Technology has transformed our relationship to information access and consumption.
Social media platforms are influential spaces where societal questions are debated and where most people get access to news. Search engines are the gateways through which we access information in a quick and convenient way on a daily basis.
While the original promise was to give us unlimited access to knowledge and information, these services often give us a selection of information and content that is skewed, partial and leaning towards the extremes.
The latest wave of EU tech regulations (Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, Transparency and targeting of political advertising regulation, AI Act etc.) attempts to address these issues by establishing transparency and accountability mechanisms, by balancing free speech and freedom from harassment online, and by increasing the protection of users’ and citizens’ rights. These intentions need to be translated into proper enforcement especially at national level, as illegal and harmful content are shaped by context and language.
For these reasons, Civitates is launching an open call to support organisations in France and Ireland that can contribute to the national enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and other related EU tech regulations with a focus on improving online public discourse and addressing how technology mediates and changes the way information is accessed, spread and consumed everyday and in key moments for democracy, such as during elections.
ABOUT THE CALL
The total budget for this call is of €1,000,000.
Civitates is looking to support up to six grantees that will be given flexible, core support of max €200,000 over two years.
For more information on eligibility and selection criteria, please carefully read the guidelines available here.
Applications can only be submitted through NEF’s Optimy portal accessible here. Any submission by email will not be considered.
The deadline for application is 9 September 2024, 11 PM (CET).
Applicants will be notified whether they were shortlisted by mid-October 2024 and the final results of the call will be announced in November 2024. As part of the selection procedure, applicants may be asked to join a short call to complete the due diligence evaluation and clarify any doubt on the proposal that might have arisen in the reviewing phase
You can access all document for the call:
To help applicants, an info session was held on July 9, 2024 from 2 PM. A recording of the session is available below.
A FAQ list will be available on this page afterwards.
