The objective behind netidee SCIENCE funding is to support independent basic research on the opportunities and challenges presented by the internet and related innovations at Austria's universities and non-university research institutions. The netidee SCIENCE award for excellent online research is financed by the charitable foundation Internet Stiftung.

The Internet Stiftung itself is committed to further developing the internet in Austria and to ensuring a free and well-regulated access to all that it offers. The netidee SCIENCE award and its funding for basic research in this field are intended to support and strengthen this guiding principle.

On behalf of the Internet Foundation, the FWF has issued a call for basic research projects designed to promote the Internet in Austria as well as the technologies and methods necessary for that purpose.

Target group
Researchers from all disciplines.

Goals/purpose of the call 
Funding is provided for forward-looking research projects that advance scientific knowledge about the internet, its underlying technologies and methods, and the resulting social aspects. Topics can range from projects on basic technologies, the Internet of Things, information security, and data protection, to research into communication systems, social networks, and new forms of digital communication and their impact on society.

The netidee SCIENCE award does not focus on technology alone, but also on the economic, social, and political aspects of the internet.

For further information on the objectives of this funding initiative, please visit netidee SCIENCE.

Requirements, duration and amount of funds
The application requirements for these projects as well as the amount and duration of funding correspond to the FWF's requirements for its Stand-Alone Projects programme or ESPRIT programme.

Specific information on the call
If the projects are funded by the Internet Foundation, the general project costs will be increased to 10% in stand-alone projects, ESPRIT projects will receive 5% more budget.

Proposals for netidee SCIENCE grants can be submitted and approved in combination with up to three ongoing/submitted projects in the FWF's Stand-Alone Projects programme, International Programmes (bilateral projects) and Clinical Research (KLIF) programme.

Applications

• Start:  28^th November 2022
• End: 10^th April 2023; the possibility to submit via elane ends at 2:00 pm local time Vienna/Austria.
• Applications are to be submitted in accordance with the guidelines for the Stand-Alone Projects programme or ESPRIT programme solely via the FWF's electronic application portal (elane).

Award decisions

• Funding decisions will be made by the Internet Foundation on the basis of the FWF Board's recommendations.
• The decision can be expected in October 2023.

The Internet Foundation will make a total of €400,000.00 available for this call. Where the resources required for an excellent project to be funded by the Internet Foundation exceed the funding amount provided by the foundation, the FWF will fund the difference from its own budget.

Grant proposals which receive outstanding reviews but cannot be funded by the Internet Foundation will be funded directly by the FWF; in such cases, however, the special arrangement regarding additional general project costs will no longer apply.

Contact
Gerit Oberraufner or the relevant scientific project officers in the FWF's specialist departments.

Downloads
Application documents

Electronic application portal
elane