10 years of SIDN Fund: for a strong, open and free internet

Investing in the internet community

By 2014, increasing the economic and societal value of the internet had already been on SIDN's agenda for some time. We wanted to take a broader view of what our role as the manager of .nl implied. We wanted to make a positive contribution in fields such as responsible internet use, cybersecurity and removing obstacles to a problem-free, opportunity-rich internet: the themes that underpin our strategy to this day. "SIDN was already sponsoring innovative internet projects linked to those themes," recalls Roelof. "Our aim was to reinvest some of the income from our operations in the internet community. However, that led to more and more people approaching us for assistance. And we realised that managing our growing project support activities required time, specialist knowledge and appropriate systems." In 2014, SIDN Fund was almost the only Dutch funding body focusing specifically on the internet. Even now, the number of similar bodies can be counted on the fingers of one hand. From the outset, SIDN Fund has been an independently managed entity, separate from SIDN.

Nevertheless, there are structural , executive-level ties between SIDN and SIDN Fund. In addition, one member of SIDN's Supervisory Board sits on SIDN Fund's Board of Governors. "We have plenty of contact," says Valerie. "We share an office building, of course, and we see each other on away days and at strategy meetings." While SIDN focuses on creating value for the .nl zone, SIDN Fund works to enhance the internet's value to the community in a more general sense. As Roelof explains, "We see overlap between our strategies, but each organisation has its own focus. The specialist knowledge of the SIDN Fund team and Valerie's extensive contact network facilitate large-scale social impact." Valerie adds, "We're a small team, and being small enables us to respond quickly and proactively to developments, such as AI, disinformation and things like the coronavirus pandemic. And to address the associated vulnerabilities. We try to help society cope in a responsible way. For example, we support educational platforms like Filterbubbel.nl. Our 5-person team has achieved a great deal in the last 10 years, and I take pride in what we've done."

Social impact

Initially, SIDN Fund took an open approach. Each year, 2 open calls were organised to discover what was happening within the internet community, focusing on the 3 fields that remain central to its activities: a strong internet, strong internet users and the societal side of the internet. From the response to the open calls, it became clear that the societal challenges were particularly pressing. "Innovative internet applications are often able to secure adequate financial support," Roelof points out. "Meanwhile, societal themes are liable to get neglected. So there's a particular need to sponsor action on those themes. I'm talking about issues such as the risks posed by AI, online polarisation, disinformation and inclusivity problems. One great example of how the Fund has helped to promote inclusion is Steffie." Created by the internet learning foundation Leer Zelf Online, Steffie is an information service that uses a personified avatar to help people with learning difficulties understand complicated topics. SIDN Fund has supported a number of Steffie projects, including a digital day-planner and election guides, all tailored to the needs of the target audience. "Our dependence on the internet is only going to increase in the future. And the more dependent we become, the more significant inclusivity will be," says Roelof. "Nowadays, we mainly run themed calls: we invite project proposals linked to urgent societal issues involving the internet," adds Valerie. "Within the context of each call, we promote contact between the organisers of complementary projects. We also scout projects, and we accept funding applications for pioneering projects all year round." Over the last 10 years, SIDN Fund has supported more than 400 internet projects with added value for the community.

Promoting internet awareness

Another development seen in the last few years is closer collaboration between SIDN Fund and SIDN Labs, aimed at increasing the impact of both. In 2023, for example, the two worked together on Packet Run. Premiered at that year's Dutch Design Week, Packet Run is an interactive marble run that lets people experience how the internet transports data from source to destination via multiple intermediate networks and operators. "Internet users often see the internet infrastructure as something abstract and intangible," explains Valerie. "So we're continuing to work with SIDN Labs to visualise data and technical knowledge. The idea being to help people understand the vital infrastructure of the internet." Another project that SIDN Fund and SIDN Labs are cooperating on is NEMO Kennislink, an independent journalistic platform. The Fund financed development of a themed internet page entitled 'We are the web', while SIDN Labs provides expert input for the articles. "SIDN Fund gives us access to civil society actors such as the NEMO Kennislink team," says Roelof.

National and international collaboration

At the national level, SIDN Fund often seeks strategic alliances. The need to help build a responsible internet is increasingly urgent. The propagation of election-related disinformation and the use of new AI technologies for criminal purposes are by no means unusual. Meanwhile, digital autonomy is becoming a major issue for our society. "We have to prevent a handful of big international players taking control of the internet and all the associated systems," argues Valerie. "By collaborating with public sector organisations and other foundations, we want to go on encouraging the government to invest in alternatives that promote responsible use of the internet. Such as the use of Publicroam for secure, open Wi-Fi in public facilities."

SIDN and SIDN Fund are also open to forming alliances with partners in other countries. In that context, Valerie says, "We don't yet have a full overview of international initiatives aligned with our goals. That's a shame, because ties between organisations and initiatives can help us to achieve more for the community." Roelof endorses that view. "By widening and reinforcing collaboration within the internet industry, a relatively small foundation can amplify its impact. With the added benefit that important themes linked to the security of the internet are pushed up the agendas of governments and other key players."

Want to read more about SIDN Fund's first 10 years? Check out the Dutch-language article 'Van disruptie naar tegenmacht: dit is 10 jaar SIDN fonds' (only in Dutch) featuring SIDN Fund's Valerie Frissen and Mieke van Heesewijk.