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KnowCyber
The KnowCyber grant provides an excellent opportunity for civil society to participate in capacity-building efforts in the field of cybersecurity, cyber hygiene, and online safety.
Overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 180,000.00.
The call for proposals is divided into six different lots according to the IPA III beneficiaries.
One (1) grant in each LOT* will be awarded. Grant applicants may submit grant applications to one or more LOTs under the present call for proposals. Each LOT will be assessed separately.
- LOT1 – Albania
- LOT2 – Bosnia and Herzegovina
- LOT 3 – Montenegro
- LOT4 – Kosovo
- LOT5 – North Macedonia
- LOT6 – Serbia
- Grant size: The minimum amount for the requested grant is 20,000 EUR, and the maximum is 30,000 EUR.
- Grant duration: Up to 12 months
- Location: The actions must take place as described in LOTs.
The main objective is to support initiatives, and activities that foster a culture of cyber hygiene and responsible online behaviour, that promote and enhance online safety awareness, education, and practices among individuals, communities, and organisations.
The grant is designed to fund activities to increase cyber hygiene, and promote online safety among
- Citizens (kids and youth, parents, vulnerable groups, teachers, doctors, nurses, librarians, and others).
- civil society organisations (CSOs).
- and small and middle size enterprises (SMEs).
- Cyber hygiene.
- Phishing, cybercrime, and hacking.
- Keeping children and women safe online.
- Protecting money online.
- Protecting data and privacy protection.
- Fake news and misinformation.
- Cybersecurity field as a profession.
- Cybersecurity policies’ impact on citizens and vulnerable groups.
- Trainings, workshops, seminars, masterclasses, and roundtables.
- Online courses, online materials.
- Training materials (on paper and/or online).
- Information materials – paper and online materials (posters, flyers, outdoor media, materials, videos, e-books etc).
- Multimedia materials (videos, podcasts, online games, quizzes etc).
- Awareness campaigns (paid social media campaigns, paid articles, TV ads etc).
- Research activities (focus groups, survey about the topic etc).
- Other activities that support the objectives.
Application process
To be eligible for a grant, the grant applicant:
- must be a registered Civil Society Organization (hereinafter: CSO) established in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo*, North Macedonia or Serbia. CSO is any non-profit, voluntary citizens’ group which is organized on a local, national, or international level.
- must have been active for at least two (2) years.
- must have no outstanding financial obligations.
- must have a verifiable track record in awareness-raising projects (provided portfolio) and/or advocacy activities related to digitalization and cybersecurity.
- be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action.
Step 1: Opening and administrative checks and concept note evaluation
Concept notes that pass those checks will be evaluated based on relevance of the action and design of the action. Based on the evaluation, pre-selected grant applicants will be invited to submit full applications.
Step 2: Opening and administrative checks and evaluation of the full application
Full applications that pass this check will be evaluated on their quality, including the proposed budget and capacity of grant applicants.
The evaluation includes:
- Financial and operational capacity
- Relevance of the action
- Effectiveness and feasibility of the action
- Sustainability of the action
- Budget and cost-effectiveness of the action
Based on the checks and evaluation a provisional selection is made.
Step 3: Verification of eligibility of applicants
Eligibility verification will be performed based on the information confirmed in the declaration submitted by the grant applicant. Based on the checks, evaluations and verification of eligibility the selection is made.
Step 4: Notification of the decision
Grant applicants will be informed by e-mail of the decision
* This designation is without prejudice to positions in status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
Background
In the context of rapid digitalisation and the exponential growth of cyberattacks, strengthening the cyber resilience and cooperation of the EU and the Western Balkans partners has become an essential enabler of sustainable development and an urgent precondition for security in the European continent.
In the spring of 2023, the “Cybersecurity Capacity Building in the Western Balkans” project was launched with the support of the European Commission. The leading partner of the project is the e-Governance Academy (eGA). The project covers activities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
The project focuses, among other topics, on cybersecurity awareness because cybersecurity comes hand in hand with internet use at every level of society.
Winners
Grantee: Independent Forum for the Albanian Woman
Project Title: Enhancing Cybersecurity for SMEs in Albania through Cyber Hygiene and Cyber Principles
Grantee: Non-governmental Association “Secure”
Title: Raising awareness and cyber hygiene in SME
Grantee: Open Data Kosovo
Title: CyberSecure Kosovo: Strengthening Cyber Resilience in Media and Civil Society
winning applicants