Emerging trends, future prospects and continued funding for a human-centric internet for the digital decade

European visionaries provided insights on the future of the Internet and how to make it more open, trustworthy and sustainable, while the European Commission announced further funding under Horizon Europe at the NGI Forum 2021.

The online event, attended by more than 800 participants from more than 50countries, featured some of Europe’s top Internet innovators, the open source community and European policy makers. Discussions focussed on how to pave the way for an open, trustworthy and sustainable future Internet. The event also showcased the results of the NGI projects launched in the last two years and allowed to discuss the first achievements of the initiative and its next steps.

The European Commission announced renewed EU finding for NGI and under Horizon Europe. For the period 2021-2022, the European Commission will dedicate EUR 62m to support top internet innovators in the areas of trust and data sovereignty on the Internet; Trustworthy Open Search and Discovery; Internet Architecture and Decentralised Technologies; as well as enhanced EU-US and EU-Canada cooperation and collaboration.

Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market at the European Commission who opened the NGI Forum said: “Under Horizon Europe we have a seven year investment ahead of us and I’m looking forward to seeing the Next Generation Internet Community deliver key technologies, contribute to global Internet standards and open source developments, participate in the policy debate and be part of the larger vision that Europe is pursuing for the future of the Internet.”

Eva Kaili, Member of the European Parliament, reminded participants about the important role played by innovation, together with regulation, in the digital area and reminded that recent EU regulatory initiatives aim at safeguarding transparency, privacy and accountability in the digital sphere.

Initial EC investment in NGI research and innovation (2018-2020) has already supported more than 600 Internet researchers and innovators involved in more than 400 projects.

Access the video recordings here:

NGI Forum 2021 Plenary | Day 1 & Day 2

NGI Forum 2021 Elevator Pitches Contest Nominees

For interview opportunities contact press@ngi.eu

Note to editors

Next Generation Internet (NGI) is a European Commission initiative that aims to shape the development of the Internet into an Internet of humans. NGI unites a vibrant community of Internet innovators and stakeholders around a common goal: building an Internet that responds to people’s fundamental needs, including trust, security and inclusion, and reflects the values and the norms that we enjoy in Europe.

Initial EC investment in NGI research and innovation under Horizon 2020 has supported more than 600 Internet researchers and innovators involved in more than 400 projects, covering a wide range of technology areas. Projects are presented by the innovators themselves at the NGI Forum.

The NGI Forum featured insights into upcoming funding opportunities for top Internet innovators to continue their work and to join the growing NGI community.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the formulation of a set of digital principles to promote and uphold EU values in the digital space. The consultation, open until 2 September, seeks to open a wide societal debate and gather views from citizens, non-governmental and civil society organisations, businesses, administrations and all interested parties. These principles will guide the EU and Member States in designing digital rules and regulations that deliver the benefits of digitalisation for all citizens. Learn more about the EC public consultation here.