Sovereign Tech Fund
Rolling funding from the Sovereign Tech Agency for open source base technologies such as libraries, package managers and protocols. Projects start at €50,000.
The Sovereign Tech Fund is run by the Sovereign Tech Agency, which invests globally in the open software components that underpin Germany's and Europe's competitiveness and ability to innovate. It funds the development and maintenance of open digital base technologies: libraries for programming languages, package managers, open implementations of communication protocols, administration tools for developers, encryption technologies and similar components.
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis through the online application platform, in German or English. The cost of the work described in the application must exceed €50,000, the current minimum. All code and documentation to be supported must be licensed so that it can be freely reused, changed and redistributed. Projects are not eligible if other public entities already fund the same activities. Prototypes and user facing applications such as messaging apps or file storage services are not funded.
Development is the primary focus, but security audits, conference attendance and community events can be included when they are necessary. Proposals are reviewed against six criteria: prevalence, relevance, vulnerability, public interest, the planned activities and the expertise of the applicants.
After a submission, the agency checks the basic requirements and then reviews the proposal against the criteria. These two steps can take up to 10 weeks. A positive review leads to a scoping phase with a program manager and a consultation with external experts, which can take up to 8 weeks. Legal review and contracting can take up to another 8 weeks.