The Next Generation Internet Transatlantic Fellowship Program, or NGI Enrichers, provides an opportunity to host researchers and innovators from the European Union and associated countries at UC Santa Cruz.
Fellows will spend 3 to 6 months in Santa Cruz to work and collaborate, promote knowledge-sharing, and establish long-term collaborations. The European Commission will cover costs associated with the fellows’ visits (including travel, visa, and insurance) and provide a monthly living allowance.
There is no financial commitment for the University to host Fellows. However, faculty and their respective departments will be responsible for providing administrative and technical support to any visiting Fellow(s) they invite to UC Santa Cruz. Fellows will also be required to execute a separate Intellectual Property agreement prior to the start of their travel to UCSC. For additional information and hosting expectations, see the MoU signed with the NGI Enrichers Program here in GlobalConnect.
Topics of Interest
Topics of interest include information and communication technologies broadly along with applications to societal needs. Specific topics include:
- Technologies: IoT, 5/6G, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Blockchain, Cloud and Edge computing, Cybersecurity, Quantum computing and algorithms, Xtended Realities, Peer to peer technologies, Virtual Realities, Decentralized Internet, Trust, and data sovereignty
- Application Domains: health, environment, energy transition, Industry 4.0, e-mobility, Autonomous V2X, immersive environment, intuitive user experience, lifelong learning, inclusiveness, digitalization
- Other technological foundations on which future services and platforms will be built, with a human-centric approach considering social participation, open Internet, respect of the user’s consent, privacy, security issues
Tracks
There are three ways that Fellow visits can be arranged:
- Challenges: UCSC faculty can post a challenge, problem, or research area in which they would consider hosting a Fellow. Fellow applicants can then submit responses to the challenge.
- Paired Visits: UCSC faculty work with current collaborators in Europe to jointly develop an application that the potential Fellow will submit.
- Open Ideas: Fellow applicants in Europe can indicate their interest in particular areas, and UCSC faculty can review these applications to see if there is a fit.
Timeline
The next Call for Applications for new Fellows will open in Summer 2024 (July 1, anticipated). Potential host organizations should register their interest in hosting well before the Fellow application process begins.
In fall 2024 (late September, anticipated), the NGI Enrichers Program will review Fellow applications and suggest matches or confirm paired visits. Host organizations will have the opportunity to also review applications and to interview applicants before committing to serve as hosts.
The process is competitive—more applications are anticipated than will be accepted.
Learn More
- Learn more on the NGI Enrichers program website.
- Interested UCSC faculty should contact George Sabo, Director of Global Initiatives at gsabo@ucsc.edu for help with next steps, including completion of the form for hosts.