NLnet open call (Restack, CodeSupply and other funds)

Who can apply

• software released under an open licence, using open standards where possible

What the form asks

• Which of our funds are you applying for?: the fund you apply to
• Proposal title: a proposal title
• Project website(s) / repositories: optional
• Please summarise the proposed project and its expected results in a few lines.: a short summary and expected results
• How much money do you request for your project?: optional
• Please provide a breakdown clarifying how the requested budget would be used.: tasks, effort, rate and expenses
• Please compare your own project with other relevant efforts (both existing and historical). What is new, more thorough or otherwise different? Have you considered contributing to any of the others?: comparison with other efforts
• What technical challenges do you expect during the project?: optional
• What is the ecosystem around your own project, and how will you engage relevant actors? For example, does your project depend on other projects/people? And who would be the main users?: optional
• What makes you the right person(s) for this effort? Do you have relevant experience in this or other projects/organisations? And if so, can you tell us a bit about your contributions?: optional
• Does (or did) the project have other funding sources?: optional
• Attachments: optional
• Did you use generative AI in writing this proposal?: whether you used generative AI
• Which model did you use? What did you use it for? Please paste your prompts/interactions and the AI output in this text field, or upload them as a file.: optional
• Upload prompts/dialogues: optional
• Does your project build on an existing codebase that already includes, or expects to gain, a significant amount of code generated by AI?: whether the codebase has AI code
• Please give a high-level description of the AI use in your project.: optional
• Your name (or pseudonym): your name or a pseudonym
• Email address: your email
• OpenPGP key (optional): optional
• Phone number: optional
• Type of applicant: optional
• Name of organisation: optional
• Country: your country of residence
• European dimension clarification: optional
• Security token: the security code emailed by NLnet

Rules

• Proposals are collected per deadline. The page states it is currently not possible to submit; the next deadline is January 3, 2027 at 12:00 CET (noon). Deadlines fall on the 3rd of every odd month.
• First grants are between EUR 5,000 and EUR 50,000.
• Grants are primarily for technical development. Software, hardware and content must be released under open licences and use (preferably open) standards.
• Proposals should be made by humans, not AI. Answer in plain text, in English and in your own words. If you used generative AI, say so and submit your prompts and the AI output with the proposal.
• EU-supported funds need a strong European dimension: usually applicants should be mostly from Horizon Europe-eligible countries.
• Restack funds the open internet stack (core internet infrastructure, alternatives to closed technologies, secure and privacy-friendly devices); AI-related projects are not in scope there, with one exception.
• CodeSupply is a pilot for open source software supply chain security, cybersecurity data and license compliance.
• Submitting needs a security code, requested by email from NLnet.

What they want now

NLnet open call (Restack, CodeSupply and other funds) wants Open internet stack infrastructure, Open source software supply chain security, Privacy-friendly alternatives to closed technologies