The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded a one-year grant to coordinate a set of community-centered activities focused on university-based and research institution Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs).

With this funding, the CURIOSS (Community for University and Research Institution OSPOs) network has been established to form and grow a global community dedicated to supporting the growing network of OSPOs in academic contexts.

The project represents a collaboration between Sayeed Choudhury, Associate Dean of Digital Infrastructure and Director of the Carnegie Mellon University Open Source Programs Office, Clare Dillon from NuaWorks and Richard Littauer from SustainOSS.

“This grant represents a significant milestone in advancing the field of university open source,” said Choudhury. “By fostering collaboration, resource sharing, and strategic planning, it’s my hope that we can contribute to the growth, innovation, and sustainability of open source initiatives within the academic community.”

“Ultimately, the goal of academic OSPOs is to maximize the social and economic impact of open source software for research and education. We’re very grateful to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for this grant to establish CURIOSS. CURIOSS aims to enable all those working in OSPOs in universities and research institutions worldwide to collaborate so we can achieve these important goals together.” said Dillon.

OSPOs from 14 academic institutions across the US and Europe are currently members of CURIOSS.