OSAwards.EU

Project Information

OSAwards.EU

Grant agreement ID: 101189668

DOI

10.3030/101189668

EC signature date 4 October 2024

Start date 1 November 2024

End date 30 April 2027

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 1 994 562,50

Coordinated by

RISE RESEARCH INSTITUTES OF SWEDEN AB
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - OSAwards.EU (OSAwards.EU)

Reporting period: 2024-11-01 to 2026-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The OSAwards.eu project is a timely, 30-month initiative designed to elevate Europe's standing in the open source (OS) software and hardware landscape. In a world reliant on OS digital infrastructure, recognizing excellence is crucial for the EU's competitiveness and technological sovereignty. The central goal is to establish a lasting institution that promotes and celebrates Europe’s OS contributions.

The project creates a comprehensive European Public Recognition Scheme built on three sustainable pillars: the annual European Open Source Awards, the European Open Source Academy (EOSA), and the EU OS Week. The Awards honor outstanding contributions; the EOSA acts as a "lighthouse" ensuring legitimacy, advocacy, and skill-building; and the EU OS Week amplifies the strategic and economic value of OS. By integrating these components, the project aims to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that guarantees the continued advancement of OS technologies.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

By Month 18, the project successfully established the foundational technical and institutional framework for continuous recognition:Recognition Framework & Cartography: Developed the Cartography of areas in Open Source critical to recognize, based on extensive research, a community survey, and 37 expert interviews across critical technological areas (AI, Cybersecurity, Cloud-Edge Computing) and key sectors (Health, Energy, Transport). This structured methodology identifies and characterizes critical OS areas essential for strategic autonomy. It includes a detailed qualitative matrix mapping engineering quality (e.g. bus factor) and security (OpenSSF Scorecards). Technical Infrastructure: Initiated the setup of a dynamic Visualization Tool (VT) for impact and sustainability monitoring. This involved integrating the CHAOSS community's solution, implementing the VT using Kibiter from the GrimoireLab suite, and deploying an operational instance. A technical data pipeline was established, programmatically ingesting quantitative metrics from global developer repositories (2008–2024 GitHub data) and cross-referencing them with patent (PATSTAT) and market data (Crunchbase). Institutional Establishment: The successful organization of both the 1st Annual Inaugural Awards (January 2025) and the 2nd Annual 2026 Awards ceremonies in Brussels officially inducted the initial Academy members and validated the dual-cycle operational framework. This execution established the formal Academy Constitution and peer nomination process, securing the foundational European Open Source Academy as Europe’s premier institution for OS recognition. The architecture introduces an absolute neutrality model, utilizing a two-stage automated-to-peer evaluation pathway and a strict non-profit governance framework that purges all for-pay commercial upselling. Outcomes of the Action (Technical and Scientific): The main outcomes include a structured methodology for characterizing critical OS areas, the operational technical infrastructure for an OS impact monitoring tool (using GrimoireLab/Kibiter), a standardized quality and sustainability indicator framework, and the foundational European Open Source Academy driven by its newly inducted laureates. The project is positioned to deliver a comprehensive Manual on the use of OS indicators and further policy recommendations for converting raw metrics into European indices.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The key breakthrough beyond the current state-of-the-art lies in the integrated, scientifically grounded framework for public recognition and impact assessment of OS assets. This project uniquely combines a rigorous, data-driven methodology (using diverse sources like GitHub, Scopus, and patent data) with the formal, peer-driven legitimacy of the European Open Source Academy. This holistic structure transforms OS recognition from a sporadic event into a continuous mechanism for strategic policy and investment guidance.

The direct potential impacts are substantial:

Enhanced Open Strategic Autonomy (Technical/Political): By developing quantifiable metrics for the adoption, impact, and sustainability of OS in critical sectors, the project provides policymakers with the Visualization Tool to make evidence-based decisions, reducing European dependency on proprietary solutions and strengthening digital sovereignty. This facilitates the integration of OS metrics into established indices like the DESI.

Increased OS Contribution and Exploitation (Economic/Social): The Awards and forthcoming Skills Strategy (driven by the Academy) will raise the status and visibility of contributors and provide tangible Exploitation and Knowledge Transfer Guidelines. This directly addresses the low OS take-up challenge in critical European market sectors (e.g. automotive, finance), encouraging economic competitiveness and growth within OS-engaged SMEs.

Key Needs to Ensure Further Uptake and Success:

Access to Finance/Commercialization: Piloting revenue schemes (sponsorship/donor programs) is essential for the Academy’s long-term operational sustainability.

Skills Development Implementation: Securing partnerships with education/industry for the widespread deployment of the Lifelong Learning Programs is crucial to bridge the technical and business skills gap.

Supportive Regulatory and Standardization Framework: Continuous engagement with policymakers is necessary to ensure the new metrics translate into lasting systemic policy changes within EU innovation and digital maturity indices.