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.
The NGI Forum 2025 will focus on the building of an Open Internet Stack as conducive to European digital sovereignty and users’ empowerment. It 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.
The NGI Forum 2025 is the flagship event of the European Commission’s Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative. It brings together some of Europe’s top Internet innovators at work to build an Internet of Trust, empowering end-users with more choice and control over their data and digital identity.
Aims & Objectives
The NGI Forum 2025 aims to:
- Promote the NGI vision and its latest advancements
- Engage key stakeholders in meaningful discussions on internet governance, digital innovation, and policy development
- Facilitate networking and collaboration among the NGI community, industry leaders, and policymakers
- Provide a space for knowledge-sharing on open-source development, trust technologies, and decentralized digital ecosystems
By bringing together experts and innovators, the Forum seeks to strengthen Europe’s position as a leader in digital innovation, ensuring that new technologies align with European values of openness, trust, and security.
What to Expect
Participants can look forward to:
- Workshops on Digital Commons and Open Web Search
- Collaborative discussions on the Open Internet Stack
- Insights from top experts in digital policy and innovation
- Opportunities for networking and exchange
Who Should Attend?
The NGI Forum 2025 welcomes a diverse range of stakeholders, including:
- EU and national policymakers shaping Europe’s digital framework
- Open-source developers and innovators working on privacy, security, and trust technologies
- Researchers and academics exploring digital commons and decentralized infrastructures
- Industry leaders and entrepreneurs driving digital innovation
- Media and civil society organizations advocating for digital rights and governance
Key Details
- Location: Brussels
- Venue: Albert Borschette Congress Center, Rue Froissart 36, 1040 Etterbeek, Belgium
- Dates: 19-20 June 2025
- Format: In-person event with selected sessions available via live-stream
- Language: English (no live interpretation foreseen)
First version of the agenda for NGI Forum 2025, 19-20 June
Day 1 – Thursday |
Activity |
|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9:30 | Registration and networking |
| 9:30 – 9:45 | Welcome remarks |
| 9:45 – 10:45 |
Digital Commons tools for building Digital Sovereignty Introduction and Moderation: Dr Monique Calisti (Martel Innovate)
Wrap-up conclusion: Robbert Van Kranenburg (Martel Innovate) |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | NGI Impact Stories |
| 12:00– 13:00 |
Towards a strategic agenda for (funding) the Digital Commons Introduction and Moderation: Paul Keller (Open Future Foundation)
Wrap-up conclusion: Robbert Van Kranenburg (Martel Innovate) |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch and networking |
| 14:00 – 14:10 |
Afternoon introduction Master of Ceremony: Jennifer Baker |
| 14:10 – 14:25 | Keynote from European Commission |
| 14:25 – 14:40 | Keynote speech: Openness and sovereignty |
| 14:40 – 15:40 |
Forging European Digital Sovereignty through an Open Internet Stack Panel:
|
| 15:40 – 16:10 | Coffee and networking break |
| 16:10 – 17:10 |
Open Infrastructure, Sovereign Future: Building Europe’s Digital capacity Panel:
|
| 17:10 – 18:10 |
Building an open and interoperable Web 4.0 enabling Virtual Worlds Panel:
|
| 18:10 – 18:20 |
Conclusions of Day 1 Speaker: Thibaut Kleiner (European Commission) |
| 18:20 – 20:00 | Networking cocktail |
Day 2 – Friday |
Activity |
|---|---|
| 08:30-9:00 | Coffee and networking |
| 9:00 – 9:15 |
Introduction Speaker: Stefan Voigt (OSF)
|
| 9:15 – 9:45 |
Keynote “The first European Open Web Index – Current State and Perspective”, followed by Q&A Speaker: Michael Granitzer (University of Passau)
|
| 9:45 – 10:30 |
Policy statements “Why Europe needs to build an Open Web Index and Web Data Infrastructure for Search, Analytics and AI”, followed by discussion Speakers:
|
| 10:30 – 11:15 |
Applications of an Open Web Index and Web Data Infrastructure, followed by panel discussion Moderator: Sara Garavelli (CSC)
|
| 11:15 – 11:45 | Coffee break |
| 11:45 – 12:30 |
Panel discussion “Web Sovereignty – towards a sovereign web tech stack for Europe” Moderator: Stefan Voigt (OSF)
|
| 12:30-13:00 |
Closing session and statement Speakers:
|
| 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch and networking |
| 14:00-16:30 | Parallel Workshops, networking, bilateral meetings [Coming Soon] |