What are digital commons? And how could we possibly contribute to Europe’s digital future by developing shared, public interest digital resources and infrastructures?
To answer these questions, Martel Innovate colleagues, as partners in the NGI Commons project, gathered in Amsterdam for an in-person workshop which brought together open-tech and open-source experts and enthusiasts to discuss these topics.
Digital and internet commons are a form of commons involving the distribution and communal ownership of information resources and technology. Examples of digital and internet commons include open-source software, open hardware, open design, open licensing, open standards, and open data. Over the last few decades, digital and internet commons have become essential components supporting sovereignty, trust, democratic values, and fundamental digital rights and principles, such as privacy and data protection, open knowledge and participation, user control over personal data, decentralisation, inclusiveness, and a green transition, among others.
Digital Commons are intrinsically associated with the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative launched five years ago, and the broader ecosystem of NGI projects supported by the European Commission. As Martel has been involved from the start to promote open source community values through several projects, like NGI4ALL and its follow-up project NGI4ALL.EU, participation in the NGI Commons project was natural.
“The ‘NGI Commons’ embodies the essence of the “commons” within the Next Generation Internet Initiative (NGI). It aims to bolster its influence and contribution to Europe’s digital sovereignty. It seeks alignment with pertinent “digital commons” endeavours and outlines a strategic roadmap to steer subsequent investments towards technology that prioritises a human-centric approach.”
From explaining the importance of a thorough definition to the benefits of funding, the participants at the workshop discussed the challenges and opportunities of commoners’ work. For a lot of people, digital commons represent communal public assets, with governance and societal structures holding pivotal roles. The participants also noted that the future of the digital commons landscape in Europe should capitalise on its strengths, address weaknesses, mitigate threats, and seize opportunities to flourish – even if they differed in their understanding of digital commons and how to achieve that.
About NGI Commons
NGI Commons is run by a consortium that includes Martel Innovate, who coordinates the project, OpenForum Europe, the Open Future Foundation, the Linux Foundation, and the Centre Internet et Société (CIS) of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).
The project is a Cooperation and Support Action (CSA) within the Next Generation Internet (NGI) Initiative and will be carried out between January 2024 to December 2026.
About Next Generation Internet (NGI)
NGI Commons is part of the European Commission’s Next Generation Internet (NGI) Initiative. The NGI initiative aims to reimagine the internet as an interoperable platform ecosystem that embodies the values of openness, inclusivity, transparency, privacy, and cooperation. The end goal is to create a range of open-source and decentralized solutions, which provide an alternative to mainstream and help achieve digital sovereignty. NGI has already provided 1000+ innovative projects with more than 350 million euros of funding since 2018.
