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OPPORTUNITIES

Internet Freedom Fund

By Bulgaria, Country suitable for the funding, Form of the funding, Grant, International initiative, OPPORTUNITIES, OPPORTUNITIES: Funding, Other, Type of funding initiativeNo Comments
Internet Freedom Fund

17.07.2024 |

About the Internet Freedom Fund

The Internet Freedom Fund is the primary opportunity through which Open Technology Fund supports innovative global internet freedom projects. These projects are focused on technology development and implementation, but can also include applied research, convenings, and digital security projects. See below for more details about each category.

OTF prioritizes projects coming from individuals or organizations who are applying for the first time, identify as under-represented within the field, and address areas that are underfunded.

 

Application Process and Award Information

Applications to the Fund go through a two-stage application process and are accepted on a rolling basis

Awards are between $10,000 and $900,000 for up to 24 months. Ideal applicants seek funding between $50,000 and $200,000 for efforts between 6 and 12 months.

Funding awards are performance-based contracts signed directly with the applicant or applicants. Funding is dispersed upon completion of stated objectives, activities, and deliverables per a schedule outlined in the contract. All payments are made in U.S. dollars and will comply with local laws, regulations, and ethics rules.

Successful applicants are paired with an OTF program manager who will oversee all project monitoring and evaluation for the duration of the contract. Monitoring and evaluation assessments are based on predetermined and agreed-upon metrics, deliverables, and goals as laid out by the applicant in the project proposal.

Funding Categories
Technology Development

OTF supports the development of innovative internet freedom technologies from the prototype phase to deployment phase, in addition to supporting core infrastructure projects that serve the internet freedom and human rights communities.

Applications for this category can include, but are not limited to:

  • Creating new, open-source circumvention technologies
  • Taking an existing open-source internet freedom technology and improving upon its security, usability, and adaptability
  • Developing content redistribution methods to aid in content access behind government firewalls
  • Next-generation tools
  • Improving security standards, quality assurance, and best practices within core infrastructure projects
  • Improving accessibility and usability of existing projects
How to Apply:

Applying for the Internet Freedom Fund is a two-stage application process:

Stage 1: Submit a Concept Note through OTF’s online application system in which you tell us about your project idea through a short form.

Stage 2: Applicants whose Concept Notes are deemed to be highly competitive will be invited to submit a Proposal in which they will expand upon their project idea

The Internet Freedom Fund Advisory Council, comprising subject-matter experts who understand various relevant fields and issues related to internet freedom, will conduct a final review of competitive Proposals.

For additional information, check HERE.

 

Details

Target audience

Digital skills for all

Digital skills for the workforce

Digital skills for ICT professionals

Digital technology 

Digital skills

Media literacy

Artificial intelligence

Form of the funding

Country suitable for the funding

Bulgaria

Other

Financial intermediate 

Benefitials 

Individuals

Organizations (for-profit or nonprofit)

Robotics for Good Youth Challenge

By Bulgaria, Country providing the good practice, EU Initiatives, EU institutional good practice initiative, EU Institutional initiative, Funding of the good practice, INSPIRATION: Good practices, INSPIRATION: Initiatives, Other, Public, Type of initiative of the good practiceNo Comments
Robotics for Good Youth Challenge

20.05.2024

The Robotics for Good Youth Challenge is an initiative launched by the UN in the context of growing climate challenges and increasingly frequent and intense natural disasters. Global climate change increases the risks and intensity of disasters such as torrential rains, landslides, flash floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and forest fires. In response to these emergencies, using robots for search and rescue operations is proving particularly effective.

Autonomous robots offer a quick and accurate response to finding survivors, which is crucial when every minute counts. By reducing the exposure of first responders to hazardous situations, these machines make disaster relief safer, more efficient and more affordable. In addition, robots have the advantage of being carbon neutral, which is part of a sustainable approach. They can speed up search and rescue operations, conduct geological mapping, assess damage, remove rubble and deliver medical supplies, among other tasks.

Why is this a good practice?

In this context, the Robotics for Good Youth Challenge invites teams from worldwide to design, build and code robots to address specific challenges related to disaster response for the year 2024-2025. Participants can use platforms such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or LEGO Mindstorms. The process includes research, brainstorming, prototyping, and programming. This educational competition aims to promote robotics and programming skills among young people, while raising awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants acquire technical knowledge in robotics and coding, while developing essential skills for their professional and future lives, such as teamwork, problem solving, project management, critical thinking and information retrieval.

How can I participate in this initiative?

Contest participants can register in person if a national organiser is present in their country or region. In the absence of a physical event, they have the opportunity to individually prepare their project and submit their results as a video for evaluation by a jury. In Luxembourg, this challenge is organised by the Lëtzebuerger Kannerduerf Foundation in Luxembourg. Private and public entities are encouraged to organise national events for this challenge between April 2024 and April 2025, with applications for the organisation to be submitted before 1 June 2024, and participant registrations open until 1 November 2024. Participants, usually between the ages of 12 and 18, register individually or as part of a team. Each team is encouraged to be composed of members with diverse interests and skills for a multidisciplinary approach.

The competition promotes inclusion by making learning robotics and coding accessible to all, regardless of gender, socio-economic status or academic abilities. It also encourages the use of recycled materials and environmentally friendly solutions, with a focus on the development of sustainable robots.

How the Challenge works

After registration and conniassance of the theme chosen for the edition, the challenge takes place in several stages

  1. Mentoring and workshops: Participants benefit from mentoring sessions with robotics and engineering experts. Workshops are organized to teach specific technical skills and guide the teams in the development of their projects.
  2. Presentations and evaluations: Teams present their projects to a jury of technology and sustainability experts. The evaluation criteria shall include innovation, feasibility, social and environmental impact, presentation and teamwork.
  3. Award ceremony: The best teams are rewarded at an awards ceremony. Winners may receive scholarships, funding to further develop their projects, or opportunities for continuous mentoring.
Old edition

In one of the last editions, for example, the theme was ‘Technology for Health and Well-being’, a topic relevant in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Projects featured included robots to help older people stay active at home, automated disinfection systems, and solutions to improve mental health through technology.

Details

Target audience

Digital skills in education

Digital technology

Digital skills

Level

Basic

Intermidiate

Advanced

Funding of the good practice

Public

Type of initiative of the good practice

EU institutional initiative

Country providing the good practice

Bulgaria

Other

Organisation providing the good practice

STATISTICAL LEARNING

By Country providing the training, Course, Duration of training, English, Format of the training, Free training, Language of the training, Online training, OPPORTUNITIES, OPPORTUNITIES: Training, Other, Training fee, Type of training, Up to three monthsNo Comments
STATISTICAL LEARNING

14.09.2023 |

This introductory-level course in supervised learning covers regression and classification techniques, including linear and polynomial regression, logistic regression, cross-validation, and more. It also touches on some unsupervised learning methods like principal components and clustering. The course emphasizes practical understanding without heavy math, using R for computing and providing detailed tutorials on its usage. Explore modern data analysis essentials with us.

This is not a math-heavy class, so we try and describe the methods without heavy reliance on formulas and complex mathematics. We focus on what we consider to be the important elements of modern data analysis. Computing is done in R. There are lectures devoted to R, giving tutorials from the ground up, and progressing with more detailed sessions that implement the techniques in each chapter. We also offer a separate version of the course called Statistical Learning with Python – the chapter lectures are the same, but the lab lectures and computing are done using Python.

The lectures cover all the material in An Introduction to Statistical Learning, with Applications in R by James, Witten, Hastie and Tibshirani, with Applications in R (second addition) by James, Witten, Hastie and Tibshirani (Springer, 2021). The pdf for this book is available for free on the book website.

Prerequisites: Foundational knowledge in statistics, linear algebra, and computing is recommended.

Instructors: Learn from Trevor Hastie, Professor of Statistics at Stanford University, and Robert Tibshirani, Professor in Health Research and Policy and Statistics at Stanford University.

Details

Target audience

Digital skills for ICT professionals

Digital technology

Digital skills

Level

Basic

Format of the training

Online

Training fee

Free training

Duration of the training

Type of training

Language of the training

English

Country providing the training

Other

Classification

Single opportunity