The flagship European Commission event dedicated to Internet, NGI Forum 2021, will take place on May 18-19

Digital technologies and access to a safe and secure Internet have proved essential during the COVID-19 crisis, but the pandemic has also exacerbated existing technological, societal, and economic gaps. Human centricity is not an option for Europe as we enter the Digital Decade, it is a core component, and NGI is an essential initiative to bring the human dimension at the core of the Internet.

On 9 March 2021, the Commission presented a vision and avenues for Europe’s digital transformation by 2030. The Commission proposes a Digital Compass to translate the EUʼs digital ambitions for 2030 into concrete terms. They evolve around four cardinal points: 1. digitally skilled citizens and highly skilled digital professionals, 2. secure, performant and sustainable digital infrastructures, 3. digital transformation of businesses and 4. digitalisation of public services (by 2030, all key public services should be available online; all citizens will have access to their e-medical records; and 80% citizens should use an eID solution).

NGI, part of the future Horizon Europe program (2021-2027)

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Next Generation Internet (NGI) is a European Commission initiative, which aims to shape the Internet for the future as a powerful, user-centric (Internet of Humans) ecosystem that meets the fundamental needs of the population, including those of confidence, security and social inclusion. NGI comprises an ambitious research and innovation program based on an initial European Commission investment of over € 250 million between 2018-2020 and is part of the future Horizon Europe program (2021-2027).

The NGI program funds the best research and innovation projects in the field of the Internet, focusing on advanced technologies, including privacy, search and discovery, decentralized architectures, blockchain, Internet of Things, social media, interactive technologies and technologies that support multilingualism and accessibility.

In the last couple of years, NGI innovators have been at work delivering technologies and services that respect European rights and values, leading to tangible benefits for both private and public organisations, as well as citizens.

The impact of ground-breaking internet technologies

The NGI Forum 2021 is an opportunity to showcase the first NGI results, learn about the impact of ground-breaking internet technologies, discuss future priorities with experts across several domains, such as trust and data sovereignty, Internet architecture, decentralised technologies, or new methods of search.

It will also provide insights into NGI upcoming calls in Horizon Europe, offering an opportunity to top internet innovators to continue their work and to join the growing NGI community.

The event, which will run online, will include a mix of specialist talks, open discussions, and interactive workshops. The emphasis is on stimulating discussion and foster the creation of synergies between innovators, researchers, developers, policymakers, and civil society players.

Among the speakers are Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market at European Commission, Jorge Gasós, senior expert in the Next Generation Internet Unit of the European Commission / DG Connect, Eva Kaili, Chair of the Future of Science and Technology Panel at European Parliament, Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Katja Bego, Principal Researcher and Next Generation Internet programme lead, Nesta, and many more.

More about the event: https://2021.ngiforum.eu.

Registrations here: https://bit.ly/33iCs0y