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Call key data
Open Internet Stack: development of technological commons/open-source 3C building blocks
Funding Program
Horizon Europe: Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space
Call number
HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-11
deadlines
Opening
10.06.2025
Deadline
02.10.2025 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 10,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 10,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
This action will foster an Open-Source framework, developed through commons, i.e. Open Source software governed by communities of contributors, that will provide key technology components for the operation of the 3C large scale pilot. They will be addressing relevant areas, structuring them in a stack and supporting the development of 3C building blocks making them available through a library of digital commons supporting applications on top of the European providers ecosystem.
Call objectives
Mainly three technology areas are covered:
- Trust technologies such as privacy enhancing technologies, AI-based agents and trusted technologies for identities allowing exchanges across multiple 3C networks, providing the users with transparent, auditable, secure, and resilient building blocks and tools across the internet stack.
- Network and connectivity technologies according to the identified needs of the 3C large scale pilot.
- Decentralised technologies for an immersive world notably based on open standards ensuring interoperable flow of data and events across the 3C pilot networks and operators.
In order to implement the European vision of next generation digital infrastructures (3Cs networks), applicants should devise appropriate mechanisms for cooperation with the 3C pilot:
- To ensure the integration of requirements and specifications stemming from the 3C large scale pilots.
- To ensure the 3C large scale pilot’s swift integration of the building blocks developed by the Open Internet Stack, including envisaging mechanisms for testing and integration of the solutions.
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Expected effects and impacts
Applicants should provide concrete plans on how such work should be organised in close cooperation with the 3C large scale pilot to decide the building blocks that will be prioritised, facilitate their integration in the 3C large scale pilot and avoid any duplication of the work. If applicants opt for financial support to third parties, the solutions selected under the Open Calls should form a coherent portfolio and duplications should be avoided. The 3C CSA will ensure co-ordination and monitoring for duplication risks across the 3C projects’ activities.
Applicants could also decide to select and fund third party projects, wherever required, through up to 70% of their project’s budget for financial support to third parties.
If applicants opt for financial support to third parties, they should target calls towards the Open-Source communities actively influencing the course of the Internet. This action is aimed in particular at leveraging the European Open Source community – SMEs, research institutes and individual researchers and developers – with solid experience with development of solutions in line with EU rules and values. The calls should aim at improving trust, transactions, decentralisation implementing optimal balance between distribution, security (including AI for security), AI usage and energy efficiency targeting climate neutrality objectives. Applicants should then also define the mechanisms for maturing third parties’ projects e.g., security and accessibility audits, packaging of the stack for easy deployment, localisation of the software in EU languages, documentation best practices, performance optimisation and advising on licensing.
Applicants should detail the path to growth for third parties’ projects e.g., by actively animating communities, creating momentum among like-minded efforts, defining how projects will gain critical mass and what services will be provided for reaching such stage. Proposals should also detail the strategy for standardisation.
In addition to contributing to the 3C large scale pilot, applicants should demonstrate how the software produced will be operationalised as a stack of open libraries accessible through a common European repository and maximising re-use, reproducibility, and resilience for adopters.
Applicants should actively manage the portfolio of funded projects and provide a coherent overall picture in relation to the 3Cs objectives, describing how mature solutions are and ensuring trusted and easy deployment capabilities for each building block through packaged stack.
Applicants should strive for identification of common tools and stimulate maximum re-use of components coming from other funded projects e.g., interoperable identity and credential management tools, common packaging solutions, tools for decentralised social media.
Applicants should seek active collaboration with other initiatives addressing internet commons of relevance to 3Cs at national, European levels and beyond Europe including with European technology industries.
Applicants should demonstrate their experience and understanding of Open-Source communities and their expertise covering the full Open-Source life cycle through proven track record including years of experience and indication of volume of Open-Source projects supported.
In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.
Financial support to third parties
Third parties will be funded through projects typically in the EUR 50 000 to 150 000 range per project, with indicative duration of 9 to 12 months. The consortium should provide the programme logic for the third-party projects, managing the projects lifecycle, and provide the necessary technical and non-technical support: these tasks cannot be implemented using the budget earmarked for the financial support to third parties.
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Expected results
Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:
- A publicly available and operational stack of strategic commons focusing on internet technologies for trust, transactions, connectivity, and decentralisation implementing the European vision of next generation digital infrastructures, in particular the 3Cs networks (in close cooperation with the 3Cs large scale pilots), and the wider Web 4.0.
- A library of inclusive, trustworthy, interoperable, and human-centric applications and services leveraging Open-Source commons building blocks which will increase the value of the network in the respect of European values. These Open Source solutions will be integrated and tested / validated in the 3C large scale pilot.
- A flourishing European ecosystem of contributors to digital commons– e.g., individuals, SMEs, academics - stimulated by critical challenges around sovereignty, trust, and user empowerment.
Tools, services, and insights supporting compliance with and implementation of EU legal framework e.g., EUDI, CRA, DMA, DSA, GDPR, Data Act, DGA.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Canada, Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Switzerland (Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
EU Body, Education and training institution, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- Legal entities created under EU law (EU bodies) including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
- Joint Research Centre (JRC)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
- EU restrictive measures — Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) as well as Article 75 TFEU, are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).
- Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine — Given the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the involvement of Belarus, there is currently no appropriate context allowing the implementation of the actions foreseen in this programme with legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine. Therefore, even where such entities are not subject to EU restrictive measures, such legal entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity. This includes participation as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any). Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for justified reasons.
With specific regard to measures addressed to Russia, following the adoption of the Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1745 of 24 June 2024 (amending Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014) concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, legal entities established outside Russia but whose proprietary rights are directly or indirectly owned for more than 50% by a legal person, entity or body established in Russia are also not eligible to participate in any capacity. - Measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary — Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16 December 2022, no legal commitments can be entered into with Hungarian public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Affected entities may continue to apply to calls for proposals and can participate without receiving EU funding, as associated partners, if allowed by the call conditions. However, as long as the Council measures are not lifted, such entities are not eligible to participate in any funded role (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties, etc.).In case of multi-beneficiary grant calls, applicants will be invited to remove or replace that entity in any funded role and/or to change its status into associated partner. Tasks and budget may be redistributed accordingly.
other eligibility criteria
Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
project duration
36 months
Additional Information
Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Applications must be submitted using the forms provided inside the electronic submission system (not the templates available on the topic page, which are only for information). The structure and presentation must correspond to the instructions given in the forms.
Applications must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 45 pages.
Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 400 000 to allow 1/ cases where a given legal entity may receive several grants (e.g. from different calls) 2/ reaching the maturity level for third party’s project to ensure sustainability with multiple awards.
To support and mobilise internet innovators, a maximum of 70% of the total requested EU contribution could be allocated to financial support to third parties, selected through open calls.
Call documents
Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and SpaceHorizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space(kB)
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