The EU is financing the new generation internet

The European Union wants to give a role to young scientists and researchers in the development of the Internet in the coming years through the Next Generation Internet (NGI) programs which it finances and offers guidance in the development of programs and applications compiled with the principles adopted by the European Commission for an open source internet with protection of personal data.

The NGI project has already closed for three years with an initial investment of € 250 million that has supported more than 1,000 research teams and entrepreneurs in hundreds of applications. The Commission recently decided to renew the program with another € 62 million by the end of 2022 to support innovative applications in the field of internet, information retrieval, reliable data management and decentralized information systems.

NGI supports the European Commission’s vision for the digital transformation of Europe by 2030 through secure and sustainable digital infrastructure, especially at a time when the digital level is overwhelmingly controlled by US big tech companies (Alphabet-Google , Amazon, Apple, Meta-Facebook and Microsoft).

In addition to direct research grant grants, NGI offers guidance and access to additional funding for scientists and researchers who want to develop their applications in business, with the aim of increasing the options available in Europe. In this context, last week it presented the new list of applications funded by the program for the past three years. The catalog presents over 500 technological solutions that can be utilized in almost any field, from health and energy to supply chain, research and multimedia presentation.

The Greek participations

The NGI list also includes two Greek entries. This is the DOOR application developed by the company UBITECH as well as an application developed by the research center of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AOP). Both applications are in the early stages of research and cover the broader field of secure transactions and digital identity protection.

K. Ketsietzis