“The OFA Symposium is a valuable platform for recognising and raising the research profile of early career scholars, as they contribute to enriching interdisciplinary discussions on the future of FOSS. Involving people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines is essential for the sustainability of FOSS, especially amidst ongoing discussions about “greying” of the community and the need for software that is for everyone, everywhere.” – Jennifer Tridgell, 2024 Basil Cousins Award Winner
The OFA Symposium 2024, themed ‘Open Source in the Global Digital Economy’ celebrated all things Open Source research, highlighting research areas both familiar and new. One of those newer areas of research is the global governance of open source, a topic Jennifer (‘Jen’) Tridgell, was investigating through her PhD prior to the Symposium – and received the Basil Cousins’ Award for in 2024.
OpenForum Europe and the OpenForum Academy instituted the Basil Cousins’ Award in 2023, in memory of our co-founder, Basil Cousins – a pioneer in understanding the role of open technologies and open source in society. Dedicated to Cousins’ legacy, the award encourages future generations committed to rigorous thought and research in the field of open innovation and open technology.
A story of one open source researcher
Jennifer Tridgell and OFE Chair Sachiko Muto at the 2024 OpenForum Academy Symposium
Jennifer Tridgell is an Australian international lawyer and PhD Candidate (Law x Computer Science) at University of Cambridge, where she explores the global governance of free and open-source software (FOSS) as a World Ramsay Scholar. Drawing on her professional background in human rights, technology policy and diplomacy, Tridgell’s research aims to address critical issues including fostering cross-border collaboration, engaging community interests and analysing the role of nation-states in governance of Open Source technology.
Tridgell became interested in the global governance of open source through her work as a human rights lawyer. Much of her work during this period of her career engaged with the use of technology, including the landmark report on Freedom of Thought. This work led to her becoming interested in open technologies and human rights more broadly. As Tridgell noted:
“… partly due to its dispersed and decentralised nature, FOSS is relatively underexplored in terms of transboundary governance, especially from an international law perspective. When I started my PhD, legal colleagues would ask me, ‘Why did you pick a subject that is so niche?’ Yet conversely, computer scientists would query, ‘How can you cover a topic that is so huge?’”
And yet she was driven to do just that. Through her PhD, Tridgell hopes to bridge this gap in understanding; to think critically about how to leverage various international law instruments and principles to support and sustain FOSS – and inversely, how to mainstream FOSS within international law. These discussions are increasingly important as diverse stakeholders, whether the United Nations, regional blocs such as the EU, States or others – all of whom are looking to grow their regulation or other engagement with FOSS.
Joining the OFA Symposium as an early career researcher
Tridgell had first heard about the OFA Symposium from fellow attendees at Free Software Foundation Europe’s Legal and Licensing Workshop. She had noted the conference’s interdisciplinary focus and thought it presented a valuable opportunity to share her ongoing research and build networks.
During the closing ceremony for the conference, Tridgell was bestowed with the Basil Cousins by OFE Chair Sachiko Muto, in honour of her work as “an outstanding young, promising academic researching the societal effects of open innovation and open technologies”. Said Tridgell of the honour of receiving the award:
“I value the wider public recognition and research profile that the prize bestows as an emerging scholar within FOSS. The award is a welcome recognition from industry experts of my concerted efforts to build my research profile and impact over two years of doctoral research thus far. It supports my career in both helping to facilitate my outreach for the PhD, and opening doors to employment opportunities now and down the line.”
Looking forward to the future
The 2024 OpenForum Academy Symposium was held at the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Since receiving the award in November, Jen has continued her doctoral research on FOSS global governance, with particular emphasis on the role and impact of the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act, regulation and policy for open-source AI, and emerging ethical and human rights dimensions. In different ways, these case studies inform questions on the future and sustainability of FOSS. She is currently getting ready to undertake a research stay at European University Institute in Florence, where she will be working with Professor Thomas Streinz and expanding her engagement with the open source ecosystem in Europe.
Tridgell acknowledges that the Basil Cousins Award helped free her up to do some of this work. Upon receiving the award, Tridgell noted, “I made a joke that it would help to support my lavish PhD lifestyle. In reality, the award has supported my ability to conduct fieldwork and contribute to conferences related to my doctoral research at a time when many universities are tightening their budgetary belts and global economic uncertainty is growing.”
As Tridgell moves forward, she wants to emphasise that further interdisciplinary research to understand and bolster FOSS governance is necessary – engaging computer scientists, lawyers, economists, philosophers and business managers amongst others – particularly given FOSS’ collective value and importance. But this is just one area of importance she argues. She welcomes OFE’s initiative in organising the OFA Symposium in this spirit, and looks forward to continuing to engage with the OpenForum Academy community.
The Call for Proposals for the OFA Symposium 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is now live! This year’s edition will be themed “Open Technology Impact in Uncertain Times”. The deadline to respond to the CFP is 1 June, so don’t delay in preparing your submissions. More information on submission requirements and deadlines is available at https://symposium.openforumeurope.org/.