European applicants
NGI Enrichers provides Europe’s top researchers and innovators and immersive experience in the USA or in CANADA
100% Sponsorship plan
3 to 6-months missions
Mentorship program
Find a host and a call for you!
We have a wide selection of hosts from the USA and Canada that you can browse here as well as open calls:
Candidates have the flexibility to choose between one or several of the following tracks:
OPEN IDEAS: The applicant can submit a proposal around the host’s area of interest, products, or services. All ideas must fall under one or several Focus Areas defined in the Next Generation Internet.
PAIRED TEAMS: The applicant can submit their proposal along with an organization who agrees to host the applicant.
NGI Enrichers will organize 3 rounds of Open Calls throughout the project:
- 1st call “Paired Teams” (1st round of Open Calls)
Call open: 30 Nov 2022, Deadline: 31 Jan 2023 -
1st call “Open Ideas & Challenges” (1st round of Open Calls)
Call open: 01 Feb 2023, Deadline: 31 March 2023. - 2nd round of Open Calls:
Call open: 01 Jul 2023, Deadline: 30 Sept 2023. - 3rd round of Open Calls:
Call open: 08 Mar 2024, Deadline: 10 May 2024.
In total 70-90 fellow expeditions will be funded throughout the project.
Eligibility profiles of the future fellows
- The NGI Enrichers Fellowship Program is open to researchers and innovators of any nationality.
Applicants shall be residents/taxpayers in:- Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU), including their outermost regions.
- Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) linked to EU Member.
- Horizon Europe Associated Countries according to the updated list published by the EC.
- Switzerland
- The applicant must be employed by a “legal entity” established in any of those countries or created under EU law, or self-employed (e.g. project owners).
- The applicant must comply with the minimum education requirement, which is a Master’s degree for Researchers and Bachelor’s degree for Innovators/Entrepreneurs, even if practical/associate degree might also be considered based on the quality of the project submitted, experience and other qualifications.
- The applicant must have proficiency in English, both written and spoken.
- The applicant must hold a valid passport.
Benefits
Successful applicants will spend 3-6 months to work and collaborate with US and Canadian hosts organisations, enhancing knowledge-sharing and establishing long-term collaborations on NGI technologies, services, and standards. The programme will provide living allowance and travel funding:
The overall amount of funding each Enricher can receive (lump-sum + visa/insurance reimbursement) is:
- Up to EUR 14,400 for a 3-month Expedition.
- Up to EUR 25,800 for a 6-month Expedition.
The length of the expeditions can last anywhere from 3 to 6 months (4 and 5-month long expeditions are possible).
We are looking for:
The Program aims to support applications from potential Fellows with a proven track in the NGI sector. They can be:
Which are the research, technology and application domains?
Researchers and Innovators will have the chance to collaborate on multidisciplinary topics related to Next Generation Internet:
- Human-centric internet values: Autonomy, Interoperability, Cooperation, Openness, Inclusivity, Data protection, Data sovereignty, Data privacy, Transparency, etc.
- Research and/or technology domains, such as, IoT, 5/6G, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Blockchain, Cloud and Edge computing, Cybersecurity, Quantum computing and algorithms, Xtended Realities, Peer to peer technologies, Virtual Realities, Decentralized Internet, Trust, and data sovereignty, metaverse, digital commons, Web 3.0, greening of ICT, etc.
- Application domains: health, environment, energy transition, Industry 4.0, e-mobility, Autonomous V2X, immersive environment, intuitive user experience, lifelong learning, inclusiveness, digitalization, etc.
The programme will also support any other technological foundations on which future services and platforms will be built, with a human-centric approach considering social participation, open Internet, respect of the user’s consent, privacy, and security issues.
This list is not exhaustive, and it is up to the applicant to argument the relevance of the proposed topic to Next Generation Internet.
Applicants from Social Sciences and the Humanities (SSH), and from other multidisciplinary fields as indicated above e.g. working at the intersection of social and natural sciences, who believe they can contribute to Next Generation Internet related projects in technology fields are encouraged to apply as well.
Program phases
Each application round of the Programme encompasses three stages:
- Selection phase: At this stage applicants will submit their proposals for collaboration in the NGI field. Evaluators will select a limited number of EU Fellows from the pool of applications received, based on the excellence and impact of their proposals. Once selected, successful applicants will be invited to join the pre-departure immersive bootcamps.
- Pre-departure immersive bootcamp: The objective of this phase is to prepare the selected Fellows for their exchange to North America. Beneficiaries will take part in activities to present their NGI projects, discuss administrative requirements and learn about tools and knowledge necessary for a successful exchange.
- Expedition phase: Once completed the bootcamp, applicants will sign the contract (called “sub-grantee agreement”) and start their expedition. The expedition duration ranges from 3 to 6 months. Fellows will spend their expedition in the US or Canadian hosting institutions. During the expedition, Fellows will be able to access on-demand support services for business development etc. They will also join online mentoring and peer-to-peer collaboration activities.
Selection process
The program will follow a rigorous selection process to select only exceptional candidates, coming from a range of research and industry backgrounds and specialties.
Calls will be regularly open to receive application from fellows:
- Calls stay open for 2 months.
- Evaluation process last 2 months maximum.
- Short-listed candidates will be invited to an online interview with the NGI Enrichers team and/or with the Host Organization
Applications will be evaluated by external experts. The selection criteria will be based on 3 main aspects:
- Excellence of the candidate
- Quality of the project
- Impact of the idea
Evaluation criteria are as follow:
- Excellence: experience/expertise/background of the candidate (weight 20%);
- Originality and technical quality of the idea /concept / product (weight 20%).
- Vision and potential impact (weight 20%):
- Capacity to have a global impact
- Contribution to sustainable, high-quality jobs in the EU
- Contribution to the EU internet policy objectives by supporting a human-centered approach to technology development and sharing the EU vision and values with US and Canadian counterparts
- Technical quality of the proposed implementation (weight 20%).
- Quality of the overall application and motivation of the candidate (weight 20%).
Each criterion will yield a score from 1 to 5. A minimum average score of 60% (3/5) for the overall score will be the threshold required.
The evaluation process will have a maximum duration of 2 months and will comprise the admissibility and eligibility check of the proposal; expert review and evaluation; online interview(s); decision. Hosting universities and private firms will be duly involved in the evaluation process. Based on scores and requirements, there will be a Yes or No acceptance. Different evaluation tracks will be used, distinguishing from paired teams (whose evaluation can be faster).
A Sub-grantee Funding Agreement will be signed between the NGI Enrichers coordinator (G.A.C Group, France) and the selected applicant, who will become a Beneficiary of the NGI Fellowship Program.
Bootcamps and Mentoring
Boot camps will be offered, as well as mentorships, business, technical, visibility and other support, on demand. The goal of NGI Enrichers is to initiate and support sustainable partnerships, to enhance EU-US and EU-Canada cooperation in the development of NGI technologies, services, and standards, and to reinforce and expand NGI transatlantic ecosystem of top researchers and innovators collaborating on the evolution of the Internet according to a human-centric approach.