Nominet Trust pledges £5m to worthy web projects

The Nominet Trust has awarded grants to support various internet projects

Internet education charity the Nominet Trust has announced the first six grants to support various projects designed to drive education, inclusion and safety on the internet.

The first six organisations, each receiving between £9,000 and £50,000 to fund various projects, are the British Computer Society of the Blind, ChildNet, the Internet Society, the Cambridge Global Grid for Learning, Cambridge Library Learning Services and Youthnet.

"These organisations have demonstrated with these six projects that they will help and support our objectives, and evidences the impact that Nominet Trust can have through funding projects in education, inclusion and safe use of the internet," said Jonathan Welfare, chairman of the Nominet Trust board.

"We are actively seeking to fund more projects that will make a tangible and rapid difference in developing the internet in the UK and other countries."

The British Computer Association of the Blind will use the cash to enhance its EyeT4All project, which provides training for visually impaired people to access computers and the internet.

The Internet Society has set aside the funding to support its Internet Engineering Task Force and Internet Governance Forum fellowship programmes, which aim to ensure the continued responsible development of the internet in the developed and developing worlds.

ChildNet will use the cash to establish and run its Youth Internet Governance Forum Project, which aims to give young people the opportunity to voice their opinions on four main themes: openness, access, security and diversity.

YouthNet will be running a research project to launch a campaign in September designed to promote digital inclusion among young people.

The Cambridge Global Grid for Learning will enhance its 4C project, which provides a free suite of online learning and teaching applications and content for learners and educators in educational institutions worldwide.

Lastly, Cambridge Library Learning Services will use the donation to support staff working on its Community Access Points project, which provides communities in isolated rural locations and areas of high social deprivation with free access to online education and support.

The Nominet Trust has garnered the support of several industry figureheads, including communications minister Lord Carter and One Laptop per Child founder Nicholas Negroponte.

"I am pleased to see that Nominet Trust has funded projects that will have a quick and positive impact on the UK and the global internet landscape," said Lord Carter.

"Nominet Trust will make a positive difference by funding worthy projects in online education and inclusion to help to ensure the responsible growth of an inclusive internet."

Negroponte added: "The future of the internet relies on institutions like Nominet Trust to force the pace of innovation by funding projects that keep moral purpose at the heart of internet development."