Open Technology Research (OTR) – a collaborative initiative between OpenForum Europe, the Open Source Initiative, and the Open Knowledge Foundation — is working to address the evidence gap informing public sector decision-making around open technology adoption and reuse. They have just launched an inclusive and collaborative process to develop a shared and global research agenda for open technology.
Closing the Evidence Gap
The network, publicly launched at the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026 on 30 January, is developing a shared global research agenda to identify the most pressing gaps in knowledge about open technology and to coordinate research capacity around the questions that matter most for policy and practice. They hope this work will be useful for informing policy action on key topics, such as (but not limited to) open source and AI, and the economic impact of open source software and hardware on the global economy.
What is the rationale behind such an effort? The organisers of the initiative believe that while public institutions are among the largest users of open technology assessments and case studies, often precisely because the evidence base does not yet exist. They are frequently requested as part of public procurements and calls for evidence, for example. Yet high-quality data on economic impact, long-term sustainability, and comparative policy outcomes remains scarce, leaving administrations to make consequential procurement and governance decisions without adequate research grounding. A coordinated research agenda helps direct investment more effectively, ensure findings reach decision-makers, and reduce the duplication of effort that currently limits the field's impact.
This work is relevant for the public sector in particular, but the network’s organisers also hope for it to be relevant for decision-makers in positions of influence across a range of industries, sectors, and disciplines.
Global Consultations on 19 March
As part of this process, the OTR is hosting three one-hour roundtable consultations on 19 March, timed to be accessible across different regions: Asia Pacific (07:00–08:30 UTC), Europe and Africa (12:00–13:30 UTC), and the Americas (18:00–19:30 UTC). The network is particularly keen to hear from those working within or alongside public institutions, deploying open source solutions in the public sector or civil society, or commissioning research on open technology and digital public infrastructure.
The agenda produced through this consultation will also shape the Call for Proposals for the 2026 and 2027 Open Technology Research Symposium, a relaunched version of OpenForum Europe’s OpenForum Academy Symposium, providing a structured route for researchers to engage with policy-relevant questions over the next two years.
How to Participate
Those unable to attend a roundtable can still contribute through a short intake survey, open to all, covering research priorities and perceived gaps in current evidence. The survey deadline is 17 March, but responses submitted afterwards will still be accepted. Further information on the initiative, roundtable registration, and the survey is available in the announcement on the OTR website.