The Open Science Hardware Foundation (OSHF) is pleased to announce a new initiative focused on Understanding and Advancing Enabling Ecosystems for Open Science Hardware. This project is made possible by a grant from the Navigation Fund and will center its discussion on emerging factors at the intersection of AI, open science, open science hardware, and open-source technologies.
Over the past eight years, OSHF has observed several factors emerging at the intersection of open science, open science hardware, and open source technologies. These topics require strategic conversations to develop the right methodology for further inquiry, formulate interventions, and identify missing tools or data frameworks to stimulate open science hardware.
The upcoming event will be convened to discuss the following topics:
- Institutional embedding: Fostering leadership in open source technologies, including hardware, at the funder, institution, and research group levels.
- Standards at the digital-physical interface: Applying lessons from open data, open source, and open “artificial intelligence” (AI) to create interoperable open source hardware and generate FAIR data.
- Economics of open science hardware: Developing sustainable economic models for OScH that offer value for money and using procurement practices to drive the adoption of open source hardware in science.
- Ecosystem views: Identifying where open source hardware is being integrated with open data, open source software, and other open science initiatives across the scientific landscape.
The outcomes of this high-level meeting will include clear pathways to a shared understanding of priority topics in Open Science Hardware (OScH), new ideas about openness, and ways to change how we conduct science, particularly in areas like “AI”. The Foundation also anticipates new collaborations and alliances to advance the critical role of OScH in open science infrastructure.
