Introduction

Across universities, academic OSPOs are increasingly being approached by faculty seeking support with funding applications. Recent conversations amongst CURIOSS members have revealed how these requests present unique opportunities - not just to help secure research funding but to build open source best practices into projects from their earliest stages. These experiences have informed new CURIOSS patterns that capture proven approaches for both assisting with and leading on grant applications. The patterns highlight how this work consistently delivers multiple benefits.

Embedding Open Source Excellence at the Design Stage

Strategic Grant Application Support

Funding agencies increasingly expect transparent approaches and reproducible outputs from the research they support. However, faculty and researchers may not know how best to demonstrate that their publications, data and/or software will meet these requirements in their funding applications. Similarly, Principal Investigators (PIs) are not always aware of relevant open source best practices or options.

CURIOSS members have noted that typically, the first engagement they have with PIs or Development Offices is a request for a letter of commitment in a funding application. The open source grant commitment letter is a simple template that can be used as a basis for any proposal. It provides an assurance to funding agencies that OSPO staff will support a funded project to maximise the public impact of their research investment by following open source best practices.

OSPOs discussed how this straightforward template saves OSPO staff time, demonstrates value to colleagues and also opens up further opportunities to promote open source best practices to research projects over the lifetime of their grant.

Academic OSPOs are also being approached by faculty and researchers to source industry mentors for funding applications to the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Program.

Due to the cross-cutting nature of their work, academic OSPOs are uniquely placed to leverage established networks and to source mentors from a wide range of fields. Some CURIOSS members linked in with colleagues from enterprise and innovation hubs while another OSPO noted its relationships with retired industry experts were particularly useful. In another case, an OSPO staff member participated as the designated industry mentor and found the process very valuable.

Successful marketing of an academic OSPO’s services to colleagues also creates other entry points for supporting funding proposals with an open source component embedding the sustainable development of open source software in research projects. CURIOSS members provided examples of influencing or contributing to proposal narratives; building in a deeper commitment to collaborate with the OSPO; and recommending partnerships with third party experts to enhance the potential success of grant applications.

Direct Leadership in Funding Proposals

Some CURIOSS members also report that their OSPOs are moving from supporting roles to leading on funding applications.

When academic OSPOs participate as Co-Principal Investigators,they bring specialized expertise in open source development, community management, and software sustainability to enhance the technical rigor and broader impact of research projects. This collaboration provides a greater guarantee that open source considerations are integrated throughout the research lifecycle, from initial development through to community adoption and long-term maintenance.

By serving as Lead Principal Investigator on grants, academic OSPOs can further support the development of foundational or sustainable infrastructure that benefits a wider range of research across multiple disciplines.

In both cases, members have emphasized the importance of ensuring that staff have sufficient time and capacity to take on these responsibilities.

Promoting Open Source Innovation and Fostering Open Source Research Communities

Academic OSPOs also secure sponsorship for open source conferences and events that bring together academic and industry communities.

These gatherings serve multiple purposes including: raising the profile of open source innovation at their institutions; providing valuable networking and learning opportunities; and creating forums that advance academic open source development.

While sponsorship may not be crucial to hosting all events, CURIOSS members have observed that greater resources translate into more speakers, better venues, side events and technical infrastructure. This enhances the overall experience for participants; and creates greater opportunities for open source projects to collaborate, maximize research impact and attract support from colleagues, the open source community and industry partners.

The outcomes and learning from OSPO involvement in funding proposals

The experiences shared by CURIOSS members highlight that academic OSPOs are uniquely positioned to enhance grant success. Their broad internal and external networks bridge multiple fields while their deep expertise in all aspects of open source development and sustainability provides the specialized knowledge that funding agencies increasingly value.

However, success in this space requires intentional relationship building. Academic OSPOs must actively cultivate partnerships with PIs and Development Offices and strategically market their services to demonstrate how they can strengthen funding proposals. These foundational steps are essential for establishing the collaborative relationships that make meaningful grant support possible and ensure that open source practices are not treated as an ‘afterthought’.

The benefits extend far beyond simply helping colleagues and researchers to secure funding. OSPOs report that their involvement in grant proposals creates a virtuous cycle: they communicate their understanding of open source best practices to funders; maximize research impact by embedding open source practices into grant applications; build stronger relationships with faculty colleagues; and establish their reputation as valuable institutional resources. This value proposition underlines the important work that academic OSPOs undertake to promote open source as both an essential research tool and artefact in the research landscape.

Acknowledgements

Some of the above CURIOSS patterns were identified at the 2025 CURIOSS Winter Gathering hosted by the UC Santa Cruz OSPO and in further discussions. Members have also reviewed and contributed to the patterns as they developed.

Many thanks to:

David Lippert and Lorena Barba of the GW OSPO, Jeff Young (Georgia Tech OSPO), Lance Albertson of the Open Source Lab at Oregon State University, Sayeed Choudhury and Tom Hughes of the Carnegie Mellon University OSPO, Stephanie Lieggi of the UC Santa Cruz OSPO and the UC OSPO Network and Zach Chandler (OpenSource@Stanford).