The Internet Society Foundation's Research Programme supports global research collaborations that advance understanding of the Internet and its value to all.

Programme objectives

• Promoting new methodologies that generate solutions to Internet-related challenges
• Identify and support a diverse and collaborative group of researchers and research institutions
• Facilitate access to intersectional research that can be applied to decision-making in government and industry

This programme is aimed at research that is applied and open, i.e. the research seeks to answer a real-world question and should be published openly and made available to the scientific community at no cost. The Foundation supports research involving humans or animals when the project has been certified by a responsible body as ethical and in compliance with local legislation. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator of the project to obtain these certifications.

Areas of Expertise

Declarations of interest and subsequent proposals should address topics related to one of the following thematic areas:

Greening the Internet

The Internet affects and is affected by the environment and climate change. Having a critical awareness of this impact is fundamental to the Internet's resilience and guarantees its sustainability for generations to come. This awareness can include an assessment of the Internet's energy consumption, or the toxins and waste generated by its use. It can consider the facilitating effect that the Internet has in other sectors to limit greenhouse gas emissions. It can examine the ways in which climate change and extreme weather threaten Internet infrastructure and limit connectivity. Research focusing on the greening of the Internet should promote awareness of these and other issues concerning the Internet's environmental footprint and the sustainability measures needed for it and the planet to thrive.

The Internet Economy

New and emerging Internet-based activities have the power to disrupt our economic scenarios and lead to unpredictable economic futures. Having a firm understanding of the interactions that create the Internet Economy has the potential to reshape this uncertainty. Unravelling how the Internet transforms traditional ideas about competition, production and consumption of goods and services can be useful in enabling the equitable and profitable participation of all in a rapidly digitalising global economy. Research proposals focusing on the Internet Economy should present an analysis of past or present ecosystems that produces a vision of the future of the Internet and its dependent market(s).

A Reliable Internet

The Internet is completely trustworthy if and only if it is completely resilient, reliable, responsible and secure in a way that consistently fulfils users' expectations for information and services. The Internet is only trustworthy when it lives up to what people expect it to, regardless of whether those expectations are reasonable or not. In addition, reliability is not a question of just one layer in the network, and it is possible that some parts of the Internet are reliable, while other parts are not. For example, while the application layer may be reliable or secure, there may be gaps in the logic or infrastructure, or there may be distrust in the content. Research into the idea of a trusted Internet should try to explain how the Internet does or does not fulfil users' expectations and what should or should not be done about it.

Decolonising the Internet

We recognise that the development of the Internet has depended on industrial societies that, by their nature, have used resources from lands expropriated from indigenous peoples and communities around the world. We recognise that the Internet can proliferate inequality and injustice, perhaps especially when its design is neither inclusive nor its designers diverse. We recognise that the Internet can invalidate and render obsolete traditional ways of producing and sharing knowledge and has the power to erase languages and cultures. But it doesn't have to either. Instead, the Internet can be a site of restorative, liberating and transformative practices that bridge the gap between the past and a more just future or bring those on the margins closer to the centre. Research into the decolonisation of the Internet should explore these practices and other methods towards an Internet for all.

Eligibility

• Independent researchers must have a postgraduate research degree (PhD, Master's) and peer-reviewed publications, patents, academic or independently published works in the relevant field.
• Public research institutions must be 501c3 or equivalent and must have a mission aligned with that of the Foundation. (Private institutions are not eligible to receive funding).

All applicants must ensure that they fulfil these basic requirements. Under-represented groups in the research world are highly encouraged to apply.

Application process

In 2023, the application process was updated to include two application cycles: April and September. For the April cycle, applications will be accepted between 12 April and 31 May.

In addition, the expression of interest has been removed from the process. Applicants are now required to submit a single application via Fluxx.

Applications are analysed by staff to ensure that the proposals are in line with the thematic areas and eligibility requirements. If there are any questions, the team will get in touch with applicants via the contact information provided.

Those that are aligned will move on to a second stage, where the proposals will be analysed by the Independent Programme Review Committee (IPRC). The IPRC recommends which proposals should be considered for funding to the Programme Officer. The Programme Officer is involved in the final review, negotiation and determination of grant awards with successful partners. The whole process will take around two months.

Selection criteria

Researchers are encouraged to submit a full application to be reviewed by the Independent Programme Review Committee. Final submissions will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Is the research aligned with one of the Foundation's thematic areas?
• Is the research new?
• Is the research applied?
• Is the research collaborative?

The IPRC meets twice a year to analyse proposals. The next Research cycle will open in April 2023.

Financing

The programme provides two levels of funding:

• Independent researchers can apply for funding of up to US$ 200,000. Grants will be awarded directly to individuals identified as the principal investigator of the project and the principal investigator will be responsible for managing the grants, including all reporting requirements for the duration of the grant.
• Organisations and institutions can apply for funding of up to US$ 500,000. One or more awards in each of the thematic areas are anticipated through funding for the year.

How to register

Only applications submitted in the Foundation's grant management system will be considered. Incomplete submissions that do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be considered.

Deadline

Open from 12th April to 31st May