Innovations for Resilient Communication

The Breakout Program is a $250,000 seed funding initiative launched by eQualitie to support innovations in digital communication that can withstand network shutdowns and censorship of global connectivity. Our objective is to advance “breakout” technologies that allow individuals, communities, and organizations overcome internet fragmentation and network isolation, enabling secure and unrestricted communication in any environment. We are particularly interested in solutions that are open source, and can be quickly scaled in various network, software and user environments. eQualitie is looking to support two to five initiatives under this program. Please use the link at the bottom of this page to send us your project idea. The application window closes November 17th, 2024.

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1. Program overview

The Breakout Program welcomes innovative submissions aimed at advancing resilient, secure, and censorship-resistant communication. We are particularly interested in projects that focus on:

• Resilient communication: solutions that maintain connectivity and enable uninterrupted communication, even in cases of network disruptions or restrictions to global connectivity. These may include peer-to-peer (P2P) systems, mesh networks, or other architectures that allow users to communicate without relying on centralized infrastructures.
• Secure and anonymous communication: technologies that prioritize user anonymity and protection of personal information, particularly in decentralized communication systems and network overlays. Solutions might include encryption protocols, hashing techniques and other methods that protect anonymity of user identity and behaviour.
• Censorship circumvention: Tools designed to bypass advanced intentional restrictions, such as “allow-list” censorship and pervasive DPI, using terrestrial or wireless channels, as well as novel bootstrapping techniques and traffic obfuscation techniques.

What we’re not looking for

We prioritize projects that directly address resilient communication in restricted environments. Solutions that are not aligned with our focus include those that:

• Are not designed or prepared to handle modern web traffic
• Require specialized or proprietary hardware
• Focus solely on transaction authenticity, such as blockchain-based solutions

Eligibility Criteria

We are open to supporting projects at different stages of development, including:

• Idea Stage: Early-stage concepts or proposals
• Applied Research: practical application of academic work
• Prototypes: Working models or minimum viable products (MVPs)
• Existing Solutions: Projects that need further development, improvement, or scaling

Submissions should be open-source or propose plans to become open-source, allowing the community to benefit from, adapt, and contribute to these technologies. Concepts that are not open-source should have a compelling reason. Projects are expected to run between 3 – 6 months.

Examples of expected outcomes: 

2. Submission process

Applications should include a project overview, a detailed project timeline, and a breakdown of the proposed budget. We are particularly interested in understanding the potential impact of your project and how you plan to use the funding to further develop or scale your solution.

• Project Brief (500 words): Summarize your project, including its goals and relevance to the Breakout Program’s objectives.
• Project Timeline and Tasks (1,000 words): Provide a detailed timeline, outlining the major tasks, stages, and outcomes you expect to achieve.
• Budget: Explain how you plan to allocate the seed funding, breaking down key expenses.
• Risk Assessment (500 words): Describe potential risks associated with your project and outline strategies to mitigate them.
• Impact Assessment (1,000 words): Explain who will benefit from your project and how. Discuss the broader implications for communication in restricted or adversarial networks.
• Post-Grant Plan: Detail your vision for the project after the grant period, including plans for further development, deployment, or scaling.

Selection Process

Applications will be evaluated based on innovation, potential impact, and scalability, with a strong focus on solutions that can be implemented across various platforms and contexts. A jury of experts will evaluate all submissions based on the following criteria:

• Relevance to the program’s objectives
• Innovation and potential impact
• Scalability and feasibility of the solution
• Technical merit and readiness for implementation
• Commitment to open-source principles

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present and (if relevant) demo their proposals during day 3 of the conference. Selected projects will then be eligible for further funding to bring their ideas to life.

How to Apply

Applicants are requested to create an account and submit their statement of interest on eQualitie’s grant application system.