Announcing $1M in grants to researchers studying the future of the Internet

We recently awarded over $1 million through our Research grant programme to seven exciting projects that examine the future and sustainability of the Internet. In its pilot year, this programme seeks to support a diverse group of researchers who are generating solutions today to meet the Internet challenges of tomorrow.

The selected projects examine important issues around the Internet’s relationship to society, such as: the economic cost of the digital gender gap, the impact of digital labour platforms on worker’s rights, what climate solutions might help decarbonize the subsea cable network, and more.

Recommended for funding by an Independent Programme Review Committee, the awardees hail from Australia, Austria, India, Malawi, and the U.S. These grants are intended for applied research that will be published and made available to the scientific community at no cost.

Through these grants, we look forward to enabling new and valuable research on the future of the Internet, research that will influence policy and industry decisions and ultimately help shape a more equitable and sustainable future for the Internet and the people it serves.

Learn more about each awardee in the list below.

1. Environmental Law Institute – USA – $200,000  

Theme: Greening the Internet

Project Title: Creating a Research Strategy to Green the Internet

Research Question: How can we identify high-value, high-impact research on the energy and environmental impacts of the digital economy?

2. The Centre for Internet and Society – India – $200,000  

Theme: The Internet Economy

Project Title: Labour futures: Intersectional policy making for the platform economy

Research Question: How are digital platforms broadly, and digital labour platforms specifically, occupying and performing their roles as intermediaries and infrastructure in the global south?

3. Chomora Mikeka (Independent Researcher) – Malawi – $57,017  

Theme: Greening the Internet

Project Title: Greening Internet of Things (IoT) for Smart Cities

Research Question: Can IoT Sensors used for Smart Garbage Collection in Smart Cities be Green Powered?

4. World Data Lab – Austria – $193,660  

Theme: The Internet Economy

Project Title: International Internet Inequality Index

Research Question: Which economic and demographic factors contribute to global Internet access in the future?

5. World Wide Web Foundation – USA – $199,974  

Theme: The Internet Economy

Project Title: The Cost of Excluding Women: The Digital Gender Gap & Economic Prospects

Research Question: What is the economic impact of not having women participate in digital economies due to the digital gender gap?

6. Digital Rights Watch – Australia – $187,299 – 18 months

Theme: The Internet Economy

Project Title: An International Internet for Local Needs

Research Question: How can we rebalance bargaining power between local actors and international Internet players?

7. SubOptic Foundation – USA – $200,000 – 24 months

Theme: Greening the Internet

Project Title: Decarbonizing the Subsea Cable Network

Research Question: What is the average carbon footprint of a cable station, and what climate solutions might help to mitigate this footprint?

The Research programme is open to independent researchers and research institutions worldwide and is currently accepting statements of interest, to be reviewed on a rolling basis. Grants of up to US$200,000 will be awarded for research lasting up to 2 years.