The European Open Source Academy is part of a new EU-funded initiative celebrating European excellence in open source software and hardware. This initiative aims to shed light on the critical value of open source for Europe’s competitiveness and open strategic autonomy.
Inspired by the world’s leading academies of science, the Academy will be a lighthouse for open source in Europe. The Academy will highlight the strategic value and economic benefits of open source for Europe, raising awareness of European business leaders and policymakers about the importance of open source for today’s digital infrastructure and competitiveness. To achieve this, the Academy will host the annual European Open Source Awards, which will honour European excellence in the European open source field, as well as bring together the open source community to help support and advocate for the interests of the open source community.
Values
Establishing a long-standing and sustainable institution to promote open source technologies in Europe, the Academy will embody and promote the following values:
● Excellence: The Academy and Awards will promote excellence in the European open source field, from code contribution to business models and policy advocacy, celebrating individuals and projects that have contributed to a thriving and innovative open source community in Europe.
● Learning: The Academy will provide an avenue to ensure a thriving open source community and build the next generation of open source contributors and innovators, through its focus on open source skills and education. With an added focus on continuous open source learning, the Academy will help close the gap between the broader open source community and its use in Europe’s industrial and public sectors.
● Sustainability: Sustainability is at the core of the establishment of the Academy. Both in the sense of establishing an enduring institution, and in the sense of ensuring that the Academy is focused on contributing to the sustainability of open source development and maintenance. Including by highlighting the importance of funding for open source, and encouraging policymakers and business leaders to invest in open source.
Who are we?
The European Open Source Academy is powered by OSAwards.eu, an EU-funded project running from November 2024 to April 2027, to boost Europe’s innovation and sovereignty through open-source excellence and knowledge. The OSAwards.eu consortium will contribute to the Academy through its establishment, an analysis of critical areas of open source to recognise in Europe, a visualisation tool of European open source projects, and a training programme.
The first members of the Academy and its provisional structure through its foundational years (2024-2027). More information will be announced soon and updated here on this website, as well as the Academy’s social media channels. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and to follow-us on social media to stay up to date and know when the first Academy cohort is announced!