse channels (e.g. Mastodon, Pixelfed, Peertube and Owncast) as well as legacy social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook will be used to reach a wider audience and share project-related news and updates. Social media are used to engage with stakeholders and respond to their queries and feedback. While we want to draw people away from these closed social media environments, we'll still need to utilize these platform for spreading our message initially. -1. Organizing workshops and events: Workshops and events will be used to engage with stakeholders and share project-related information. Workshops will be used to share technical knowledge, while events will be used to showcase the project's outputs and outcomes. -1. Publishing project-related articles: Publishing project-related articles in mainstream media publications and through the channels of our partners will help to promote the project and its outcomes. It will also help to raise awareness among stakeholders and potential users of the project. -1. Developing communication materials: Developing communication materials such as videos, podcasts and infographics will help to make it easy to communicate about the project and its outcomes. We'll make sure our communication materials will be designed to be visually appealing and easy to understand. -1. Engaging with the media: Engaging with the traditional media will help to promote the project and its outcomes. Partners like [SDEPS](https://www.sdeps.eu/) consist of mainstream media actors across Europe who are aligned with our mission and are themselves potential users and ambassadors of the tools we build. +1. Developing a project website: + A project website will serve as a central hub of information about our project. + It will be used to share updates, news, publications, and other project-related information. + The website will be designed to be accessible and user-friendly. +1. Using social media: + We will reach out to Fediverse channels (e.g. Mastodon, Pixelfed, Peertube and Owncast) as well as legacy social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook will be used to reach a wider audience and share project-related news and updates. + Social media are used to engage with stakeholders and respond to their queries and feedback. + While we want to draw people away from these closed social media environments, we'll still need to utilise these platform for spreading our message initially. +1. Organising workshops and events: + Workshops and events will be used to engage with stakeholders and share project-related information. + Workshops will be used to share technical knowledge, while events will be used to showcase the project's outputs and outcomes. +1. Publishing project-related articles: + Publishing project-related articles in mainstream media publications and through the channels of our partners will help to promote the project and its outcomes. + It will also help to raise awareness among stakeholders and potential users of the project. +1. Developing communication materials: + Developing communication materials such as videos, podcasts and infographics will help to make it easy to communicate about the project and its outcomes. + We'll make sure our communication materials will be designed to be visually appealing and easy to understand. +1. Engaging with the media: + Engaging with the traditional media will help to promote the project and its outcomes. + Partners like [SDEPS](https://www.sdeps.eu/) consist of mainstream media actors across Europe who are aligned with our mission and are themselves potential users and ambassadors of the tools we build. Exploitation measures per target audience: @@ -391,40 +641,69 @@ Exploitation measures per target audience: Feedback for policy measures -As an open and decentralized social media platform, the project has the potential to generate feedback to policy measures related to digital communication, privacy, and data protection. By promoting a federated approach to social media and communication, the project will offer an alternative to closed ecosystems controlled by big tech companies. The following are some ways in which the project will contribute to designing, monitoring, reviewing, and rectifying existing policy measures or shaping and supporting the implementation of new policy initiatives and decisions: +As an open and decentralized social media platform, the project has the potential to generate feedback to policy measures related to digital communication, privacy, and data protection. +By promoting a federated approach to social media and communication, the project will offer an alternative to closed ecosystems controlled by big tech companies. +The following are some ways in which the project will contribute to designing, monitoring, reviewing, and rectifying existing policy measures or shaping and supporting the implementation of new policy initiatives and decisions: -1. Providing a platform for public dialogue and participation: The project will serve as a platform for public dialogue and participation, allowing citizens to voice their opinions and concerns on policy measures related to digital communication, privacy, and data protection. This feedback will inform the design, monitoring, and review of existing policy measures or shape the implementation of new policy initiatives and decisions. -2. Demonstrating the feasibility of an open and decentralized approach: The project will demonstrate the feasibility of an open and decentralized approach to social media and communication, providing evidence for the effectiveness of such an approach in promoting user control, privacy, and data portability. This evidence will be used to inform policy measures related to digital communication and encourage the adoption of a federated approach. -3. Highlighting the limitations of current policy measures: The project will highlight the limitations of current policy measures related to digital communication, privacy, and data protection. By showcasing the benefits of an open and decentralized approach, the project will draw attention to the shortcomings of existing policies and stimulate discussions on potential improvements. -4. Providing data and analysis for policy evaluation: The project will provide data and analysis on the use and impact of the platform, including user engagement, user satisfaction, and data portability. This data will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of existing policy measures or inform the design of new policies. -5. Engaging with policymakers and stakeholders: The project will engage with policymakers and stakeholders, including public organizations, NRENs, and educational institutions, to raise awareness of the platform and its potential impact on policy measures related to digital communication, privacy, and data protection. This engagement will facilitate collaboration and information sharing between the project and relevant policy stakeholders, promoting mutual learning and understanding. +1. Providing a platform for public dialogue and participation: + The project will serve as a platform for public dialogue and participation, allowing citizens to voice their opinions and concerns on policy measures related to digital communication, privacy, and data protection. + This feedback will inform the design, monitoring, and review of existing policy measures or shape the implementation of new policy initiatives and decisions. +2. Demonstrating the feasibility of an open and decentralized approach: + The project will demonstrate the feasibility of an open and decentralized approach to social media and communication, providing evidence for the effectiveness of such an approach in promoting user control, privacy, and data portability. + This evidence will be used to inform policy measures related to digital communication and encourage the adoption of a federated approach. +3. Highlighting the limitations of current policy measures: + The project will highlight the limitations of current policy measures related to digital communication, privacy, and data protection. + By showcasing the benefits of an open and decentralized approach, the project will draw attention to the shortcomings of existing policies and stimulate discussions on potential improvements. +4. Providing data and analysis for policy evaluation: + The project will provide data and analysis on the use and impact of the platform, including user engagement, user satisfaction, and data portability. + This data will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of existing policy measures or inform the design of new policies. +5. Engaging with policymakers and stakeholders: + The project will engage with policymakers and stakeholders, including public organizations, NRENs, and educational institutions, to raise awareness of the platform and its potential impact on policy measures related to digital communication, privacy, and data protection. + This engagement will facilitate collaboration and information sharing between the project and relevant policy stakeholders, promoting mutual learning and understanding. Project content and handling of intellectual property risks -NGI as a whole operates according to open source principles and unencumbered (royalty-free) licensing, to ensure **broad and lasting impact**. The societal benefit of the initiative lies in the collaborative development of technology as **commons**. This *democratises* development and creates a *level playing field* for all. +NGI as a whole operates according to open source principles and unencumbered (royalty-free) licensing, to ensure **broad and lasting impact**. +The societal benefit of the initiative lies in the collaborative development of technology as **commons**. +This *democratises* development and creates a *level playing field* for all. The [vision of the NGI initiative](https://nlnet.nl/NGI/vision), embraces the mantra '[public money, public code](https://publiccode.eu/)'. -**IPR directly produced by the consortium** -- The Fediversity consortium consists of mature 'open' organisations, for which publishing all knowledge as reusable open content and free access publications is the norm. We offer all our own outcomes as a no-cost download, without any user tracking. Any scientific publication will be published either 'gold level' or 'green level' **open access**. +**IPR directly produced by the consortium** — The Fediversity consortium consists of mature 'open' organisations, for which publishing all knowledge as reusable open content and free access publications is the norm. +We offer all our own outcomes as a no-cost download, without any user tracking. +Any scientific publication will be published either 'gold level' or 'green level' **open access**. -**Project level IPR** -- Ownership of all (third party) project content and IPR developed through the Open Calls remains with the third parties executing technical R&D efforts. In order to ensure lasting impact, a **clear open source IPR regime** is therefore in place: all software, hardware and content funded through this programme should always be made available under a recognised libre/open license. Active and pending patents need to be explicitly declared in the application, proposals which have a direct and essential dependency on non-defensive patents are not eligible for grants. NDAs are not acceptable. +**Project level IPR** — Ownership of all (third party) project content and IPR developed through the Open Calls remains with the third parties executing technical R&D efforts. +In order to ensure lasting impact, a **clear open source IPR regime** is therefore in place: all software, hardware and content funded through this programme should always be made available under a recognised libre/open license. +Active and pending patents need to be explicitly declared in the application, proposals which have a direct and essential dependency on non-defensive patents are not eligible for grants + NDAs are not acceptable. -We follow the [Reuse.Software](https://reuse.software/) specification, which is the **leading set of best practices** on copyright handling. We willactively support our projects with achieving **copyright compliance**, as an unclear licensing situations significantly hampers uptake. Through the NGI0 review project (also ran by NLnet Foundation) we will advise and help people to set up proper **IPR governance** for their projects, including **trademarks**. +We follow the [Reuse.Software](https://reuse.software/) specification, which is the **leading set of best practices** on copyright handling. +We will actively support our projects with achieving **copyright compliance**, as an unclear licensing situations significantly hampers uptake. +Through the NGI0 review project (also ran by NLnet Foundation) we will advise and help people to set up proper **IPR governance** for their projects, including **trademarks**. -Work in most **standards setting** organisations is automatically covered by a **strict IPR policy**, requiring full declaration -- which is typically followed by an effort to work around any patents in order to create a FOSS-friendly, unencumbered standard. +Work in most **standards setting** organisations is automatically covered by a **strict IPR policy**, requiring full declaration — which is typically followed by an effort to work around any patents in order to create a FOSS-friendly, unencumbered standard. Handling the threat of software patents -The fact that patented technologies are out of scope for our research, does not mean that patents have ceased to be, and no longer pose a threat. Our projects work out in the open, and so groundbreaking ideas can be appropriated easily. We are mindful of the threat of so called 'patent trolls' or 'Non-Practising Entities' - especially since the amount of utility patent applications continues to rise. Last year, tens of thousands of patents on basic technologies like data processing were issued, according to the Patent Quality Initiative. It is in the interest of the entire community to help new ideas that come up to be protected against software patent threats. +The fact that patented technologies are out of scope for our research, does not mean that patents have ceased to be, and no longer pose a threat. +Our projects work out in the open, and so groundbreaking ideas can be appropriated easily. +We are mindful of the threat of so called 'patent trolls' or 'Non-Practising Entities' - especially since the amount of utility patent applications continues to rise. +Last year, tens of thousands of patents on basic technologies like data processing were issued, according to the Patent Quality Initiative. +It is in the interest of the entire community to help new ideas that come up to be protected against software patent threats. -Through NLnet we partner with several key stakeholders in the intellectual property community to make sure that we handle these threats in the best possible way. Through so called technical disclosure commons, which are endorsed by the USPTO as an IP rights management tool, derivative patent hijacking can be prevented. Defensive publications are documents that provide descriptions and artwork of a product, device or method so that it enters the public domain and becomes time-stamped "prior art". +Through NLnet we partner with several key stakeholders in the intellectual property community to make sure that we handle these threats in the best possible way. +Through so called technical disclosure commons, which are endorsed by the USPTO as an IP rights management tool, derivative patent hijacking can be prevented. +Defensive publications are documents that provide descriptions and artwork of a product, device or method so that it enters the public domain and becomes time-stamped "prior art". -This powerful preemptive disclosure prevents malicious parties from obtaining a patent on the product, device or method. In collaboration with our partners Open Invention Network, defensivepublications.org and LOT we intend to make sure that there are no patent hijacks along the way. We will integrate that aspect into the high level process on a best effort basis. +This powerful preemptive disclosure prevents malicious parties from obtaining a patent on the product, device or method. +In collaboration with our partners Open Invention Network, defensivepublications.org and LOT we intend to make sure that there are no patent hijacks along the way. +We will integrate that aspect into the high level process on a best effort basis. ## Summary | **Specific needs**: What are the specific needs that triggered this project? | **Expected results**: What does Fediversity expect to generate by the end of the project? | **Communication and dissemination measures**: What dissemination, exploitation and communication measures will Fediversity apply to the results? | |-|-|-| -| **Availability of content in the Fediverse**: Even though the fediverse is now used by a lot of ‘normal users’ most public organizations are lacking from providing content to the Fediverse. | **Easier and predictable use of NGI-supported open source software**: We aim to provide hosting providers and public organizations with a cookbook/script that will allow them to implement, and maintain NGI-supported open source software in such a way that it feels comfortable for IT staff to do. | **Outreach towards main stream consumers**: Press and guerrilla marketing, tech talks and webinars, decentralised social media, project speaker bureau. | +| **Availability of content in the Fediverse**: Even though the fediverse is now used by a lot of 'normal users' most public organizations are lacking from providing content to the Fediverse. | **Easier and predictable use of NGI-supported open source software**: We aim to provide hosting providers and public organizations with a cookbook/script that will allow them to implement, and maintain NGI-supported open source software in such a way that it feels comfortable for IT staff to do. | **Outreach towards main stream consumers**: Press and guerrilla marketing, tech talks and webinars, decentralised social media, project speaker bureau. | | **Use of open source software is hard**: The general misconception is that the use of open source software is hard and it is difficult for large organizations (both public and private) to run, and maintain open source software. | **Better and more content in the Fediverse**: by getting better support of IT staff in running NGI-supported fediverse platforms we expect NRENs and other public organizations to move to an ‘open first’ approach for sharing their content, moving away from Big Tech. A secondary effect of this could be that due to the availability of that content more people would start using the Fediverse giving meaning to the term ‘network effect’. | **Engage with technical, operational community and decision makers**: Webinars for ‘families’ of projects to showcase progress to internet service providers, research networks, operator groups, hosters, CERTs, etc. | | **Service portability is lacking**: Even though there are now regulations that state that you can get all your personal data from service providers. It is still quite hard to move from one platform to another. With the event of federated networks you can export your data from one instance and move to another. This is not easy and requires quite some work. | @@ -434,10 +713,9 @@ community and decision makers**: Webinars for ‘families’ of projects to show | **Target groups**: Who will use or further up-take the results of the project? Who will benefit from the results of the project? | **Outcomes**: What change does Fediversity expect to see after successful dissemination and exploitation of project results to the target groups? | **Impacts**: What are the expected wider scientific, economic and societal effects of the projects contributing to the expected impacts outlined in the respective destination in the work programme? | |-|-|-| | **Software and hardware companies and in-house developers**: Developers (also in-house) from public and private sector that benefit from quality reusable components and turnkey best practices. | **Significant uptake by interested users**: Projects improve the state of the art and can be customised, offering distinct advantages over existing (proprietary or legacy) tools. | **Societal**: Sustainable ecosystem around open source and open hardware projects which creates a virtuous cycle of collaboration, growth and innovation. | -| **Regular end users**: Many technologies within NGI Zero directly benefit those that want to increase their online privacy, independence and security. | **Adoption by service providers, network operators and platforms**: Efforts within the infrastructure and hosting layer, and at the level of platforms and distributions will ‘automatically’ benefit users. | **Societal**: Privacy and security improvements help users avoid risks, especially important for vulnerable groups like minorities, whistle-blowers, activists, refugees and journalists. | -| **Enterprises and public sector**: Organisations can replace proprietary, possibly unethical business software with open source, user-respecting solutions. | **Integration of project output into major open source solutions**: Superior solutions tend to gradually replace legacy technologies and improving standards has a strong effect on the overall marketplace. | **Economic**: -ISPs, hosters, network operators, companies and civil society (re)use project output to deliver services that grant users more autonomy and privacy. | -| **Academia and research**: Unlike proprietary (“black box”) tools and services, open source solutions are well-suited for academics and private and public sector research as a subject and to experiment with new ideas. | **Usage and (paid) services for enterprises and organisations**: On top of state of the art FOSS solutions everyone can build competitive business and services. | **Economic**: We expect a new economy will start to evolve based on value added support and services for e.g. end-to-end communication, private data storage, federated and decentralised identity management. | +| **Regular end users**: Many technologies within NGI Zero directly benefit those that want to increase their online privacy, independence and security. | **Adoption by service providers, network operators and platforms**: Efforts within the infrastructure and hosting layer, and at the level of platforms and distributions will 'automatically' benefit users. | **Societal**: Privacy and security improvements help users avoid risks, especially important for vulnerable groups like minorities, whistle-blowers, activists, refugees and journalists. | +| **Enterprises and public sector**: Organisations can replace proprietary, possibly unethical business software with open source, user-respecting solutions. | **Integration of project output into major open source solutions**: Superior solutions tend to gradually replace legacy technologies and improving standards has a strong effect on the overall marketplace. | **Economic**: ISPs, hosters, network operators, companies and civil society (re)use project output to deliver services that grant users more autonomy and privacy. | +| **Academia and research**: Unlike proprietary ("black box") tools and services, open source solutions are well-suited for academics and private and public sector research as a subject and to experiment with new ideas. | **Usage and (paid) services for enterprises and organisations**: On top of state of the art FOSS solutions everyone can build competitive business and services. | **Economic**: We expect a new economy will start to evolve based on value added support and services for e.g. end-to-end communication, private data storage, federated and decentralised identity management. | # Quality and efficiency of the implementation @@ -468,15 +746,19 @@ Not applicable. Fediversity is a unique collaboration of not-for-profit internet expert organisations with a strong track record: -[**Open Internet Discourse Foundation**](https://oid.foundation/)** -(coordinator -- OID)** is the result of 22 years of work in the Open Source internet market. A company called ProcoliX founded with roots in hosting services that date back to the early stages of the internet. Today hosting public services like the NLUUG FTP server, one of the largest repositories of Open Source software in Europe and sites like Mastodon.nl and Petities.nl for the public good. OID has a 'open source only' approach to running Internet IT Infrastructure. +[NLnet Foundation](https://nlnet.nl/) (NLnet — NL) \~ +Widely recognised as one of the leading grantmakers in the realm of internet and open technology. +Introduced the internet in Europe in the eighties, and led the project that defined the vision of the NGI initiative. +Now is the driving force behind NGI Zero, and responsible for over half of the active projects inside NGI. -[NLnet Foundation](https://nlnet.nl/) (NLnet -- NL) \~ Widely recognised as one of the leading grantmakers in the realm of internet and open technology. Introduced the internet in Europe in the eighties, and led the project that defined the vision of the NGI initiative. Now is the driving force behind NGI Zero, and responsible for over half of the active projects inside NGI. +[Tweag](https://tweag.io/) \~ Tweag is a software innovation lab that helps deep tech startups quickly scale their engineering performance and execute on high-risk, high-reward projects with confidence. +Tweag's team of engineers are behind today's boldest innovations in machine learning, distributed computing and biotech. +Applying mathematics, computer science and the methods of open source to software engineering, Tweag stretches what's possible for clients. -[Tweag](https://tweag.io/) \~ Tweag is a software innovation lab that helps deep tech startups quickly scale their engineering performance and execute on high-risk, high-reward projects with confidence. Tweag's team of engineers are behind today's boldest innovations in machine learning, distributed computing and biotech. Applying mathematics, computer science and the methods of open source to software engineering, Tweag stretches what's possible for clients. - -[NORDUnet](https://nordu.net/) \~ NORDUnet is an international collaboration between the National research and education networks in the Nordic countries. NORDUnet interconnects the Nordic national research and education networks and connects them to the worldwide network for research and education and to the general purpose Internet. -NORDUnet provides its services by a combination of leased lines and Internet services provided by other international operators. NORDUnet has peering in multiple important internet exchange sites outside the Nordics, such as Amsterdam, Chicago, Frankfurt, London, Miami and New York. +[NORDUnet](https://nordu.net/) \~ NORDUnet is an international collaboration between the National research and education networks in the Nordic countries. +NORDUnet interconnects the Nordic national research and education networks and connects them to the worldwide network for research and education and to the general purpose Internet. +NORDUnet provides its services by a combination of leased lines and Internet services provided by other international operators. +NORDUnet has peering in multiple important internet exchange sites outside the Nordics, such as Amsterdam, Chicago, Frankfurt, London, Miami and New York. # Ethics self-assessment @@ -511,11 +793,15 @@ Animals Non-EU countries - Will some of the activities be carried out in non-EU countries? **YES (potentially) **\ - **\*Specify the countries involved\***: The countries from which beneficiaries operate are not yet known (open call involving financial support to third parties). + **\*Specify the countries involved\***: + The countries from which beneficiaries operate are not yet known (open call involving financial support to third parties). - In case non-EU countries are involved, do the activities undertaken in these countries raise potential ethics issues? **NO** - Is it planned to use local resources (e.g. animal and/or human tissue samples, genetic material, live animals, human remains, materials of historical value, endangered fauna or flora samples, etc.)? **NO** -- Is it planned to import any material (other than data) from non-EU countries into the EU or from a non-EU country to another non-EU country? (For data imports, see section 4. For imports of human cells or tissues, see section 3.) **NO**\ - Is it planned to export any material (other than data) from the EU to non-EU countries? For data exports, see section 4. **NO** +- Is it planned to import any material (other than data) from non-EU countries into the EU or from a non-EU country to another non-EU country? + (For data imports, see section 4. + For imports of human cells or tissues, see section 3.) **NO**\ + Is it planned to export any material (other than data) from the EU to non-EU countries? + For data exports, see section 4. **NO** - Does this activity involves low and/or lower-middle income countries? (if yes, detail the benefit-sharing actions planned in the self-assessment) **NO** - Could the situation in the country put the individuals taking part in the activity at risk? **NO** @@ -523,7 +809,7 @@ Environment & health and safety - Does this activity involve the use of substances or processes (or technologies) that may cause harm to the environment, to animals or plants (during the implementation of the activity or further to the use of the results, as a possible impact)?** NO** - Does this activity deal with endangered fauna and/or flora / protected areas?** NO** -- Does this activity involve the use of substances or processes (or technologies) that may cause harm to humans, including those performing the activity (during the implementation of the activity or further to the use of the results, or the deployment of the technology as a possible impact)?** NO** +- Does this activity involve the use of substances or processes (or technologies) that may cause harm to humans, including those performing the activity (during the implementation of the activity or further to the use of the results, or the deployment of the technology as a possible impact)? ** NO** Artificial intelligence @@ -533,11 +819,12 @@ Other ethics issues - Are there any other ethics issues that should be taken into consideration?** NO**\ \ - \[x\] I confirm that I have taken into account all ethics issues above and that, if any ethics issues apply, I will complete the ethics self-assessment as described in the guidance 'How to complete your Ethics Self-Assessment'. (See Guide 4 section 5) + \[x\] I confirm that I have taken into account all ethics issues above and that, if any ethics issues apply, I will complete the ethics self-assessment as described in the guidance 'How to complete your Ethics Self-Assessment'. + (See Guide 4 section 5) # Financial support to third parties in Fediversity -Financial support in the form of a grant awarded after a call for proposals +## Financial support in the form of a grant awarded after a call for proposals As detailed in Part B, Fediversity in addition to its research goals and support for verticals will contribute 15% of its budget to the development of related digital commons through financial support in the form of grants awarded to third parties through bi-monthly open calls for proposals. @@ -550,29 +837,40 @@ In this annexe we describe the following aspects of this financial support by de - Criteria for awarding financial support - Criteria for calculating the exact amount of the financial support -Objectives and results obtained of third party financial support +## Objectives and results obtained of third party financial support The **core objective** of the grant component of the Fediversity programme is to fund and support independent researchers and developers and organisations that contribute open source technology for a more open, trustworthy internet *pertinent to the NGI technologies further developed within Fediversity*. -The way we do this is a **tailormade** version of the open call grant mechanism which -- through acclaimed programmes like [NGI Zero](https://nlnet.nl/NGI0) and [NGI Assure](https://nlnet.nl/assure) -- has already been responsible for most of the projects within NGI: the open call operated by NLnet foundation -- including [Mastodon](https://nlnet.nl/project/Mastodon), [PixelFed](https://nlnet.nl/project/PixelFed) and [PeerTube](https://nlnet.nl/project/PeerTube). +The way we do this is a **tailormade** version of the open call grant mechanism which — through acclaimed programmes like [NGI Zero](https://nlnet.nl/NGI0) and [NGI Assure](https://nlnet.nl/assure) — has already been responsible for most of the projects within NGI: +the open call operated by NLnet foundation. -NLnet is the oldest internet technology grantmaker in Europe, and has decades of track record in funding strategic efforts. We will open a **dedicated fund** for the calls from the Fediversity Pilot. +NLnet is the oldest internet technology grantmaker in Europe, and has decades of track record in funding strategic efforts. +We will open a **dedicated fund** for the calls from the Fediversity Pilot. -As a recognised public benefit organisation NLnet operates *transparently*, is *publicly accountable* and the goals of the topic in the Work Programme align with its *statutory mission*. Any grants that will be handed out to individuals, companies, NGO's or other types of legal entities are donations that fall under the most beneficial tax conditions as '[philanthropic gifts](https://philea.eu/philanthropy-in-europe/policy-and-advocacy/analysing-the-legal-environment-for-philanthropy-in-europe/)'. +As a recognised public benefit organisation NLnet operates *transparently*, is *publicly accountable* and the goals of the topic in the Work Programme align with its *statutory mission*. +Any grants that will be handed out to individuals, companies, NGO's or other types of legal entities are donations that fall under the most beneficial tax conditions as '[philanthropic gifts](https://philea.eu/philanthropy-in-europe/policy-and-advocacy/analysing-the-legal-environment-for-philanthropy-in-europe/)'. -The **results** of the *Fediversity grant programme* consist of new or improved **digital commons** that have a clear link to its research topics and contribute to the public benefit. These characteristics are requirements for projects to be selected and funded, and stem from the overal vision that underpins the Next Generation Internet initiative. +The **results** of the *Fediversity grant programme* consist of new or improved **digital commons** that have a clear link to its research topics and contribute to the public benefit. +These characteristics are requirements for projects to be selected and funded, and stem from the overal vision that underpins the Next Generation Internet initiative. -Specifications of third party financial support +## Specifications of third party financial support -We will competitively award 450 000 EUR worth of grants to third parties. This is 15% of the Fediversity budget. Fueling great R&D is the core objective of this Innovation Action. We have detailed the list of activities that qualify for financial support, the entire procedure, the results to be obtained, who is eligible, the competitive criteria for awarding financial support, and the criteria for calculating the exact amount of the financial support (competitive, best value delivered) below. +We will competitively award 450 000 EUR worth of grants to third parties. +This is 15% of the Fediversity budget. +Fueling great R&D is the core objective of this Innovation Action. +We have detailed the list of activities that qualify for financial support, the entire procedure, the results to be obtained, who is eligible, the competitive criteria for awarding financial support, and the criteria for calculating the exact amount of the financial support (competitive, best value delivered) below. -**List of activities and costs eligible for funding** +### List of activities and costs eligible for funding 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 Fediversity and the objectives set out in the work programme/call: -- Primary ring: Fediversity makes intensive use of NixOS for the hostingstack. Projects that improve, enhance or add to this stack. -- Secondary ring: applications that can be added to the Fediversity stack. -- Tertiary ring: tools or applications that enable provisioning, monitoring, authentication, etc. for the Fediversity stack. +- Primary ring: + Fediversity makes intensive use of NixOS for the hosting stack. + Projects that improve, enhance or add to this stack. +- Secondary ring: + applications that can be added to the Fediversity stack. +- Tertiary ring: + tools or applications that enable provisioning, monitoring, authentication, etc. for the Fediversity stack. - 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). @@ -580,7 +878,7 @@ The following types of activities qualify for financial support, provided they a - Project management. - Out-of-pocket costs for infrastructure essential to achieving the above. -Definition of persons or categories of persons which may receive financial support +### Definition of persons or categories of persons which may receive financial support There are no categorical exclusions of persons who may not receive support from Fediversity. @@ -590,36 +888,48 @@ Young people that have not yet reached the age of legal consent in their country Special efforts are made to reach out to talent from under-represented parts of the community. -Criteria for awarding financial support +### Criteria for awarding financial support -Projects are judged on their **technical merits, strategic relevance** to the Next Generation Internet and overall **value for money**. The key objective is to deliver potential break-through contributions to the open internet linked to the NGI technologies which are the topic of Fediversity. 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. +Projects are judged on their **technical merits**, **strategic relevance** to the Next Generation Internet and overall **value for money**. +The key objective is to deliver potential break-through contributions to the open internet linked to the NGI technologies which are the topic of Fediversity. +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. -The proposed IPR regime is in line with the approach in other NGI programmes such as NGI Zero and is 100% compatible with the vision of the Next Generation Internet initiative. It ensures **lasting impact** and **reusability of results**. +The proposed IPR regime is in line with the approach in other NGI programmes such as NGI Zero and is 100% compatible with the vision of the Next Generation Internet initiative. +It ensures **lasting impact** and **reusability of results**. -Payment is upon delivery, which is fair. However, should during the executing of a project the beneficiaries face any major hardships without having a financial safety net -- including being struck by natural disaster, serious personal medical crisis or other disruptive life events that prevent them from timely completion of the project and subsequent entitlement to a donation -- they may upon providing proof of the circumstances be granted a proportional amount as hardship contribution. +Payment is upon delivery, which is fair. +However, should during the executing of a project the beneficiaries face any major hardships without having a financial safety net — including being struck by natural disaster, serious personal medical crisis or other disruptive life events that prevent them from timely completion of the project and subsequent entitlement to a donation — they may upon providing proof of the circumstances be granted a proportional amount as hardship contribution. -First stage assessment Based on the submitted proposals, projects receive a first check for eligibility in terms of alignment of goals and criteria with the sub-granting call. In this stage hard eligibility ("knock-out") criteria specific to the sub-granting call are checked. +#### First stage assessment + +Based on the submitted proposals, projects receive a first check for eligibility in terms of alignment of goals and criteria with the sub-granting call. +In this stage hard eligibility ("knock-out") criteria specific to the sub-granting call are checked. Project proposals are written in English and: - should be in line with the NGI vision and the sub-granting call applied for - should have research and development as their primary objective - should satisfy any other hard eligibility criteria specific to the sub-granting call, such as geographic limitations -All projects that fail on any of these knock-out criteria, will not be further reviewed and will be marked ineligible. The rest of the projects will be given a score based on the proposal text as submitted. +All projects that fail on any of these knock-out criteria, will not be further reviewed and will be marked ineligible. +The rest of the projects will be given a score based on the proposal text as submitted. Projects receive an initial rating on three criteria: | Weight | Criterion | -|---------|--------------------------------------| -| 30% | Technical excellence/feasibility | -| 40% | Relevance/Impact/Strategic potential | -| 30% | Cost effectiveness/Value for money | +|-|-| +| 30% | Technical excellence/feasibility | +| 40% | Relevance/Impact/Strategic potential | +| 30% | Cost effectiveness/Value for money | The total weighted score of projects has to be above 5 (out of 7) to pass to the next stage. -The projects which are not taken into the second round are informed that their project is not selected, so that they may try to find funding elsewhere as soon as possible - or continue without additional funding (as happens a lot). +The projects which are not taken into the second round are informed that their project is not selected, so that they may try to find funding elsewhere as soon as possible — or continue without additional funding (as happens a lot). -**Second stage assessment** The second stage is used to select strategic projects which not only satisfy the minimal criteria, but also have potentially a lasting impact on society. Projects are to be selected based on their potential contribution to the Next Generation Internet and its key drivers for change. In the second stage, the reviewers are able to ask additional clarifying questions and make (minor) suggestions to improve the quality and impact of the project. +#### Second stage assessment + +The second stage is used to select strategic projects which not only satisfy the minimal criteria, but also have potentially a lasting impact on society. +Projects are to be selected based on their potential contribution to the Next Generation Internet and its key drivers for change. +In the second stage, the reviewers are able to ask additional clarifying questions and make (minor) suggestions to improve the quality and impact of the project. This typically involves questions such as: @@ -627,17 +937,36 @@ This typically involves questions such as: - how will you approach complicating factor X - can you back up or validate claim Y - have you considered collaborating with complementary effort Z or using standard A -- the rate you have applied for task B is very high compared to the perceived value of that task. Can you explain, or would you like to reconsider? +- the rate you have applied for task B is very high compared to the perceived value of that task. + Can you explain, or would you like to reconsider? - can you clarify how you intend to make the outcome of the project (self)sustainable - how does upstream project D feel about your application -In addition, the review team will do independent verification of facts, methods and claims. If necessary they verify relevant information through their expert network. This is done without revealing personally identifiable information, unless there is explicit consent from the submitter that their project may be shared. The second stage typically lasts two-three weeks. If a project is unable to prepare all the answers to the questions and/or a modified proposal within the allocated time frame, the project may be moved to the next round. Note that the proposed project budget may change during this phase due to added or deleted project milestones. +In addition, the review team will do independent verification of facts, methods and claims. +If necessary they verify relevant information through their expert network. +This is done without revealing personally identifiable information, unless there is explicit consent from the submitter that their project may be shared. +The second stage typically lasts two-three weeks. +If a project is unable to prepare all the answers to the questions and/or a modified proposal within the allocated time frame, the project may be moved to the next round. +Note that the proposed project budget may change during this phase due to added or deleted project milestones. -After the second stage is completed, new ratings are calculated based on the revised plan. If the revised plan scores lower than the original proposal, the original proposal is rated. Projects are subsequently ranked by the team according to the overall expected value and impact to the NGI initiative. A cut off point is determined, based on the overall quality of the round and the remaining budget. The projects that fall below the cut are (similar to the first round) informed that their project is not selected, so that they may try to find funding elsewhere as soon as possible - or continue without additional funding. +After the second stage is completed, new ratings are calculated based on the revised plan. +If the revised plan scores lower than the original proposal, the original proposal is rated. +Projects are subsequently ranked by the team according to the overall expected value and impact to the NGI initiative. +A cut off point is determined, based on the overall quality of the round and the remaining budget. +The projects that fall below the cut are (similar to the first round) informed that their project is not selected, so that they may try to find funding elsewhere as soon as possible - or continue without additional funding. -**Third stage: Independent review committee** An independent review committee checks the final selection of projects. The review committee consists of independent experts from the internet and FOSS community, academia and the public sector. The committee receives no remuneration for its work, and its members have no other economic interests with NGI and/or links to NLnet Foundation as the grant-making organisation. Each project is reviewed for eligibility independently by at least two members of the review committee. +#### Third stage: Independent review committee -The outcome of the selection process is randomly divided among the members of the Review Committee. The committee validates that all the projects that are nominated are indeed eligible for funding, budgets are frugal, and that there are no other concerns. This creates a transparency trail with regards to eligibility and cost effectiveness of the proposed solutions, while retaining confidentiality of the preceding procedure. If a project fails to meet the criteria of the independent review committee, the concerns are sent to the proposer and the project is pushed back to the next available call. If there is no future call, the project is declined. +An independent review committee checks the final selection of projects. +The review committee consists of independent experts from the internet and FOSS community, academia and the public sector. +The committee receives no remuneration for its work, and its members have no other economic interests with NGI and/or links to NLnet Foundation as the grant-making organisation. +Each project is reviewed for eligibility independently by at least two members of the review committee. + +The outcome of the selection process is randomly divided among the members of the Review Committee. +The committee validates that all the projects that are nominated are indeed eligible for funding, budgets are frugal, and that there are no other concerns. +This creates a transparency trail with regards to eligibility and cost effectiveness of the proposed solutions, while retaining confidentiality of the preceding procedure. +If a project fails to meet the criteria of the independent review committee, the concerns are sent to the proposer and the project is pushed back to the next available call. +If there is no future call, the project is declined. The external review board does not have to review amendments to an already granted project in case of: @@ -645,91 +974,133 @@ The external review board does not have to review amendments to an already grant - adjustments of a project plan without budget changes - additional tasks within the same scope and using equivalent rates, as long as the total grant amount stays below 60k euro -Criteria for calculating the exact amount of the financial support +### Criteria for calculating the exact amount of the financial support The call text stipulates that subgrants between 10k and 50k euro are the expected target range. -Our long term of experience with precisely this type of funding instrument has learned us that there is already benefit below this scale -- and in fact being able to offer more modest amounts actually invites a different (but very interesting) group of contributors that would consider those higher amounts above their capacity. We therefore allow even smaller project to apply, setting the bandwidth for proposals between **5 000** and **50 000 euro**. Obviously, this comes with additional overhead at our end -- but we believe that to be worth it. +Our long term of experience with precisely this type of funding instrument has taught us that there is already benefit below this scale — and in fact being able to offer more modest amounts actually invites a different (but very interesting) group of contributors that would consider those higher amounts above their capacity. +We therefore allow even smaller project to apply, setting the bandwidth for proposals between **5 000** and **50 000 euro**. +Obviously, this comes with additional overhead at our end — but we believe that to be worth it. -The amount to be granted to each third party should be the amount **necessary to achieve the key objectives** of the action. During the three stage review process, the overall 'value for money' and strategic potential of the proposal are part of the review, and thus of the ranking. +The amount to be granted to each third party should be the amount **necessary to achieve the key objectives** of the action. +During the three stage review process, the overall 'value for money' and strategic potential of the proposal are part of the review, and thus of the ranking. -We have a rapid succession of project funding opportunities, so we can **iterate** and **grow** talent instead of having a 'leap of faith' with a select few projects. Excellent teams that have successfully completed their project, can apply for additional funding again -- provided that higher amount is necessary and delivers enough additional value. They are judged along the same criteria as the rest of the people in the grant round they are entering. +We have a rapid succession of project funding opportunities, so we can **iterate** and **grow** talent instead of having a 'leap of faith' with a select few projects. +Excellent teams that have successfully completed their project, can apply for additional funding again — provided that a higher amount is necessary and delivers enough additional value. +They are judged along the same criteria as the rest of the people in the grant round they are entering. Proposals must adhere to the following boundary conditions: - a single proposal MAY request a grant allocation up to 50k euro. -- a significant part of the work within a project MUST have been successfully completed before an amendment to the project or a new propoposal from the same applicant can be awarded: this means that the project deliverables have been made publicly available under recognised open/free licenses, that any software artefacts delivered were WCAG compliant, and that the outcomes of any third party audit have been satisfactorily dealt with. +- a significant part of the work within a project MUST have been successfully completed before an amendment to the project or a new propoposal from the same applicant can be awarded: this means that the project deliverables have been made publicly available under recognised open/free licenses, that any software artefacts delivered were [WCAG](https://www.wcag.com/) compliant, and that the outcomes of any third party audit have been satisfactorily dealt with. - If a grantee seeks an amendment or new grant, the outcomes of the previously delivered work are taken into account during the evaluation. -The exact amount of financial support is determined by NLnet based on the projected cost and estimated value of the proposition. Any proposed amount is to be adjusted for costs that are deemed ineligible (see above) as well as for the cost of any additional activities recommended by NLnet. The final amount is established in the memorandum of understanding between NLnet and the grantee. If the grantee does not agree with the size of the grant offered, they may decline and withdraw the proposal prior to signing the MoU at any time. +The exact amount of financial support is determined by NLnet based on the projected cost and estimated value of the proposition. +Any proposed amount is to be adjusted for costs that are deemed ineligible (see above) as well as for the cost of any additional activities recommended by NLnet. +The final amount is established in the memorandum of understanding between NLnet and the grantee. +If the grantee does not agree with the size of the grant offered, they may decline and withdraw the proposal prior to signing the MoU at any time. -NLnet as the grant handling organisation is a [recognised public benefit organisation](https://nlnet.nl/foundation/ANBI.html), and the goals of NGI are within its [statutory mission](https://nlnet.nl/foundation/20070322-statuten.pdf). Any grants that will be handed out, to individuals, companies, NGO's or other types of legal entities are donations that fall under the most beneficial tax conditions as 'charitable gifts'. +NLnet as the grant handling organisation is a [recognised public benefit organisation](https://nlnet.nl/foundation/ANBI.html), and the goals of NGI are within its [statutory mission](https://nlnet.nl/foundation/20070322-statuten.pdf). +Any grants that will be handed out, to individuals, companies, NGOs or other types of legal entities are donations that fall under the most beneficial tax conditions as 'charitable gifts'. -Maximum amount to be granted to each third party +#### Maximum amount to be granted to each third party -The maximum amount to be granted per third party over the lifetime of Fediversity is 60k euro. A third party can be a formal organisation (of any type) or an individual. +The maximum amount to be granted per third party over the lifetime of Fediversity is 60k euro. +A third party can be a formal organisation (of any type) or an individual. -Confidentiality and privacy +## Confidentiality and privacy -We take confidentiality of information conveyed to us, and the privacy of our applicants and grantees very serious. We have minimised the amount of information requested during the application, and until the point where the actual grant process starts applicants can remain anonymous at their own discretion. In our privacy policy we inform potential applicants that they can use an alias and a temporary email address, and upon sharing a valid public OpenPGP key we will use OpenPGP to encrypt any further communication. As long as a project is not accepted, the applicants real identity is not relevant to us. If the proposal never goes beyond that phase they can remain anonymous. +We take confidentiality of information conveyed to us, and the privacy of our applicants and grantees very serious. +We have minimised the amount of information requested during the application, and until the point where the actual grant process starts applicants can remain anonymous at their own discretion. +In our privacy policy we inform potential applicants that they can use an alias and a temporary email address, and upon sharing a valid public OpenPGP key we will use OpenPGP to encrypt any further communication. +As long as a project is not accepted, the applicants real identity is not relevant to us. +If the proposal never goes beyond that phase they can remain anonymous. -In order to review and process project proposals we need to grant access to the professional staff of NLnet foundation responsible for reviewing and running the open calls associated with Fediversity (WP4). Since confidentiality is a critical aspect of the trust relationship we have with projects, at no point in time will proposals be shared with third parties without explicity permission, not even partners within Fediversity. Sometimes opportunities will arise outside of the context of this fund, or there is a potential to support the project in some other way. At the time of submitting the proposal applicants either grant NLnet Foundation the right to keep any information submitted on record -- should future funding opportunities arise -- or not. When the latter option is selected, NLnet will remove the information associated with the proposal if it is not successful. If they chose to allow NLnet to keep the information at hand, NLnet may at some point in the future bring them into contact with others at any given point inthe future -- but again only after explicit written consent from applicants. +In order to review and process project proposals we need to grant access to the professional staff of NLnet foundation responsible for reviewing and running the open calls associated with Fediversity (WP4). +Since confidentiality is a critical aspect of the trust relationship we have with projects, at no point in time will proposals be shared with third parties without explicity permission, not even partners within Fediversity. +Sometimes opportunities will arise outside of the context of this fund, or there is a potential to support the project in some other way. +At the time of submitting the proposal applicants either grant NLnet Foundation the right to keep any information submitted on record — should future funding opportunities arise — or not. +When the latter option is selected, NLnet will remove the information associated with the proposal if it is not successful. +If they chose to allow NLnet to keep the information at hand, NLnet may at some point in the future bring them into contact with others at any given point in the future — but again only after explicit written consent from applicants. -When a project makes it through the first two stages of the selection process (see above), we need to share some information with the independent Review Committee -- which consists of a small group of trusted experts. We do not pass on names of individuals (nor their contact details) onto the committee, but the committee members do receive and evaluate the granted proposal in a confidential manner. +When a project makes it through the first two stages of the selection process (see above), we need to share some information with the independent Review Committee — which consists of a small group of trusted experts. +We do not pass on names of individuals (nor their contact details) onto the committee, but the committee members do receive and evaluate the granted proposal in a confidential manner. -When a proposal makes it through the third round and goes into the grantmaking process, we legally need to retain the applicants information for compliance purposes for at least seven years. We share contact details with our (not-for-profit) partner organisations in order so they may assist the projects with mentoring and technical advice. +When a proposal makes it through the third round and goes into the grantmaking process, we legally need to retain the applicants information for compliance purposes for at least seven years. +We share contact details with our (not-for-profit) partner organisations in order so they may assist the projects with mentoring and technical advice. -NLnet is also the coordinator of NGI Zero Review, through which projects may receive complementary services e.g. accessibility audits, localisation support, packaging, security reviews etc. Supporting organisations within Fediversity do need to actually contact people in order to support or mentor them, NLnet will ask grantees to allow them to make contact information available to these partners -- but we do not necessarily reveal their real identity. Applicants may provide us with an alias which will be what we expose to partners instead. +NLnet is also the coordinator of NGI Zero Review, through which projects may receive complementary services e.g. accessibility audits, localisation support, packaging, security reviews etc. +Supporting organisations within Fediversity do need to actually contact people in order to support or mentor them, NLnet will ask grantees to allow them to make contact information available to these partners — but we do not necessarily reveal their real identity. +Applicants may provide us with an alias which will be what we expose to partners instead. -If people request a copy of their application, this is sent to the email address they themselves provide to use. We assume people have a good understanding of who has access to the associated mailbox and/or can observe their mail server traffic. +If people request a copy of their application, this is sent to the email address they themselves provide to use. +We assume people have a good understanding of who has access to the associated mailbox and/or can observe their mail server traffic. -The European Commission and its appointed project review committees receive management information about projects receiving grants from these calls, but not the proposals themselves -- and only the initials of the names (or aliases) of individuals are shared. +The European Commission and its appointed project review committees receive management information about projects receiving grants from these calls, but not the proposals themselves — and only the initials of the names (or aliases) of individuals are shared. -We ask people to inform us of any additional security and privacy constraints they have in our privacy policy, and we will try to accommodate such constraints to the best of our abilities -- or tell them we are not able to do so. That at least gives people the choice to continue their interaction with us or not. +We ask people to inform us of any additional security and privacy constraints they have in our privacy policy, and we will try to accommodate such constraints to the best of our abilities — or tell them we are not able to do so. +That at least gives people the choice to continue their interaction with us or not. -Conflict of interest resolution +## Conflict of interest resolution -The reviews within the Fediversity grant programme are done by full time professional staff of a recognised and professionally audited public benefit organisation with a significant track record (NLnet foundation), hired to perform impartial and objective project reviews without economic interest, political or national affinity. Every project is reviewed by multiple full time staff members, and independently from that all projects proposed for funding are again reviewed by multiple well-regarded experts from academia, the internet world and the public sector. +The reviews within the Fediversity grant programme are done by full time professional staff of a recognised and professionally audited public benefit organisation with a significant track record (NLnet foundation), hired to perform impartial and objective project reviews without economic interest, political or national affinity. +Every project is reviewed by multiple full time staff members, and independently from that all projects proposed for funding are again reviewed by multiple well-regarded experts from academia, the internet world and the public sector. -Institutional conflicts of interest +### Institutional conflicts of interest -As the organisation responsible for performing the reviews within the Fediversity grant programme, NLnet foundation offers strong guarantees it does not in any way have any financial or other benefit from awarding certain proposals over others. Note that NLnet foundation is entirely independent, and has been so ever since it was founded in 1989. NLnet currently has no organisational ties with other legal entities -- with the noted exception of its wholly owned fiscal fundraising entity Commons Caretakers, which for obvious reasons is excluded from requesting grants from the Fediversity grant programme. As part of managing its own financial endowment, NLnet has some small historical investments in SME companies and small investment funds. Companies financially invested in by NLnet are also explicitly excluded from receiving any grants through Fediversity. +As the organisation responsible for performing the reviews within the Fediversity grant programme, NLnet foundation offers strong guarantees it does not in any way have any financial or other benefit from awarding certain proposals over others. +Note that NLnet foundation is entirely independent, and has been so ever since it was founded in 1989. +NLnet currently has no organisational ties with other legal entities — with the noted exception of its wholly owned fiscal fundraising entity Commons Caretakers, which for obvious reasons is excluded from requesting grants from the Fediversity grant programme. +As part of managing its own financial endowment, NLnet has some small historical investments in SME companies and small investment funds. +Companies financially invested in by NLnet are also explicitly excluded from receiving any grants through Fediversity. -Although they are not in any way involved with the review, the other legal entities that are part of the Fediversity consortium and their staff are also fully excluded from requesting and receiving grants through the Fediversity grant programme. This avoids conflicts of interest within the consortium, which was already minimal due to the fact that NLnet is also the coordinator. +Although they are not in any way involved with the review, the other legal entities that are part of the Fediversity consortium and their staff are also fully excluded from requesting and receiving grants through the Fediversity grant programme. +This avoids conflicts of interest within the consortium, which was already minimal due to the fact that NLnet is also the coordinator. -Personal conflicts of interest +### Personal conflicts of interest -Reviews are performed by full time professional staff, hired to perform impartial and objective project reviews without economic interest, political or national affinity. For obvious reasons, NLnet staff are not allowed to have any financial or other personal benefit from grant proposals they are responsible for reviewing in any way either -- other than the longer term public benefit. This allows them to fulfil their tasks in an impartial manner. The same holds for those people with which the reviewers have close family ties (spouse, domestic or non-domestic partner, child, sibling, parent etc.), and for any legal entities in which NLnet (or its staff) may hold stocks, shares or other economic rights. +Reviews are performed by full time professional staff, hired to perform impartial and objective project reviews without economic interest, political or national affinity. +For obvious reasons, NLnet staff are not allowed to have any financial or other personal benefit from grant proposals they are responsible for reviewing in any way either — other than the longer term public benefit. +This allows them to fulfil their tasks in an impartial manner. +The same holds for those people with which the reviewers have close family ties (spouse, domestic or non-domestic partner, child, sibling, parent etc.), and for any legal entities in which NLnet (or its staff) may hold stocks, shares or other economic rights. -Independent review committee +## Independent review committee -The standing review committee consisting of independent experts from the technical and academic internet community and the public sector validates the outcome of the selection procedure of each round on criteria of eligibility and budgetary efficiency. To ensure their independence, the members of the review committee are not attached to any of the consortium partners within Fediversity as employee, member of the board of directors or member of the board of supervisors. +The standing review committee consisting of independent experts from the technical and academic internet community and the public sector validates the outcome of the selection procedure of each round on criteria of eligibility and budgetary efficiency. +To ensure their independence, the members of the review committee are not attached to any of the consortium partners within Fediversity as employee, member of the board of directors or member of the board of supervisors. Members of the independent review committee, their employers, their coworkers and their relatives are themselves excluded from submitting projects to the Fediversity grant programme. -Membership of reviewers in associations and not-for-profits +### Membership of reviewers in associations and not-for-profits -Note that the above explicitly does allow for past and present non-remunerate involvement of NLnet staff in not-for-profit legal entities serving the public interest, including those that were part of previously funded efforts within its funding programmes in which the partners were involved. This also includes paid and unpaid (board) membership of professional or ideological organisations such as ACM, IEEE, Internet Society, FSF, ICANN, OSI and Unix user groups, legal umbrellas such as The Commons Conservancy as well as open standards bodies like OASIS and W3C. +Note that the above explicitly does allow for past and present non-remunerated involvement of NLnet staff in not-for-profit legal entities serving the public interest, including those that were part of previously funded efforts within its funding programmes in which the partners were involved. +This also includes paid and unpaid (board) membership of professional or ideological organisations such as ACM, IEEE, Internet Society, FSF, ICANN, OSI and Unix user groups, legal umbrellas such as The Commons Conservancy as well as open standards bodies like OASIS and W3C. -Submissions from those organisations (and other people involved with them) are not considered to constitute a conflict of interest. The 'reviewer paradox' is similar to the more classical 'observer paradox': in order to be able to properly review the relevance of proposed R&D at the cutting edge of technology, reviewers have to have a level of knowledge that only exists within the R&D ecosystem itself. +Submissions from those organisations (and other people involved with them) are not considered to constitute a conflict of interest. +The 'reviewer paradox' is similar to the more classical 'observer paradox': +in order to be able to properly review the relevance of proposed R&D at the cutting edge of technology, reviewers have to have a level of knowledge that only exists within the R&D ecosystem itself. We believe it would not be proportional to exclude members of associations and volunteers within not-for-profits to exclude them from receiving support through the Fediversity grant programme, and we believe the ample additional quality assurances and third party checks made within the Fediversity grant programme allow for this sane approach. -Non-commercial constituencies +## Non-commercial constituencies -As mentioned before, all legal entities that are part of the Fediversity consortium and their paid staff are excluded from requesting and receiving grants through the Fediversity grant programme. This actively blocks any applications from the entire paid staff from the organisations within the consortium as well as the leadership involved with Fediversity: there is a 'Chinese wall' between the projects which are funded and the partners supporting the projects. +As mentioned before, all legal entities that are part of the Fediversity consortium and their paid staff are excluded from requesting and receiving grants through the Fediversity grant programme. +This actively blocks any applications from the entire paid staff from the organisations within the consortium as well as the leadership involved with Fediversity: +there is a 'Chinese wall' between the projects which are funded and the partners supporting the projects. We believe it would not be proportional and in fact be undesirable to categorically exclude the membership and volunteer constituencies of the not-for-profit organisations within the NGI Zero ecosystem from grants. -Besides NLnet foundation, neither of the partners is involved in any way with the actual review of projects and the resulting selection. The fact that people choose to contribute in an unpaid capacity to idealistic organisations that play an active and constructive role in e.g. the internet and open source ecosystems should not affect their ability to receive funding for a possible contribution. The same holds for (former and current) students and (former and non-remunerate) doctoral candidates of the academic partners in Fediversity. In fact, the ability to reach motivated and qualified people aligned with the core mission of NGI is one of the reasons these organisations were involved in the first place. +Besides NLnet foundation, neither of the partners is involved in any way with the actual review of projects and the resulting selection. +The fact that people choose to contribute in an unpaid capacity to idealistic organisations that play an active and constructive role in e.g. the internet and open source ecosystems should not affect their ability to receive funding for a possible contribution. +The same holds for (former and current) students and (former and non-remunerate) doctoral candidates of the academic partners in Fediversity. +In fact, the ability to reach motivated and qualified people aligned with the core mission of NGI is one of the reasons these organisations were involved in the first place. -Given the clear and consistent separation between the rest of the consortium and the selection process, and the strong quality guarantees from the whole procedure, NLNet and the rest of the Fediversity consortium elected to place no restrictions on proposals from the non-commercial constituencies surrounding the consortium partners in Fediversity -- with of course the noted exception of the grantmaking organisation (NLnet foundation). Consortium members have been instructed to stay clear from project proposals from their constituencies, and are aware that failing to keep adequate distance to proposals from their constituencies will disqualify the proposals involved. +Given the clear and consistent separation between the rest of the consortium and the selection process, and the strong quality guarantees from the whole procedure, NLNet and the rest of the Fediversity consortium elected to place no restrictions on proposals from the non-commercial constituencies surrounding the consortium partners in Fediversity — with of course the noted exception of the grantmaking organisation (NLnet foundation). +Consortium members have been instructed to stay clear from project proposals from their constituencies, and are aware that failing to keep adequate distance to proposals from their constituencies will disqualify the proposals involved. # Overview of project displayed in a Gantt chart ![](Pictures/gantt-chart.png) -[^1]: For example, the EU, or the Max Planck Society are running their own Mastodon servers. - [^2]: services like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter [^3]: Meta have been reported to work on an ActivityPub based app, Medium has adopted ActivityPub and Tumblr as well.