HomeInsightsEuropean Commission publishes study and survey on the impact of Open Source Software and Hardware in the EU economy

Fraunhofer ISI and OpenForum Europe are conducting a study for the European Commission to investigate in detail the economic impact of Open Source Software (OSS) and Open Source Hardware (OSH) on the European economy. The Commission hopes that the study will identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of open source in relevant ICT policies.

The Open Source impact study is in support of evidence-based policymaking and aims to assess and maximise the benefits of Open Source for the digital transformation. A call for tenders was launched in June 2019 and the project kicked off in February 2020. The study is planned to conclude and present its results by the beginning of 2021. It will present policy recommendations that can augment and accelerate the benefits of Open Source for a competitive EU software and hardware industry and a sustainable digital transformation of the EU economy.

The Commission says that input from the Openness community will be crucial for the success of the study. Members of the openness community, experts, government officials, members of the business community or interested parties are welcome to participate.

A stakeholder survey was launched in September 2020. The aim is to gather and analyse the views of a broad set of stakeholders on the topic of the impact of Open Source, thereby creating a robust empirical representation of the opinions and issues at stake. To access both the study and the survey, click here.

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