CIRA announces $1 million funding for projects aimed at improving internet for Canadians

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) announced that it is deploying $1 million towards 21 projects focused on digital literacy of the Internet of Things, privacy, and cybersecurity.

The funding is being distributed through the Community Investment Program, which funds projects run by Canadian not-for-profits, charities, and research institutions aimed at building a safer and more accessible internet for Canadians.

Several of the projects receiving funded are led by post-secondary institutions’ departments across Canada. Among these institutions is the University of Waterloo’s Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing, which will receive funding for Courseware, a project aimed at offering free resources to students in Grades 7 to 12 to learn math and computer science.

The University of Guelph’s school of computer science is also receiving funding for its mobile mesh technology project, which aims to provide members of the Rigolet Nunasiavut, Labrador community with the ability to access and share digital resources.

McGill University’s department of electrical and computer engineering will receive funding for its Intelligent Agent for the Visually Impaired project, which offers the “Autour”, an app that uses GPS data to provide information about a user’s location and access points in a given area to help the visually impaired better navigate their surroundings.

“Canadians are more vulnerable than ever to online attacks, often in ways they don’t understand,” says Byron Holland, CEO of CIRA. “At CIRA we want to build a better online Canada and the Community Investment Program is one of the ways we contribute to a safer and more accessible Canadian Internet. I’m proud to support all of this year’s innovative projects.”

The full list of projects receiving funding can be found here.

This article was originally published on BetaKit.