OpenForum Europe and Fraunhofer ISI are delighted to announce that we were awarded the contract to conduct the study on the impact of Open Source Software and Hardware on technological independence, competitiveness and innovation in the EU economy. It is a long-awaited initiative, serving as a scientific basis for future Open Source policymaking in Europe and with a potential global impact.
Today, virtually all software products include Open Source software components, an increasingly large percentage of crucial software platforms and programs are entirely Open Source and the development and uptake of Open Source Hardware and Open Silicon are growing. The impact of this paradigm shift from proprietary systems to more open, collaborative frameworks is being studied by many. However, there is no up-to-date, comprehensive synthesis of the EU market and key industrial sectors, and where we stand in comparison to the rest of the world. This is necessary for fact-based policymaking in the future aimed at maximising the benefits of Open for the digital transformation. Thus, in June 2019, we were happy to see the call for tenders from the European Commission to research the impact of Open Source.
The ultimate goal of this study is to provide a solid evidence-based platform for shaping European Open Source policies for the years to come. We will identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of Open Source in relevant ICT policies such as cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digitizing European industry, the connected car, HPC, Big Data, Distributed Ledger Technologies.
The study will conclude with a list of policy recommendations that can augment and accelerate the benefits of Open Source for a competitive EU software and hardware industry and a sustainable transformation of the EU economy.
Input from the broad Openness community will be crucial for the success of this project. It is a unique chance to contribute to shaping future Open Source policies in the EU and beyond. Support Open Source by getting involved in our network of global experts and drive change in several industries. If you are interested in participating in the study, contact Paula Grzegorzewska, responsible for community and expert engagement, at paula@openforumeurope.org.
If you would like to see us and get to know more about the project, you have several opportunities to do so:
- Participate in our pre-FOSDEM EU Open Source Policy Meeting on 31.01
- See our presentation at one of the biggest Open Source conferences FOSDEM on 2.02
- Meet us at FOSSistanbul on 13-15.03
Consortium
Fraunhofer ISI is a leading research institute in Europe, bringing expertise in the area of innovation research based on the synergy of the technical, economic and social science knowledge of its staff members. Represented by Prof. Dr. Knut Blind.
OpenForum Europe is a not-for-profit, Brussels-based independent think-tank which explains merits of openness in ICT to policy makers and communities across Europe. The project team: CEO Sachiko Muto, Research Director Sivan Pätsch, Policy Analyst Paula Grzegorzewska and Policy Director Astor Nummelin Carlberg.
Mirko Boehm is the CEO of Endocode who also works for the Open Invention Network, as a researcher on Open Source at the Technical University of Berlin and a member of the United Nations’ Technology Innovation Labs’ Open Source and Intellectual Property Advisory Panel.
Andrew Katz – is a lawyer, and CEO and Head of Technology at the UK law firm Moorcrofts LLP. He has been advising projects, businesses and foundations on open source software, hardware and data for over 20 years, drafted the Solderpad Open Hardware Licence, and is on the core drafting team of the CERN Open Hardware Licence. He is a visiting researcher at the University of Skövde, Sweden, where he researches open source and open standards, and is a member of United Nations’ Technology Innovation Labs’ Open Source and Intellectual property Advisory Panel.