General information
About the program
Virtual Routes Incubator CIC (Virtual Routes),supported by Google.org, is launching a program titled “Security Critical Community Infrastructure”. This program supports selected Critical Community Infrastructure organizations across Europe to receive cybersecurity support. Critical Community Infrastructure refers to organizations whose primary value is to strengthen communities at the local or regional level, regardless of whether they are formally nonprofit, publicly owned, cooperative, or private.
About the Open Call
Virtual Routes is launching an Open Call to invite eligible Critical Community Infrastructure organizations in Europe to submit their application to receive free cybersecurity services, along with potential financial support for implementation.
Financial benefits
Successful applicants can be selected to receive a grant from Virtual Routes of up to 10,000 euros towards the further implementation of cybersecurity services offered by Virtual Routes.
Additional benefits
Successful applicants will receive access to the Virtual Routes Cybersecurity Services Centre, which includes services such as raising basic cyber hygiene, conducting phishing simulations, offering staff training, scanning websites for vulnerabilities, improving email and domain security, supporting secure communications, and helping organizations prepare for and respond to incidents. The Centre also acts as a shared resource, serving hundreds of organizations across borders and sectors, and helping to build a stronger community of practice around cybersecurity.
Learn more
Eligible Critical Community Infrastructure organizations can sign up for a virtual information workshop, advertised on the program website, to learn more about the program and the application process. The workshops are also open to those who are not affiliated with a Critical Community Infrastructure organization, but who would like to learn more about the program. For the avoidance of doubt, Critical Community Infrastructure organizations do not have to attend a workshop to be able to apply for the program. Please check the program website, which will be regularly updated with the latest information.
Open Call application Terms and Conditions
Definitions
Applicant: a Critical Community Infrastructure organization (as defined below) that submits an application to Virtual Routes for the “Securing Critical Community Infrastructure” program.
Application Portal: the application portal managed by Virtual Routes which can be accessed here.
Critical Community Infrastructure: Critical Community Infrastructure refers to organizations whose primary value is to strengthen communities at the local or regional level, regardless of whether they are formally nonprofit, publicly owned, cooperative, or private. Three elements distinguish these organizations.
- Function: they deliver services that sustain cohesion, inclusion, and resilience rather than simply maximize profit.
- Scale: although local or regional in scope, they often serve tens of thousands of residents or hold sensitive datasets on vulnerable populations.
- Regulation: despite their importance, they are rarely included in national designations of critical infrastructure and receive little formal cybersecurity support.
Grant: a grant made by Virtual Routes as part of the Critical Community Infrastructure program.
Grant recipient: a Critical Community Infrastructure organization that is selected by Virtual Routes to receive a grant for further implementation of cybersecurity services provided by the Program.
Open Call: the competitive process by which Applicants are called and selected to participate in the Program.
Principal: an individual who submits an application on behalf of an Applicant. A Principal must be a permanently employed member of the Applicant’s staff who must accept these terms and conditions on behalf of an Applicant as part of their submission. The Principal is responsible for all communications with Virtual Routes regarding the application, and for the overall management and delivery of the program at that Applicant’s location. There can be only one Principal per Applicant.
Program: the overall Critical Community Infrastructure program.
Successful Applicant: an Applicant selected by Virtual Routes that meets all relevant selection criteria and passes all requisite due diligence.
1. Eligibility
1.1 Only applications submitted by a Principal acting on behalf of an Applicant will be accepted for review.
1.2 Eligible applicants will be Applicants in any of the following countries: Ireland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Spain.
1.3 Decisions on eligibility will be taken by Virtual Routes based on information provided by Applicants. Further information may be requested from Applicants to assist this decision. It is the responsibility of Applicants to provide true and accurate information about their organization if requested. All decisions by Virtual Routes regarding eligibility are final and not subject to challenge.
1.4 No applications from Applicants based outside of the countries set out in clause 1.2 of these terms, or from agents, third parties, or applications automatically generated by computer will be accepted.
2. How to apply
2.1 To apply to participate in the Program, an Applicant should submit an application via the Virtual Routes website.
2.2 The opening date for applications is October 20, 2025. The closing date for applications is March 31, 2026.
2.3 Any one Principal may submit only one application to the Application Portal.
2.4 Principals should complete the application form using the form provided on the Application Portal. Details about the information each Applicant is required to provide in the application form will be provided on the Application Portal.
2.5 The application form cannot be edited or recalled once submitted by a Principal through the Application Portal. Once an application is submitted via the Application Portal, that application submission is deemed to be final.
2.6 Applications will only be accepted if they comply with all application instructions.
3. Selection process
3.1 All valid applications submitted on or before the relevant closing date in clause 2.2 will be reviewed by Virtual Routes.
3.2 Virtual Routes will review and select Applicants in accordance with the criteria detailed at clause 5 below.
3.3 For the avoidance of doubt, the final decision about how many applications to select is at Virtual Routes’ sole discretion and Virtual Routes’ decision is final.
3.4 Successful Applicants will be informed by Virtual Routes by May 15, 2026.
3.5 Applicants who are not selected by the relevant date in clause 3.4 may be shortlisted as “reserve” applicants, whose application may be selected at a later date. Any reserve applicants will be informed of this status by the relevant date in clause 3.4. Awarding of this status does not confer any rights or other commitments by Virtual Routes or Google, as reserve applicants will be considered rejected until informed otherwise.
3.6 Applicants may be requested by Virtual Routes to submit further information after the application deadline has passed, to assist in the review process.
3.7 Selected Applicants will undergo additional financial due diligence, verification, and approval to be conducted by Virtual Routes and/or its partners. Virtual Routes will select Successful Applicants based on a range of factors, including due diligence considerations.
3.8 Once selected, Successful Applicants will be informed by Virtual Routes and arrangements made to enable provision of cybersecurity services, which may then include contracting and payment of the Grants. For the sake of clarity, Virtual Routes is under no obligation to award Grants, and neither this Open Call, nor any representation made by Virtual Routes will bind Virtual Routes or Google to provide Grants to Successful Applicants. To bind, if applicable the Successful Applicant and Virtual Routes must enter into a Grant Agreement which will be the sole legally binding instrument regarding the Successful Applicant being funded by Virtual Routes. Where necessary to enable grant payments, Successful Applicants will be required to provide financial and other information as requested by Virtual Routes.
4. Selection criteria
4.1 Applications will be evaluated against the following criteria:
4.1.1 Function: The extent to which the Applicant demonstrates that they deliver services that sustain community cohesion, inclusion, and resilience.
4.1.2 Scale: The extent to which the Applicant demonstrates that successful implementation of the services offered by Virtual Routes has the potential to generate significant and measurable community impact (e.g. through large user numbers).
4.1.3 Need: The extent to which the Applicant demonstrates that they have limited resources for cybersecurity and would benefit from the services offered by Virtual Routes.
4.1.4: Diversity: As the Program aims to provide cybersecurity assistance to a wide range of organizations across multiple countries, Applicants will be evaluated based on the extent to which they enable the Program to achieve impact across types of organizations and different countries.
4.1.5: Commitment: The extent to which the Applicant demonstrates their commitment to making effective use of the services offered by Virtual Routes, as well as their willingness to collaborate with Virtual Routes in monitoring and evaluation of impact.
5. Eligible costs, monitoring and evaluation
5.1 Grants will be subject to restrictions on use as determined by Virtual Routes. Where provided, grants should only be used to support costs associated with the further implementation of services received through the Program.
5.2 Grant recipients are responsible for appropriate spending of the Grant. Successful Applicants must have an Anti-Bribery and/or Anti-Corruption policy, and must share that policy with Virtual Routes and Google on request.
5.3 Virtual Routes and Google reserve the right to audit and inspect that any Grants are being spent in accordance with the details as set out in the grant agreement.
5.4 Successful Applicants will be required to submit regular updates to Virtual Routes on their progress in implementing the services received through the Program.
6. Privacy and data protection
6.1 By submitting an application, all Applicants will be deemed to have accepted and be bound by these Terms and Conditions and consent to the transfer of their personal data to Virtual Routes for the purpose of the administration of the Program. Any personal data held by Virtual Routes will be processed in accordance with Virtual Routes’s Privacy Policy. All application instructions form part of the terms.
6.2 Data collected in the applicant workshop form, data collected in the application form, and data provided by you through contact with Virtual Routes via email will be collected and retained by Virtual Routes for the duration of the open call application process and will be deleted within three months of the open call window closing unless you are a Successful Applicant and your details will be retained for three years post end of the program.
6.3 The information you provide through the applicant workshop form and application will be used to contact you about workshops, next steps in the application process and to request additional information about your application, as applicable, in accordance with Virtual Routes’s Privacy Policy.
6.4 You may contact Virtual Routes at any time to delete your application or request deletion of your contact information.
7. Confidentiality
7.1 The details disclosed by an Applicant in its application will not be treated as confidential or proprietary unless clearly marked as such.
7.2 Virtual Routes and the Applicant (each a ‘Party’ and together ‘the Parties’) each undertakes that it shall not at any time disclose to any person or corporate entity any confidential information concerning the other Party involved in the open call, except in the following circumstances:
- Each Party may disclose another Party’s confidential information to its employees, officers, representatives, or advisers who need to know such information for the purposes of exercising the Party’s rights or carrying out its obligations under or in connection with the open call; and
- as may be required by law, a court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental or regulatory authority.
7.3 No Party shall use any other Party’s confidential information for any purpose other than to exercise its rights and perform its obligations under or in connection with the open call.
8. Intellectual property
8.1 These Terms and Conditions shall not operate to transfer any intellectual property rights to Virtual Routes, nor to transfer any intellectual property rights in Virtual Routes cybersecurity materials, including but not limited to the Cybersecurity Services Centre, to any other entity.
8.2 These Terms and Conditions shall not transfer any intellectual property rights to Applicants or any other entity in any materials made available on the Application Portal or as part of applicant workshops and Virtual Routes (or its licensors as appropriate) retains ownership in any and all such materials.
9. Liability
9.1 Virtual Routes and Google are not liable for applications that are lost, mislaid, damaged, or delayed in transit regardless of cause, including for example as a result of a technical malfunction, network or server error of any kind.
9.2 Virtual Routes and Google are not liable for any technical or other malfunction relating to the Program website or the Application Portal.
9.3 Virtual Routes and Google are not liable for an Applicants’ breach of these Terms and Conditions.
9.4 All decisions made by Virtual Routes are final and not subject to challenge. Virtual Routes and Google are not liable for any errors made by an Applicant that may contribute to the rejection of their application by either the Virtual Routes or Google.
9.5 Virtual Routes and Google are not liable for any costs incurred by Applicants before, during or after the application.
9.6 Virtual Routes and Google are not liable for any financial, reputational, or other harm that may result from the Virtual Routes’ decision not to select an Applicant, or a decision by Virtual Routes not to award a Grant to a Successful Applicant.
9.7 Virtual Routes and Google are not liable for any information provided in workshops, online, or elsewhere that contradicts these Open Call Terms and Conditions. In the case of any contradiction or imprecision, these Open Call Terms and Conditions shall be regarded as definitive.
9.8 Virtual Routes and Google are not liable for any costs incurred by any delays in the payment of funds by Virtual Routes or delays caused by the Applicant.
10. Other
10.1 If there is any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these terms by an Applicant, Virtual Routes may, at its sole discretion, reserve the right to exclude that Applicant from participating in any future extension to the program.
10.2 Virtual Routes reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel, or amend its contribution to the Program where it becomes necessary to do so.
10.3 Virtual Routes reserves the right to change these Terms and Conditions at any time prior to the relevant closing date in clause 2.2. Any significant changes to the Terms and Conditions will be clearly communicated on the Program website and via relevant mailing lists. In the event of a significant change, all previous version(s) of the Terms and Conditions will continue to be available on the Program website.
10.4 These Open Call terms shall be governed by English law, and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
Contact
Any questions regarding these terms or the program should be directed to
cc*@vi************.org
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