The Global initiative on the future of the Internet (GIFI) is seeking to identify authors of Issue Briefs aimed to explore issues critical for national, international and multi-stakeholder internet policies that are in line with Open Internet Principles, in particular principles expressed in the Declaration for the Future of the Internet and the Global Digital Compact. This may include specific case studies, comparative analysis of national, regional and international approaches, good practices, methodological approaches, foresight related to the future of the Internet and internet governance.
Potential topics include:
- Protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms: gender-based violence and online harms, platforms and algorithmic bias, surveillance technology and social control, media in the digital age.
- A global Internet: Internet fragmentation, open Internet standards and interoperability, censorship and circumvention, Internet shutdowns, impact of Open Internet on trade, growth and development.
- Trust in the digital ecosystem: privacy and data protection, global costs of cybercrime, accountability in cyberspace, multistakeholder cybersecurity governance.
- Inclusive and affordable access to the Internet: telecommunications regulation, rural broadband and satellite connectivity, community networks.
- Multistakeholder Internet Governance: standards, protocols and technical infrastructure, national, regional and global IGFs, multistakeholder approaches to AI governance, ITU, WSIS+20 review.
Details of the assignment:
- A Brief should be 3,000 words in length (with references as hyperlinks), including bibliography.
- Authors will be offered a fee of EUR 1500.
- Tentative delivery date for first round: 1 March 2025 (details to be agreed with a GIFI Project Lead).
- Author’s commitments include: conducting research, drafting a policy brief, providing data for one visual to be included in the brief, presentation of the policy brief during an online event.
- RSCAS’ commitments: project supervision and guidance to the author, editing and formatting, preparation of a visual to accompany the text, related promotion and communication.
Deadlines for expressions of interest:
- First round: 16 December 2024 (18:00 CET).
- Second round: 21 February 2025 (18:00 CET).
Selected authors will be contacted by 19 December 2024 (first round) and 26 February 2025 (second round). Successful candidates will sign an external collaborator contract with the Robert Schuman Centre for the delivery of the research product.
Individuals interested in this assignment are requested to submit issue brief proposals and a CV to [email protected]. Proposals should clearly explain the topic of the Issue Brief, the research question the Brief will address, and a short description of the research strategy and methodology. Authors should have a clear track record of previous publications. Proposals should be no more than 400 words. Please note that selected candidates are subject to approval by the European Commission.
More information about the GIFI project, including examples of previous Issue Briefs, is available on the project website.
GIFI is a two-year project funded by the European Union to promote the Declaration for the Future of the Internet (DFI). Through a mix of policy support, multistakeholder implementation, and outreach activities with carefully selected target groups, coupled with peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and engagement, the GIFI project aims to contribute to promoting the Declaration for the Future of the Internet and support the implementation of its principles in a multi-stakeholder and rights-based approach.