SK-NIC Fund announces first calls

The SK-NIC company in cooperation with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic for Investments and Informatization (further as „the Office“) have completed the process of preparing and approving the necessary documentation to launch the SK-NIC Fund. We expect the first call in late September.
The Commission for .sk National Domain Administration discussed the first call today. Representatives of the Internet community are also members of the Commission and all participants confirmed their interest in supporting the call and helping to spread it to the professional public. The members of the Commission had no objections to the draft of the call, therefore its opening is only a question of a few days. Information will be published on the website of the SK-NIC, a.s. and also on the Pontis Foundation.
This year from the SK-NIC Fund we will support projects focused on cybersecurity and Internet education which will not exceed one year. We have allocated 100,000 EURO for the projects. We will provide financial support in the range of 2,500 EURO to 10,000 EURO to the projects, which meet the conditions of the call and will be confirmed by the Office.
SK-NIC fund includes cybersecurity calls. Our company has been involved for a long time in this area. In the real world, we protect what is valuable to us. We need to do the same in the virtual world. We protect virtual Slovakia and therefore we want to help good thoughts and ideas through the SK-NIC Fund. With the launch of the fund, we fulfill one of our strategic goals, which is to engage in the support of the projects that lead towards the digital society.
„We see the SK-NIC Fund as another opportunity to support the ideas of young and creative people, Slovak companies and start-ups. Especially in such cases, large finances are not needed, it is sufficient to help with the idea or support of a small project is enough. In a time when topics such as cybersecurity or digital skills acquiring are highly relevant, clever young people from the IT community can realize their ideas through a call from the SK-NIC Fund.“ said Mr. Jaroslav Kmeť, General Manager of the IT Department of the Office.
Digital transformation is part of everyday activities. That ’s why we support projects that contribute to the education of digitally skilled people. People who responsibly approach digital technologies know their benefits, but also the pitfalls, will be more resilient to the challenges of the future.
Applicants for financial support will receive all necessary information in time on the SK-NIC, a.s. website and also on the Pontis Foundation website. Pontis Foundation is responsible for the process of collecting applications and evaluating projects.