Updates 1/2025 from D//F

 Funding: FUND FOR NETWORK ADOPTION (Invest in Open Infrastructure)- apply now!

🚨 Invest in Open Infrastructure is excited to welcome proposals from interested research networks that aim to support the shared adoption, implementation, and expansion of open data infrastructure to further research activities, particularly in Africa, Latin America, and North America.

💿 Data is the foundation of modern scientific research and is essential in solving some of our most significant challenges. Open data and content infrastructures in this context refer to the shared tools, systems, and services that make research data and scholarly content more accessible, reusable, and impactful (for examples see: https://infrafinder.investinopen.org/solutions )

Frequently asked questions

At one glance 👀
-Level of funding: 1-1.5 million USD
-Duration of award: Projects of 2-3 years, starting between October 2025 and February 2026
(In addition to funding, awardees will also receive in-kind strategic advisory from the IOI team in relation to governance and sustainability modeling, community engagement and outreach, and technical infrastructure and integrations to help ensure continuity and sustainability)
-Deadline for pre-applications: April 30, 2025
-Please note: Interested national networks (whose members are mainly based in one country) must serve at least 10 institutions/Research Performing Organizations (RPOs); international networks must have members in at least 5 different countries.

CfP: The OFA Symposium 2025: Open Technology Impact in Uncertain Times - Call for Proposals is now open (until June 1st) 

The Symposium is scheduled 18-19 November 2025 at FGV Law, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

📝Participants need only submit an abstract for consideration of the Programme Committee for now via https://pretalx.com/ofa-symposium-2025/cfp
Should a paper be accepted, a full paper, summary, or abstract summary is due (depending on the submission type, see Paper Categories for more details). 

Tracks listed below: 

• Track #1 – Economic Impact of Open: Open technologies drive innovation, lower costs, and create new economic opportunities, but it is important that we are able to evaluate and even quantify their true impact. This track will explore (amongst other things) the role of open technologies in shaping competitive markets, the impact of funding for open technologies, and the macroeconomic impacts of open technologies.
• Track #2 – Open Technologies and Geopolitics: As technology becomes a central factor in global power dynamics, openness is both an asset and a challenge. This track will explore the role of open technologies in shaping (amongst other things) geopolitical strategies, trade policies, supply chains, and technological sovereignty.
• Track #3 – Sustainability and Security: Open technology is often viewed as offering alternatives to proprietary solutions and privately controlled technology ecosystems, but it’s at the core of all modern digital infrastructure, meaning it’s only as effective for major actors as it is sustainable and secure. This track will explore (amongst other things) how open technologies can be funded sustainably, the importance of maintenance, questions of supply chain resilience, and cybersecurity. 
• Track #4 – Open Source and AI: Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries, and open source code, weights, and data are at the heart of its development. But as AI scales, questions around ethics, accountability, and governance become more pressing, especially as debates swirl around the definition of open source AI. This track will explore (amongst other things) the intersection of open source licensing and AI, opportunities for open source collaboration in AI, regulatory challenges for open source AI, and the role of openness in ensuring responsible and trustworthy AI innovation.

CfP: FOSSY 2025 is back in Portland, OR - July 31 - August 3rd at Portland State University -

The Conference (Free and Open Source Yearly) is focused on the creation and impact of free and open source software, uplifting contributors of all experience.

To submit a talk until April 28th, you must first register an account: https://2025.fossy.us/account/login/?next=/speaker/create/ to create a speaker profile and then select the track you want to submit to along with some additional information: https://2025.fossy.us/pages/tracks/

 - Tracks range from Databases to Science of Community

- cohort members from Cohort 3&4 are coorganising the Science of Community track specifically:

They invite presentations from independent, academic, and industry researchers working on and with FOSS as well as FOSS practitioners (e.g. project leaders, community leaders, maintainers, moderators). Students engaged in or interested in engaging with FOSS research are also encouraged to attend or propose a presentation. 

Description:What can research tell us about building and sustaining free/open source software? This track welcomes submissions on topics at intersections of research and FOSS communities, including (but not limited to):

- Community dynamics: culture, diversity, boundaries, and norms

- Metrics related to life cycles, value, participation, quality, security, sustainability, and risks- Supply chain ecosystems and dependencies

- Project and ecosystem governance (i.e., leadership, regulation, management, oversight)

- Evidence-based engineering

- Production models: markets, communities, foundations, and beyond

The track aims to bridge research and practitioner communities and will include opportunities for researchers to talk with practitioners (about their research), practitioners to talk with researchers (about their observations, experiences, and needs), and researchers to talk with researchers (for learning and collaboration).