Join a co-creation exercise on the future of Web 4.0 and virtual worlds governance.
2024-11-26 13:00 - 15:30 (Europe/Brussels) | Online
The European Commission has launched pilot project ‘A space for the metaverse – virtual world and the transition to Web 4.0’ in the context of Action 9 of its strategy on Web 4.0 and virtual worlds. The project will assess the developments in internet technologies relevant for Web 4.0 and virtual worlds and set the ground for a global dialogue on the governance of Web 4.0 and virtual worlds.

Following two policy and technology-oriented workshops that took place in October, the global exercise is entering the recommendation stage. Interested stakeholders are invited to join an action-oriented workshop! Join stakeholders across the globe in discussing actions and solutions toward global governance of Web 4.0 and virtual worlds. Together, we will discuss the recommendations for a multistakeholder governance model for virtual worlds and Web 4.0.

The workshop will take place 13h-15:30h CET, 26 November.Read more and register here.

Your inputs will shape the debate during the Global Multistakeholder High Level conference on Governance for Web 4.0 and virtual worlds, co-organised by the European Commission and the 2025 Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Melanie Rieback: Security for Open-Source Developers - NGI TALK
2024-11-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
Worried about the rise in cyberattacks and the need to protect your data?

As cybercrime becomes more advanced with each technological leap, the risks are evolving unexpectedly.

Join award-winning cybersecurity expert and social entrepreneur Melanie Rieback, CEO of Radically Open Security—the world’s first not-for-profit cybersecurity company—for an eye-opening NGI Talk on keeping your systems safe.

Can we stay ahead of cybercriminals, or is more at stake?

👉 Don’t miss this chance to future-proof your infrastructure in this NGI Talk!

Webinar: Ask Us For Help: Practical Support for NGI Beneficiaries
2024-11-28 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Join BigBlueButton platform to participate in the webinar: https://vc.ngi-0.eu/rooms/ahq-y96-uhs-jka/join. (No need to register, the room is open.)

All you want to know about specialized support services

Besides receiving financial support, grantees of the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative funding programmes can also request practical support to improve the quality and maturity of their projects. In this webinar we will showcase specialized support services: technical writing, testing, translation & localisation and troubleshooting presented by the experts who offer them.

Speakers

Julian Harty on TestingEric Herman on TroubleshootingDeborah Meibergen on Requesting support servicesJenny List on Technical writingto be confirmed: Translation & localisation

About support services

The NGI Zero Review programme offers a large portfolio of support services to beneficaries of any NGI programme (so not just NGI Zero programmes). There are a number of dedicated services offered by NGI Zero coalition partners which we encourage all beneficaries to request (when relevant). Such as security and accessibility audits and FOSS licensing due diligence.

But there are also niche support services which address specialized questions. This webinar introduces a number of this latter category. Also note that if you are in need of practical support which is not described anywhere, you can reach out and make a request. We will see if we have experts in our network who can address your questions. If this is of interest to you, join the webinar to ask your questions.

EU Open Source Week
2025-01-28 00:00 - 2025-02-04 23:59
Every year, at the end of January and the beginning of February, thousands of people from Europe and around the world gather in Brussels to discuss open source and open technologies. The main attraction is FOSDEM, Europe’s largest open source conference, which has inspired a range of side events, social activities, and workshops. For those interested in open technology, digital policy, and EU developments, OpenForum Europe’s EU Open Source Policy Summit brings together open source leaders and policymakers. Together, these events make up the EU Open Source Week.

NGI Commons Webinar: Digital Commons towards digital sovereignty in Europe
2025-01-28 13:30 - 15:00 | Online
Join us for an insightful webinar that delves into the vibrant landscape of Digital Commons initiatives across Europe and their role in increasing the continents digital autonomy. This first edition of a series of 6 webinars, which will be held between January 2025 and December 2026. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the most relevant and impactful projects shaping the continent’s Digital Commons ecosystem.

These events are organised by NGI Commons targeting policymakers interested in digital governance and innovation; Tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs looking to leverage Digital Commons principles; Community leaders seeking to implement local digital initiatives; Researchers studying the intersection of technology and society; Anyone curious about the evolving digital landscape in Europe.

FOSDEM 2025
2025-02-01 08:00 - 2025-02-02 17:00 | ULB Campus du Solbosch, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 50, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium, Bruxelles, Bruxelles, 1050, Belgium
FOSDEM is a free event for software developers to meet, share ideas and collaborate. Every year, thousands of developers of free and open source software from all over the world gather at the event in Brussels. You don’t need to register. Just turn up and join in!

NGI Sargasso at MWC - 4YFN 2025: A Panel and Pitching Session with our Innovators to Bridge Continents on Next Generation Internet
2025-03-04 11:15 - 12:45 | Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, Av. Joan Carles I, 58, 08908 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalunya, 08908, Spain
One more year we are happy to announce that NGI Sargasso will attend 4YFN 2025, the startup side event of Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona, with an agenda full of activities, especially in the morning of the second day of the event, on Tuesday the 4th of March starting at 11:15h. Keep reading to discover them, and save this location in Fira Barcelona: Hall 8.1 – Stand 8.1.B.55!

The NGI Sargasso Panel at 4YFN 2025

We have gathered some of our innovators and stakeholders from the Next Generation Internet (NGI) community in a panel titled “Next-Generation Internet: Bridging Continents, Innovating Together”. The panel will start at 11:15h on Tuesday, the 4th of March, in the Hall 8.1 – Stand 8.1.B.55, and four of our beneficiaries will explain how they are shaping transatlantic collaboration on NGI technologies and services.

SPEAKERS

Moderator: Emmanouil Detsis, NGI Sargasso Project Coordinator – ESF Foundation.

Keynote speaker: Stergios Tsiafoulis, NGI Sargasso Project Officer – European Commission.

NGI Sargasso Innovators:

Yuting Jiang, CEO at Agora / ZKorum – Project: Agora / EeDP – Empowering eDemocracy for Peace (Open Call 3).

Alex Bourlier, Co-Founder at Startin’blox – Project: RSFA – Rosseta Stone for APIs (Open Call 2).

Christos N. Stefanatos, Project Lead at EV Loader / Parity Platform PC – Project: EVI US Pilot – Electric Vehicle Identity US Pilot (Open Call 3).

Erik Hieta-Aho, Senior Scientist at VTT – Project: HPQCSSI – Hybrid Post-Quantum Cryptography Self-Sovereign Identity Stack (Open Call 2).

Closing speaker: Monique Callisti, NGI Outreach Office – Martel Innovate.

NGI Commons webinar: Public Policies for Digital Commons
2025-03-05 13:30 - 15:00 | Online
Join us for this second edition of a series of webinars, which started in January. This one aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Public Policies for Digital Commons.

These events are organised by NGI Commons targeting policymakers interested in digital governance and innovation; Tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs looking to leverage Digital Commons principles; Community leaders seeking to implement local digital initiatives; Researchers studying the intersection of technology and society; Anyone curious about the evolving digital landscape in Europe.

FOSS Backstage 2025
2025-03-10 00:00 - 2025-03-11 23:59 | Berlin & Online, Panoramastraße 1A, Berlin, 10178, Germany
Behind the scenes of Open Source projects

The two-day conference brings together the brightest minds in the industry to discuss and explore all about FOSS community, management and compliance. At FOSS Backstage the stage belongs exclusively to the non-technical aspects of Free and Open Source Software.

Join FOSS Backstage in Berlin, where you’ll connect with community leaders, FOSS practitioners, executives, developers and technologists among many other stakeholders in the field.

From managing thriving communities to navigating the legal landscape, we’ve got you covered. Discover how to set up your project for success and get involved in solving the issues that hold back Open Source.

At FOSS Backstage we want to bridge the gaps between different projects, license models, communities and organisations by bringing everyone together around our shared interests, challenges and goals in open source software.

On three stages we will discuss a range of topics in the seven conference tracks:

Governance & Community

Economics

Legal & Compliance

Diversity & Inclusion

Growing Open Source

Security

Design

Join us for inspiring talks, lively discussions, and countless networking opportunities. Let’s have a look behind the scenes of Open Source together!

OpenWebSearch Webinars Series (10 March - 5 May)
2025-03-10 15:00 - 16:15, 2025-04-07 15:00 - 16:15, 2025-05-05 15:00 - 16:15 | Online
Webinars will provide a comprehensive overview about functionalities and processes – for example utilization of the open web crawler, search architectures or data infrastructure. Webinars take place in the framework of our community updates – generally every 1st Monday of a month. A webinar lasts 60 minutes including Q&A-session. The webinar will be recorded and provided as download afterwards.

Through trainings, you will receive practical skills. We will show you in depth how to use the Index and how to make use of the Index. A training session lasts 90 minutes.

Interested? Please have a look at the session overview below. Register for our monthly community update to take part in a webinar and/or training.

1) The inverted file in search

In this talk, we will be discussing the most important data structure in any search engine: the inverted file.

Key take aways:

learn the basics of using inverted files for search and ranking and how we construct (and distribute) them as part of the Open Web Index

deal with interoperability challenges that arise when sharing inverted files with third parties

discover a promising alternative format for the inverted file in which the index is stored in publicly available object storage (like S3 or iRODS) and can be queried directly – without the need for setting up a full search engine yourself!

Monday, 10 March 25

15:00 – 16:15 CET

Online

To take part please register for our monthly community update.

2) Creating Search Applications Using the Open Web Index

Search Applications are specialised search engines that focus on a certain domain or purpose. This webinar explains how to create a search applications using index partitions downloaded from the Open Web Index.

Key take aways:

learn about the basic concept of how to create a search application using the Open Web Index

get to know useful examples of search applications in different application domains

get ideas and inspiration to create your own search applications

Monday, 7 April 25

15:00 – 16:15 CET

Online

To take part please register for our monthly community update.

3) Architectural overview of the Federated Data Infrastructure in OWS

In this webinar, we provide a comprehensive overview of the initial setup and evolution of the Open Web Search Federated Data Infrastructure as it stands today covering the high level technical overhead and breaking it down to the detail.

Key take aways:

How geographically distributed data centers are federated

The confluence of HPC/Cloud in heterogeneous infrastructures

Security measures in place in this infrastructure

Monday, 5 May 25

15:00 – 16:15 CET

Online

To take part please register for our monthly community update.

Global Multistakeholder High Level Conference on Governance of Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds
2025-03-31 09:30 - 2025-04-01 17:00 | Online
The European Commission and the 2025 Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU are organising a Global Multistakeholder High Level Conference on the governance of Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds, on 31 March and 1 April 2025.

Objectives

The conference aims to define the principles for the global governance of Web 4.0 and virtual worlds that are up-to-speed with the dynamics of digital spaces, ensuring transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability.

The event will bring together, from all over the world, high-level policymakers, technologists, academics, and community leaders who will collaboratively propose governance models of virtual worlds. It will focus on policy solutions for an ethical, value-driven shift to Web 4.0. and standardisation issues related to virtual worlds (including internet standards) and its technical management. Alignment of those governance frameworks with the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance will also be a salient topic of discussion.

Conference expected outcomes

The conference aims at the adoption of policy and technical recommendations for the future governance of Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds, based on consensus at the event. These intend to serve as inspiration for forthcoming discussions such as the 20 years review of the World Summit for Information Society (WSIS+20).

Background

The conference delivers on Action 9 of the European Commission Communication “An EU initiative on Web 4.0 and virtual worlds: a head start in the next technological transition“ which was adopted in 2023. This action requires the European Commission to “engage with existing multi-stakeholder internet governance institutions to design open and interoperable virtual worlds [from Q4 2023]; and support the creation of a technical multi-stakeholder forum to address certain aspects of virtual worlds and Web 4.0 beyond the remit of existing internet governance bodies [from Q1 2024].

See the agenda and register here.

Cyprus Tech Policy Unconference: Reclaiming the Digital Commons – ReFLOSS edition
2025-05-17 09:30 - 18:00
This is one of a series of unconferences (open space gatherings with an emergent agenda) aiming for impact in tech policy, in Cyprus and beyond.

The tech industry celebrates disruption and innovation—yet too often sidesteps the deeper conversations we urgently need: What kind of digital futures are we building? For whom? By whom? At what cost? The Cyprus Tech Policy Unconference is an invitation to pause, regroup, and reclaim the narrative. To centre ethics, digital sovereignty, and the commons in our thinking about technology. We seek to challenge extractive models and nurture free, fair, and participatory infrastructures for governance, education, and life.

We call together:– People who think and work towards digital rights and the democratisation of technology,– Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) developers, educators, researchers, creatives, and community organisers,– People interested in co-creating ethical digital policy and resilient community tech– People invested in mapping the obstacles and opportunities for free/libre software in public institutions, schools, and cultural spaces,– People interested in the Right to repair, and the “public money public code” movement– Practitioners and policy-makers looking to move toward grounded, implementable strategies for digital justice,– People interested in connecting the above priorities with sound business practices.

What to expectA fluid, minimally guided, participant-led networking, brainstorming, and co-working atmosphere, following the principles of Open Space Technology: sessions are proposed and shaped by attendees themselves, allowing for spontaneity, relevance, and co-ownership of the agenda.Space for panels, co-writing labs, workshops, and policy roundtables.Emphasis on dialogue, transparency, and co-creation.

Workshop: Digital Identity and Identification in the Era of Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds
2025-05-21 14:00 - 16:30 | Online
This workshop will explore future scenarios for online identity and identification in virtual worlds and Web 4.0, focusing on opportunities, risks, and strategies for secure digital identities.

Workshop overview

As part of the European Commission study on virtual worlds and Web 4.0, PPMI (part of Verian Group) and TNO will host an interactive online workshop on the future of digital identity and identification on 21 May 2025 at 14:00 – 16:30h CEST, bringing together policy makers, industry experts, digital innovators, researchers, and other interested stakeholders. The session will explore possible future scenarios for online identity/identification management, examining both the opportunities and risks that lie ahead. Participants will also discuss strategies to ensure robust, secure, and trustworthy digital identities/identification in the context of rapidly evolving online ecosystems.

Please note that the number of participants is limited.

Preliminary agenda

14:00 – 14:05 – Introduction

14:05 – 14:15 – Topic context

Presentation of key trends, opportunities and uncertainties

Why digital identity/identification matters in Web 4.0 and virtual worlds

14:15 – 15:00 – Breakout sessions

Exploration of opportunities and risks in future identity/ identification scenarios

Prioritisation and group insights

15:00 – 15:10 – Coffee break

15:10 – 15:55 – Plenary discussion

Plenary sharing of group findings

Common and cross-cutting challenges, highlighting pressing issues

15:55 – 16:25 – Addressing risks and harnessing opportunities

Brainstorming strategies, possible actions, and collecting ideas

16:25 – 16:30 – Closing

More about the study

The workshop is part of a broader pilot project, ‘A Space for the Metaverse – Virtual World and the Transition to Web 4.0,’ under Action 9 of the European Commission’s strategy on Web 4.0 and virtual worlds. This initiative, carried out by PPMI (part of Verian group) and TNO for DG CNECT, aims to assess key developments in internet technologies and foster a global governance dialogue. The insights gathered from the workshop will directly inform a paper on digital identity/identification in the Web 4.0 era prepared as part of the project.

OW2con'25
2025-06-17 08:00 - 2025-06-18 17:00 | Châtillon, Châtillon, Paris, 92020, France
Experts from around the world talk about professional open source software in modern information systems at Paris-Châtillon.

OW2con is the European open source conference organized by OW2. An international meeting of developpers, IT companies, academics and non-profit organizations, OW2con brings together the entire open source community, during two days of presentations ranging from tech topics to business and ethical issues of open source. It also offers a unique opportunity to establish contact with peers through friendly networking sessions. OW2con is open to all, the event is free and all sessions are held in English.

ENCRYPT Final Event: ENCRYPTing Europe towards Secure and Federated Data Use
2025-06-17 08:00 - 17:00 | Stratos Vassilikos Hotel, Athens, Grece
We are pleased to invite you to the final event of the ENCRYPT project, taking place on Tuesday 17th June 2025, at the Stratos Vassilikos Hotel in Athens, Greece – with the option to participate online.

This full-day event will bring together leading experts, policymakers and innovators to showcase ENCRYPT’s achievements and discuss the future of privacy-preserving technologies and data analytics in Europe.

The agenda features keynote speeches from prominent voices in cybersecurity, including Athena Bourka from the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), technical presentations of the ENCRYPT platform, in-depth exploration of real-world use cases, and a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of secure data sharing in the age of data spaces. The event will also highlight synergies with related European initiatives and projects such as the EASiNET Network, and the GLACIATION and TANGO projects.

This is a unique opportunity to network with stakeholders across the research, industry and public sectors and to learn of how ENCRYPT is contributing to Europe’s vision for secure, federated and privacy-preserving data utilisation.

Participation is free of charge – we look forward to welcoming you in person or online!

NGI Forum 2025
2025-06-19 08:30 - 2025-06-20 16:30
The Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative continues to evolve, building on past successes while addressing new challenges in Europe’s digital landscape. As emerging technologies reshape the way we interact online, NGI remains committed to ensuring that the Internet of the future is open, inclusive, trustworthy, and sustainable.

To advance this vision, the NGI Forum 2025 will serve as a key platform to bring together innovators, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders. The Forum will provide an opportunity to reflect on major developments in digital sovereignty, open internet infrastructure, and digital commons, while fostering collaboration between diverse stakeholders shaping Europe’s digital future.

NGI Enrichers final conference
2025-06-24 10:30 - 2025-06-25 15:00 | Davos Congress Center, Talstrasse 49a, Davos, Graubünden, 7270, Switzerland
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, its influence on the scientific community becomes increasingly profound. This conference will critically explore the transformative and disruptive impact of AI on the scientific enterprise, from reshaping research methodologies to altering the trajectory of how talented scientists and innovators manage their careers. Attendees will engage with experts across disciplines and industries to discuss how AI tools are revolutionizing data analysis, automating routine tasks, and enabling new discoveries. The sessions will focus on the opportunities AI presents for accelerating innovation, as well as the challenges it brings in terms of ethical considerations, skills development, and career evolution.

There will be four parallel sessions:

Technology: The technology behind AI tools and its adoption by scientists and innovators.

Health: Preventing mental and physical disorders of AI users in the scientific enterprise and beyond.

Science and Society: The European dimension, scientific integrity and methodological rigor.

Startups: Secure entrepreneurial freedom, creativity and innovative power in Europe.

Each session will address critical issues and explore future scenarios, by the help of professional moderators and rapporteurs. The discussions will focus on enhancing European competitiveness in the global context.

This event aims to provide scientists, university superiors, research managers, policymakers and young entrepreneurs with insights on how to navigate and thrive in a future where AI is central to the pursuit of knowledge and doing business. Davos sets the stage for political power in technology at the year’s start, while this summer summit emerges as a platform for pragmatic foresight—bridging AI’s present challenges with future-driven innovation on a strategic way.

NGI Innovators Workshop: Open Source yet Market Ready
2025-09-17 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
What does it take for NGI-funded open source projects to become truly  market-ready?

Whether you’re building the next privacy tool, decentralised infrastructure, or secure communication protocol, this hands-on workshop is designed to help you bridge the gap from code to product.

The NGI Innovators Workshop: Open Source yet Market Ready will give you practical tools, real examples, and an opportunity to think strategically about your project’s next steps — all in just one hour.

What You’ll Learn

How successful EU projects transformed open source into sustainable products

How to map your project using a simple user persona and mini-SWOT

How to define an MVP wrap: your problem, your users, your value

How to assess readiness across scalability, uniqueness, and adoption

What you can do next: tools, resources, and support from NGI

Whether your project is fresh out of the gate or maturing rapidly, this session will help you think like a product builder without compromising your open-source values.

7th International Open Search Symposium #ossym25
2025-10-08 08:00 - 2025-10-10 17:00 | Helsinki, Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
Continuing the successful conference series from the past 6 years, the #ossym25 Open Search Symposium brings together the European and international Open Search community for the seventh time. The hybrid conference provides a forum to discuss and further develop the ideas and concepts of open web search and related topics in various formats including scientific talks, panels, workshops, demonstrations, student challenges and informal discussion spaces. Participants include researchers, data centres, libraries, policy makers, legal and ethical experts, and society.

NGI Policy Summit 2025
2025-11-20 00:00 - 23:59
When: 20 November 2025Where: Brussels, Belgium

The NGI Policy Summit will be organised by the NGI Commons consortium. This Summit serves as a pivotal event to map and critically assess the current landscape of European Digital Commons (DC) and Internet Commons (IC). Its core objectives include identifying future development priorities and assessing the broader impact of NGI funding on these commons ecosystems.

SAVE THE DATE & BOOK YOUR CALENDAR!
