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Our Mission

Universities are engines of innovation and productivity in the world. They both leverage and contribute to technology through their educational, research, and outreach activities. The way that various technological products are disseminated and shared is a fundamental issue that greatly shapes their use and impact. The move to open science, open access, and open source is a key strategy for streamlining the use of these products, fostering collaboration, and accelerating progress. However, effectively making this transition to openness is challenging and calls for institutional support.

Thanks to a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The University of Wisconsin–Madison Open Source Program Office (OSPO) is positioned to support and grow our vibrant open source ecosystem. The OSPO's mission is to collaborate with key stakeholders and community members to provide open source learning opportunities, promote best practices, facilitate the use of open source software in research, and make open source–fueled connections between practitioners and adopters on campus and beyond.

Goals

What does the Open Source Program Office wish to accomplish?

  • Work to sustain current open source projects on campus
  • Provide avenues for participation and contribution in open source software
  • Facilitate partnerships to raise awareness of open source software
  • Create infrastructure for starting, maintaining, sharing, and rewarding open source in research and community contexts
  • Focus efforts on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in open source

Benefits of Open Source

  • Cost Effective

    Open source software are usually available at a much lower cost or even for free compared to Closed-Source softwares. This would allow software to be accessible to every individual and organizations with a restricted budget, which users could modify software without having to worry about licensing fees.

  • Flexibility

    The most fundamental aspect for Open-Source software. Users could access and modify Open-Source software in order to meet certain needs, allowing for customization. With access to source code, developers can add new features, adjust UI, or even fix bugs.

  • Community

    Collective contributions of a worldwide community of developers and users benefit Open-Source Projects, as communities can offer support through platforms such as social media and forums to name a few.