KnowCyber Call for grants

KnowCyber grants for the Western Balkans civil society organisations 

e-Governance Academy (eGA) invites civil society organisations established in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia to take part in a restricted call for KnowCyber Grants for the Western Balkans civil society organisations. The grants are awarded as part of the Cybersecurity Capacity Building in the Western Balkans project, funded by the European Commission.  

Civil society plays a great role in reaching specific target groups and therefore plays a crucial role in supporting cybersecurity efforts in society. 

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. 

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). 

Example activities include organising trainings and workshops, creating training materials, conducting awareness campaigns and research activities (read more below). 

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.

• 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. 

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.  

The KnowCyber grants for Western Balkans support civil society organisations’ initiatives and activities that foster a culture of cyber hygiene and responsible online behaviour, promoting and enhancing online safety awareness, education, and practices among individuals, communities, and organisations, which altogether contributes to more inclusive and effective cybersecurity. 

• 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. 

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. 

Evaluation and selection process:  

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.  

• Is it be possible to submit the concept note within this competition if our organization was registered in November 2022? 

The grant applicant must have been active for at least 2 (two) years by the time of application. Therefore, it is not possible to submit concept note if the organisation is registered in November 2022.

• I have been working with projects in Information Security since 15 years now, both in academia and the industry. We could read that it is open for NGOs only, which we are not in legal terms, but were wondering if chances are for us to apply, considering the experience and network we have. 

In order to be eligible for the grant, the grant applicant must be a registered Civil Society Organization established in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

• What is the Word Count in the Concept Note? 

“Description of the Action” max 1000 words 

“Relevance of the Action” max 800 words

• Can we partner with organizations from other Western Balkan countries, or are we restricted to partnering only with organizations from our own country?

Co-applicants are not allowed in this call for proposals (Guidelines, clause 2.2).