Open Internet Stack Support for Scale (CSA)

Expected Outcome

Projects results are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:

• A common approach and hub for cataloguing, packaging, reviewing and validating Open Internet Stack components and projects.
• Long term viability by advising on Open Source sustainability and maintenance models including business and foundation; Promotion of the EU and Associated Countries as ideal location for Open Source Foundation sieges.
• A common branding, marketing, training and communication plan ensuring consistent perception and scale-up.

A close interleave with policy development through a dedicated policy sandbox.

Scope

Applicants should devise a plan for:

• Cataloguing solutions in a structured and easy to discover way
• Performing security and accessibility audits on the selected solutions under the Open Internet Stack.
• Screening and selecting European funded Open Source projects, including by exploring the relevant Horizon Europe programmes, and devising a strategy for the Open Internet Stack to become a central hub for those solutions.
• Establishing links and mutual support with national, multi-country and pan-European initiatives supporting Open Source sovereign solutions.
• Advising on sustainability models (both for and non-for profit), on standardisation, licencing schemes, or localisation/internationalisation
• Elaborating a common branding with associated marketing and communication tool
• Developing training material on these solutions that stresses their value in terms of EU legislation compliance (GDRP, DSA/DMA, CRA…), security (e.g. reference to security audits, list of dependencies), use cases, funding/business model, deployment requirements (server side, user side), link to repository and community resource (maintainers, community manager, discussion board…). Training material will be tailored to each target audience: Operators of infrastructure, Integrators, Government & verticals IT, end users.
• Implementing measures to identify/attract technology adopters (e.g. services providers, integrators, OSPOs in governments/verticals) to become promoters of these technologies.
• Developing sandbox tools for ensuring smooth compliance-by-design of the Open Internet Stack with relevant existing or futures EU policies.
• Supporting Open Source awards scheme and sustainability models after the action is finished.

We consider that proposals with an overall duration of typically 36 months would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other durations.

Beneficiaries that intend to transfer ownership or grant an exclusive licence must formally notify the granting authority (i.e. DG-CNECT and HaDEA) before the intended transfer or licensing takes place and the granting authority may up to four years after the end of the action object to a transfer of ownership or the exclusive licensing of results.