[AfrICANN-discuss] Internet Infrastructure Grant program

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

Internet Infrastructure Grant program

http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/news-events/global-events/internet-infrastructure-grant-symposium/index.xhtml?loc=en_US&cmp=tw

Without vision, hard work and creativity, the Internet would not have
evolved into the global resource we know and use today. More than 25 years
ago the first-ever .com was registered and has since altered the course of
history to put the world at our fingertips. The Internet has changed the
very fabric of how we interact, inform, conduct business, donate, educate,
communicate, connect, and share stories with others across the country,
continent, and all over the world.

The Verisign infrastructure grant program, launched during the 2010 “25
Years of .com” commemoration, reflects Verisign’s commitment to sponsoring
research that supports the Internet’s robust growth and development.
Verisign is expanding this program in 2012 to foster new research which
advances security and stability, encourages Internet deployment, and
improves the Internet infrastructure overall.
Award ApplicationPast Events2011 GrantsHistory

Verisign is pleased to declare that it will announce two $200,000 research
awards on May 2012 to support research that has the potential to improve
the availability and security of Internet access in all parts of the world.
We are seeking proposals for research topics focused on an Internet that is
available and secure in all countries, supporting a range of
infrastructures, given the reality that people and organizations are
relying to a growing extent on mobile devices of all kinds for their
connectivity. The research funding is intended to support two graduate
students or equivalent for one year, plus institutional overhead.

Applications<http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/news-events/global-events/internet-infrastructure-grant-symposium/grant-application.xhtml>will
be accepted from teams composed of researchers from accredited
academic institutions, industry research labs, non-profit organizations,
for-profit corporations, and governmental agencies. Applications from teams
representing institutions in multiple countries are encouraged. All
research outputs will be required to be released to the public domain for
free and unrestricted use.

Applications will be evaluated against the following criteria:

   - *Relevance:* The applicant(s) should propose research that supports
   the stated goal of the program, with a specific focus on global
   accessibility and/or infrastructural improvements that will benefit the
   developing world.
   - *Innovation:* The applicant(s) should propose research that is
   innovative, novel and important. Applications will be judged based on the
   innovative nature of their proposed research foci and goals.
   - *Feasibility:* The applicant(s) should demonstrate that their proposed
   research plan is feasible and can be fully realized within the timeframe
   (May 2012 – fall 2013) allowed by the program.
   - *Overall Quality:* Judges are asked to provide their overall
   impressions of the grant proposals, encompassing all of the aforementioned
   criteria, as well as any other criteria deemed relevant based on their
   knowledge and experience in the field.

Grant submissions will be judged by:

   - *Rick Boucher*, former chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives
   Subcommittee on Communications and the Internet and co-founder of
the Congressional
   Internet Caucus <http://www.netcaucus.org/>
   - *Dr. Stephen Crocker*, CEO of Shinkuro <http://www.shinkuro.com/> and
   Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Internet Corporation for
   Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) <http://www.icann.org/>
   - *Dr. James Lewis*, Senior Fellow and Director of the Technology and
   Public Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International
   Studies (CSIS) <http://csis.org/>
   - *Ndéye Maimouna Diop Diagne*, ICT Director at Senegal’s Ministry of
   Post, Telecommunications and ICT and the current chair of the Board of
   Directors of AfriNIC
   - *Danny McPherson<http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/why-verisign/innovation-initiatives/labs/people/index.xhtml?target=danny-mcpherson>
   *, Vice President and Chief Security Officer,
Verisign<http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US>
   - *Alice Munyua*, Vice Chair of the Governmental Advisory Committee and
   Project Coordinator for Catalyzing Access to Information and Communications
   Technologies in Africa (CATIA)

Check back for updates as additional judges may be added to the panel as
the program continues to develop.

Applications<http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/news-events/global-events/internet-infrastructure-grant-symposium/grant-application.xhtml>will
be due by April 5, 2012 and award decisions will be announced May
2012. The grants are intended to support research performed during the
2012-13 academic year. Awardees will present their results at a symposium
in Washington, DC in fall 2013.
Key Dates:

*January 17, 2012:* Research Grant Submission Process Open
*April 5, 2012:* Research Grant Submissions Due
*May 2012:* Announce Research Awards
*May 22, 2013:* Research Due
*Fall 2013:* Research Presented at DC Symposium
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