June 19 – June 20
The Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative continues to evolve, building on past successes while addressing new challenges in Europe’s digital landscape. As emerging technologies reshape the way we interact online, NGI remains committed to ensuring that the Internet of the future is open, inclusive, trustworthy, and sustainable.
To advance this vision, the NGI Forum 2025 will serve as a key platform to bring together innovators, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders. The Forum will provide an opportunity to reflect on major developments in digital sovereignty, open internet infrastructure, and digital commons, while fostering collaboration between diverse stakeholders shaping Europe’s digital future.
Digital Commons tools for building Digital Sovereignty
NGI Commons will run a session where we will highlight how Digital Commons tools can provide open, scalable and public-interest alternatives and thus become enablers of Digital Sovereignty. It will showcase how NGI-funded Digital Commons enables interoperability through open design and governance. The focus will be on strategic areas for the Horizon Europe Work Programme such as identity management, software supply chain security, open hardware, and alternatives to centralised platforms. Experts will engage in a focused dialogue on scaling Digital Commons tools to strengthen European collaboration, sparking discussion among the NGI community to refine the path forward.
Agenda
- Welcome and introduction | by Martel Innovate
- Presentation | by Linux Foundation
- Panelists | Specific questions + final Q&A
- Wrap-up and conclusions | by Martel Innovate and Linux Foundation
Towards a strategic agenda for (funding) the Digital Commons
During this session, representatives of the NGI Commons initiative will present and discuss a first draft of the strategic agenda for supporting European digital sovereignty through investment in Digital Commons. Key elements of this strategy will be presented and discussed with policymakers, activists and innovators. This session is aimed at generating feedback and identifying synergies with other initiatives and will help us fine-tune our strategy for ensuring support for public digital infrastructure and Digital Commons under the EU’s budget negotiations of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Hosted at the NGI Forum, this session situates our discussion within the NGI context and offers the community an opportunity to review and refine our approach to digital sovereignty.
Agenda
- Welcome and introduction | by Martel Innovate
- Presentation of the Draft strategy | by Open Future
- Panelists | Specific questions + final Q&A
- Wrap-up and conclusions | by Martel Innovate and Open Future
