Strong internet initiatives for tackling the coronavirus crisis

Internet Against Corona

"Developments earlier in the year created an extraordinary situation, where the internet and digital technology took on a leading role," says Valerie Frissen. "That was due partly to technology's potential as a means of tackling the pandemic and gathering key data. And partly to the fact that many people suddenly had to start working from home. SIDN Fund responded adroitly to unfolding events by organising the Internet Against Corona call. Our aim was to quickly start contributing to the collective response. By supporting projects designed to help vulnerable groups utilise the internet safely, for example. In these extraordinary times, the internet is more important than ever and has enormous social potential. SIDN Fund is committed to a strong, open and free internet that is accessible and safe for everyone to use. In a period when so many people are working from home and communicating electronically, it's especially important that people feel confident about using the internet to communicate, collaborate and share information. So we felt that we should be making support available for innovative projects capable of delivering topical solutions."

Focus of the themed call

SIDN Fund decided to focus the call on two specific themes and look for strong initiatives linked to them. The first theme was promoting understanding of and control over circumstances surrounding the pandemic. The second was the realisation of reliable and secure digital solutions. Solutions that enable everyone to work, study and live securely in their home environment. "In order to be considered for a grant, a project has to be aligned with one of the two themes and with SIDN Fund's broader mission," adds Valerie. "It's also important that a project offers added value for society and serves a public interest. As always, we expect grant recipients to make their results freely available to all."

Expectations and public interest

"When we launched the call, we didn't have any definite expectations. It was mainly a case of looking for projects capable of delivering solutions to the problems currently facing society. However, one of the things we did have in mind was projects designed to address the impact of digital technology use on people's digital rights. Unfortunately, we haven't yet received many applications with that focus. The window has therefore been extended with the aim of identifying projects that do cover that angle. Between now and the closing date of 31 July, we'll set aside all the relevant project proposals we receive. We'll then select the best ones at the end." "In June, the Ministry of the Interior (BZK) approached us about cooperating on the Internet Against Corona call. They wanted to make a contribution, because they too are committed to an accessible, free information society. The Ministry also attaches great importance to human rights and digital rights. It's great that the Ministry sees working with us as something that's in the public interest. The additional funding made available by the Ministry has enabled us to extend the application window from 30 June to 31 July and offer considerable support to projects capable of delivering solutions during the pandemic," explains Valerie.

A selection of promising projects

SIDN Fund has so far awarded grants to ten project organisers who responded to the call. "One interesting project aligned with the theme of crisis response and management is the Aprio COVID-19 project. It involves an open-source platform that uses machine learning to predict responses to crisis-related issues, such as the number of IC admissions per municipality. It will be interesting to see whether the predictions improve care professionals' understanding of the available data and help them prepare better for crisis situations. The CoronAlert initiative is aligned with the same theme. Each individual municipality has its own approach to implementing and enforcing control measures. The team behind the project wants details of what rules apply in which municipality to be available for the benefit of ordinary people and to inform public debate. The IRMA-meet initiative is linked to our second theme. Its aim is to deliver a reliable and secure digital solution for video calling. As we rely more on the internet for interpersonal contact, there's added incentive to verify who we're talking to in certain situations. When video-conferencing is used for academic exams or medical consultations, for example. IRMA-meet is a freely available app, which checks that you're really talking to the person you wanted to talk to. Finally, we're also supporting initiatives aimed specifically at helping vulnerable groups. By making good, accessible instructions available to people who aren't used to working on laptops, for example. Or by helping people with learning difficulties to find their way around the internet world -- say, through the provision of a digital day planner."

The projects get underway

"In the context of this call, grant applications can be submitted until 31 July. The first projects to be funded have already started; in fact some have actually been completed. Funded projects have to be concluded within twelve months of the closing date. In the meantime, we'll see what the projects yield and whether project teams can learn from and support each other. The intention is to promote ties between projects that can be useful to one another. We see that as a good way to optimise outcomes. Although the projects are very much coronavirus-related, they also support SIDN Fund's broader objectives. So we're looking to see which ones have the potential to be extended over a longer time horizon, with the aim of facilitating the follow-up of promising initiatives."