Subject: [hrpc] Research Funding & Fellowship Open Tech Fund

From: Corinne Cath <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2022 13:06:42 +0100

Hi all,

This is my first email to the HRPC community in my new capacity as the VP
of research at the Open Tech Fund (OTF). <http://www.opentech.fund>

I would like to flag the funding and fellowship that OTF offers to support
research on Internet freedom, censorship, filtering, and other concerns
relevant to this community.

Please see the details below. Happy to chat further if you have questions
not covered in the description or the website. There are a number of people
subscribed to this list who are already involved with the OTF community, or
are current or past ICFP fellows, who can also share their experiences.

I am excited to keep working with you all in this new role.

Kind regards,

ccs

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*OTF’s Information Controls Fellowship Program (ICFP) is seeking applicants*

OTF’s Information Controls Fellowship Program (ICFP) is open for
applications for its ninth fellowship cohort, *with a final deadline of
March 13, 2022.* The application and additional information can be found
here <https://www.opentech.fund/funds/icfp/>.

About the Program

The ICFP fellowship program supports individuals conducting research to
examine restrictions on the free flow of information by repressive
governments. In particular, ICFP fellows track Internet interference
practices and investigate emerging means of overcoming censorship in
repressive environments - the countries, regions, or areas worldwide where
Internet freedom is threatened or under attack. Efforts that focus on
investigating the security and privacy of tools used in these contexts are
also supported.

The ICFP program offers flexibility for candidates with fellowships
available for three, six, nine, or twelve months in duration. This allows
for the support of a wider range of proposed efforts, from those that are
relatively short-term to projects that are larger in scope. The fellowship
offers a monthly stipend of $5,000 along with stipends for travel and
equipment.

Independent Study with Organizational Support

All ICFP fellows are based with a host organization, which can be academic
departments, for the duration of their fellowship term. Host organizations
should demonstrate the ability to assist the applicant in carrying out the
proposed scope of work. Applicants can propose any host organization on
their application as long as sufficient justification for the selection is
provided. For example, if you’re proposing to work on a project studying
how misinformation spreads online, then your proposed host organization
should be equipped to provide expert guidance on this topic. OTF welcomes
host organizations from non-academic organizations as well as those that
are based outside of the United States.

Or vice versa, if you are affiliated with an organization and want to host
an ICFP fellow at your organization, please email [email-masked]
for more information.

Supported Topical Areas of Study

Past fellows have explored a range of topics and technological focuses,
including country and region-specific information controls studies; the
development of research-focused software tools used to investigate Internet
censorship as well as those that can circumvent online censorship; studies
around targeted digital attacks aimed at at-risk users; and research into
security vulnerabilities in technologies used by at-risk communities.

To get a better sense of the types of efforts supported through the ICFP
program, you can read about the current (eighth) cohort of fellows here
<https://www.opentech.fund/news/announcing-otfs-newest-8th-class-of-information-controls-fellows/>,
and past classes here (rounds one
<https://www.opentech.fund/news/information-controls-fellowship-first-round-wrap-up/>
, two
<https://www.opentech.fund/news/icfp-second-round-wrap-up-results-and-outcomes/>
, three
<https://www.opentech.fund/news/icfp-third-round-wrap-up-results-and-outcomes/>
, four
<https://www.opentech.fund/news/fourth-cohort-information-controls-fellows-review/>
, five <https://www.opentech.fund/news/2018-ICFP-wrap-up/>, six
<https://www.opentech.fund/news/announcing-otfs-newest-class-of-information-controls-fellows/>,
and seven
<https://www.opentech.fund/news/announcing-otfs-latest-class-of-information-controls-fellows/>
).

Questions?

If you have any questions, please post them in this public spreadsheet
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RNxswHBoOxWEqq4Yo_ozaqOUziN3BI4pr8Lyf8GCfCo/edit#gid=0>
and they will be answered in a prompt fashion. If your question is not
appropriate for a public forum, please email [email-masked].
If the fellowship is not a good fit for you, please check out the
additional avenues for funding that OTF offers through our other funds,
including the Internet Freedom Fund (IFF).
<https://www.opentech.fund/funds/internet-freedom-fund/>

-- 
Dr. Corinne Cath

Vice President of Research
Open Technology Fund | w: opentech.fund | t: @OpenTechFund
Signal: +1 202 209 6820