Filtering Next-Generation Internet Proposals for Human-Centric Impact

An EU-Canada-US investment initiative invited proposals that promised a “trustworthy, human-centric internet.” The call attracted over 150 dossiers—ranging from decentralised data stores to novel crypto protocols. BLYSS was engaged to help reviewers move from vision statements to an evidence-based shortlist.

• We translated policy language into four weighted criteria: technical feasibility, scalability, user-protection potential, and openness to public-interest governance.

Result – 18 projects advanced—covering privacy-preserving cloud tooling, mesh-network hardware, and verifiable-credential pilots. Time from submission close to funding decision fell from an expected five months to just over six weeks. Partner agencies have adopted the rubric for future joint calls.

Why it matters – funders needed a structured path from many options to a balanced, mission-aligned set; the Lab framework supplied that discipline.