This global, multidisciplinary research symposium brings academics and practitioners together to advance understanding of the role of Open Source and other Open Technologies in the modern world and produces policy-relevant research that helps decision-makers drive impact.

In an era defined by geopolitical shifts, economic instability, and rapid technological progress, open technologies play a crucial role in shaping a more transparent, resilient, and equitable digital future. The OFA Symposium 2025, themed ‘Open Technology Impact in Uncertain Times’, will bring together leading academic researchers and practitioners – including policymakers, industry experts, and civil society – to explore the tangible impact of open technology in navigating complex geopolitical uncertainties.

Through expert panels, case studies, and collaborative discussions, the Symposium will consider the transformative potential of openness in a world where certainty is no longer guaranteed. It will ask (and offer some answers to) questions like: What is the economic impact of open source software and other open technologies? How do open source software, open standards, and open data contribute to digital sovereignty, sustainability, and innovation? What challenges arise in sustaining and securing open technologies? And how can we understand the role of open source AI in upending the geopolitical landscape?

Participants are welcome to submit papers or presentations across four key themes:

• Track #1 – Economic Impact of Open: Open technologies drive innovation, lower costs, and create new economic opportunities, but it is important that we are able to evaluate and even quantify their true impact. This track will explore (amongst other things) the role of open technologies in shaping competitive markets, the impact of funding for open technologies, and the macroeconomic impacts of open technologies.
• Track #2 – Open Technologies and Geopolitics: As technology becomes a central factor in global power dynamics, openness is both an asset and a challenge. This track will explore the role of open technologies in shaping (amongst other things) geopolitical strategies, trade policies, supply chains, and technological sovereignty.
• Track #3 – Sustainability and Security: Open technology is often viewed as offering alternatives to proprietary solutions and privately controlled technology ecosystems, but it’s at the core of all modern digital infrastructure, meaning it’s only as effective for major actors as it is sustainable and secure. This track will explore (amongst other things) how open technologies can be funded sustainably, the importance of maintenance, questions of supply chain resilience, and cybersecurity.
• Track #4 – Open Source and AI: Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries, and open source code, weights, and data are at the heart of its development. But as AI scales, questions around ethics, accountability, and governance become more pressing, especially as debates swirl around the definition of open source AI. This track will explore (amongst other things) the intersection of open source licensing and AI, opportunities for open source collaboration in AI, regulatory challenges for open source AI, and the role of openness in ensuring responsible and trustworthy AI innovation.

To submit your paper or presentation, please include a 150-300-word abstract for review by the OFA Symposium 2025 Programme Committee. Submitters are also encouraged to add further details about their paper or presentation, and any other considerations for the organisers, as part of the Description section. A more detailed overview of the submission requirements for each category can be found below.

To join the Symposium as a speaker, participants need only submit an abstract for consideration of the Programme Committee. Submission of an abstract does not guarantee acceptance as a speaker. Should a paper be accepted, participants will need to submit a full paper, summary, or abstract summary (depending on the submission type, see Paper Categories and Timeline on the Symposium website for more details and dates).

Note: Submissions for presentations that do not fall into one of these broad themes can be submitted through an ‘Other’ category, but may not be prioritised for inclusion in the final programme. Additionally, given the international nature of the conference, proposals in English will be considered a priority for inclusion in the programme, but we will also attempt to find space for submissions in the Portuguese language and programme them as part of a side-track, if there is a concentration of high-quality proposals in the Portuguese language. Multiple members of the OFA Symposium Programme Committee for the event speak Portuguese and will be assigned to review those proposals.

Paper Categories

The conference welcomes paper submissions in three categories: Research, Ongoing Research, and Topical Presentation. Each paper category is described in more detail below, including recommended sections and structure. Programme Committee Chairs can downgrade a paper after the review process if it is found that the paper does not fit the category chosen by the author(s) during submission.

All accepted papers and presentations will be organised into the final programme, indicatively by theme but ultimately at the discretion of the organisers. The presentation time varies depending on the paper category, but always including an additional 5-10 minutes for questions by the audience (Q&A).

• Paper Presentation: 20 minutes + 10 mins Q&A (For completed reports and papers; Ideally suited for academic researchers, but also some non-academic researchers)
• Presentation of Ongoing Research: 15 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A (For ongoing research and initiatives, presented in a novel or interactive way; Ideally suited for academic and non-academic researchers, but also some practitioners)
• Topical Presentation: 15 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A (For focused presentations on relevant ideas and concepts that are not part of ongoing research efforts; Ideally suited for non-academic researchers or practitioners, but also some academics)

Research Papers

These are papers that document complete research in one or more aspects of Open Source and Open Technologies. Research papers must, in some way, address topics listed in Tracks 1-4 and should follow standard formats for academic research papers. There is no page limit for the papers. An abstract summary of no more than 300 words shall be submitted as part of the Call for Proposals.

Presentation of Ongoing Research

These are short summary papers that describe ongoing research work that is yet to be completed, in one or more aspects of Open Source and Open Technologies, with proven or potential capability to advance the state of research in the field. Ongoing research papers must address topics listed in Tracks 1-4 and should provide a 6-10 page report for inclusion in the final programme. An abstract summary of no more than 300 words shall be submitted as part of the Call for Proposals.

Topical Presentations

These are presentations mostly composed of work in progress, recent developments or presentations of new ideas and initiatives with the potential to contribute to Open Source or Open Technologies research and practice. Ongoing research papers must address topics listed in Tracks 1-4 and should provide a 6-10 page report for inclusion in the final programme. An abstract summary of no more than 300 words shall be submitted as part of the Call for Proposals.

You can enter proposals until 2025-06-01 23:59 (America/Sao_Paulo), 1 month, 4 weeks from now.