Open Source for Innovation in Universities

Open Source for Innovation in Universities

With 98% of the world’s software now containing open source software, it is recognised as being central to all future technological advancements. Open Source Software (OSS) and tools also form a critical part of Open Research practices. This event explores the most recent global trends in open source in the academic context. Expert speakers will examine how open source relates to open research and how it impacts academic-industry collaborations. We will discuss how Irish universities are evolving to address the opportunities and challenges relating to open source.

Join us for this inspiring event, a part of the Lero Open Source and Open Science Programme Office (Lero-OSPO) initiative.

The event will take place in-person at the University of Galway, and will be streamed online.

Lero-OSPO is dedicated to fostering engagement between Lero members, stakeholders and the broader open source community while promoting Open Science activities within Lero.

Agenda

• 09:00 - 09:30 Registration
• 09:30 - 09:40 Welcome Address
• 09:40 - 10:00 “Overview of Open Source Global Trends” - Clare Dillon
• 10:00 - 10:30 "Measuring Open Source in Universities" - Daniel Izquierdo Cortázar
• 10:30 - 11:00 “The Critical Role of Open Source in Open Research” - Pen-Yuan Hsing
• 11:00 - 11:15 Break
• 11:15 - 11:45 "The Global Impact of OSS on Industry Collaborations." - Tobias Gabriel
• 11:45 - 12:20 Panel Session - “Irish universities & open source - charting the future”
• 12:20 - 12:30 Closing Remarks

Speakers

Clare Dillon is a PhD researcher with the University of Galway, Ireland focusing on researching open collaborative software development practices. She works with Lero's OSPO, the open source program office for Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software. Clare also works with a global community of Open Source Program Offices in university and research institutions. From 2021-2023, Clare served as the inaugural Executive Director of InnerSource Commons, the world's largest community of InnerSource practitioners. In 2021, she co-founded Open Ireland Network.

Tobias Gabriel is a Senior Developer at the SAP Open Source Program Office (OSPO), a team dedicated to guiding and facilitating SAP's engagement with Open Source Software. Not only how Open Source is consumed, but as well how SAP can contribute and publish it.

Tobias focus is on improving the developer experience, mostly through technical improvements in the processes and tools used. He is a strong advocate for keeping things simple and easy to use.

Pen-Yuan Hsing, is an advocate for open science and participatory research, serves as a Co-Advisor for NASA's Transform to Open Science (TOPS) mission. His talk will highlight the indispensable role of open source software in facilitating open research, particularly in environmental science and technology.

Daniel Izquierdo Cortázar, CEO and co-founder of Bitergia, specialises in software analytics for open and InnerSource ecosystems. His work emphasises data quality, novel metrics, and analytical studies to benefit Bitergia's clientele. With a PhD focused on the analysis of developer activities within the Mozilla community, Daniel contributes significantly to CHAOSS (Community Health Analytics for Open Source Software) as a board member and serves as President of the InnerSource Commons Foundation.

About Lero

Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, brings together expert software teams from universities and institutes of technology across Ireland in a co-ordinated centre of research excellence with a strong industry focus.

Lero’s research spans a wide range of subjects including software engineering, information systems and human-computer interaction in areas such as driverless cars, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, fintech, govtech, smart communities, agtech and healthtech.

Hosted by University of Limerick, Lero’s academic partners include Atlantic Technological University, Dublin City University, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Maynooth University, Munster Technological University, South East Technological University, Technological University Shannon: Midlands Midwest, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Galway.