OSOR has just published the first versions of reports on the state of open source in Mexico and China. These reports offer a comprehensive overview of each country’s use and policies on open source software as of 2023. They delve into the evolution of policies in recent years and provide various examples of open source usage in public administration specific to each nation.In these reports, you will discover the key governmental bodies actively involved in open source initiatives. In Mexico, the reports highlight the roles of the National Digital Strategy Coordinator and the Public research…

A new report co-authored by researchers from the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), OSPO++ and Johns Hopkins University (JHU) highlights the benefits that open source can bring to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report is based on the outcomes of the “OSPOs for Good: Building & Designing Cooperative Digital Infrastructure” conference co-organised by OpenForum Europe, RISE, OSPO++, JHU, the UN Office of Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology and the UN Office of Information and Communications Technology.Both the conference and the report highlighted that…

Finnish artificial intelligence startup Silo AI published a new open source large language model (LLM) on 12 November. The new model Poro, named after the typical Nordic tundra roaming reindeer, is the second significant open source LLM hailing from Europe after French Mistral AI. For the moment it covers Finnish, English and some coding languages, but Silo AI’s plan is to expand it to work for all 24 official European Union languages.“I personally believe that eventually there’s going to be a lot of open source alternatives out there. The most secure way forward is to actually go open source…

In a decisive move underscoring their commitment to critical areas, the European Parliament (EP) and the Council formally ratified the EU's 2024 budget, marking a significant milestone in addressing pressing global challenges while bolstering support for research initiatives, youth empowerment, and combating external adversities.EP President Roberta Metsola signed the 2024 EU budget into law on 22 November, symbolising the culmination of rigorous discussions and collaborative efforts within the Strasbourg hemicycle. This budget, amounting to €189.4 billion in commitments, and payments set at…

We want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who joined us on 21st November for the 15th anniversary celebration of the European Commission’s Open Source Observatory (OSOR). Your presence and active involvement made the event, "OSOR Turns 15: From Pioneering to Mainstreaming Open Technologies in Public Services,” a great success.For those of you that missed the event, don't miss the recording of the event here.At the conference, we had a blast honouring the people who’ve been driving open source in Europe's public services. The OSOR Awards ceremony was a highlight, giving a well-deserved…

Announced in June 2023, Moldova has now launched its OpenCode.md platform. This initiative, spearheaded by the company Diginet, centres on open source solutions which aim to achieve “Digital Public Goods” classification. Furthermore, the platform provides access to open content collections and open data.One of the criteria for software to be included is that it must be FOSS. The platform provides a list of approved licences which uses OSI-approved licences for software, Creative Commons licences for open content, and a selection of licences for open data. Solutions must additionally fulfil the…

Slovenia’s Na-prostem.si project - ”FOSS for the digital inclusion of NGOs and users”:Na-prostem.si was created in 2022 to facilitate an autonomous digital transformation for non-governmental/voluntary organisations and enhance the digital inclusion and proficiency of their users. Co-funded by the Ministry of Public Administration, the two-year project budget is 200,000.00 EUR. It was created with two primary objectives:The development of the platform https://www.na-prostem.si/, supporting the efficient operation of non-governmental organisations in the digital sphere.The provision of training…

German national railway company Deutsche Bahn wants to put its digitalisation on the right track. In early November, the company's digital arm, DB Systel, announced its open source manifesto. With the transition to open source, the logistics company plans to accelerate innovation, increase efficiency, ensure interoperability and build the organisation’s IT capabilities. DB Systelis Deutsche Bahn’s daughter company responsible for the digitalisation of the train giant.“Deutsche Bahn is committed to the use of open source software and active participation in the community. The manifesto stands…

The Dutch government, in October, published its agenda for Digital Open Strategic Autonomy (DOSA) alongside a letter to the House of Representatives from the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate. The policy framework aims to address strategic dependencies in the digital sector while promoting open strategic autonomy.One of the key areas of emphasis within this framework is investments in open source software and the open source ecosystem. By investing in open source solutions, the Netherlands seeks to reduce its reliance on proprietary software and strengthen its digital autonomy. There…

Aleph Alpha, a Heidelberg-based startup focused on open source large language models (LLM), has raised €486 million in its Series B financing round. Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck called the startup an “incredible success story.” Indeed, this was one of Europe’s largest AI rounds ever – Mistral AI, the French startup which also relies on open source for its model made a splash this June when it raised €105 million in its seed funding round. Aleph Alpha’s funding round was led by Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (Ipai), Bosch Ventures and companies operating under the…

OSOR Community Award voting has concluded, and we're delighted to announce that the winner is BlueHats, the French public sector open source community initiative! Our congratulations to BlueHats for securing the OSOR Community Award with 18% of the total votes. About the winner BlueHats was established in France in 2018 to connect public servants skilled in open source software who were unaware of their colleagues with similar expertise. Today, BlueHats has grown into a vibrant community of over 2,000 public servants and developers promoting open source in the public sector. They engage in…

In the October 2023 OSOR Newsletter you’ll find the latest news, studies, software and upcoming events on the topic of free / open source software. Enjoy the read! To receive OSOR’s newsletters, please subscribe! To see previous newsletters, see the OSOR Newsletters page.