The OTR Symposium 2026 will bring together leading field-builders, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, industry experts, and civil society to move the conversation from awareness to action, and from the fringes to the foundation of a shared digital future. The Symposium asks not just what open technology can do, but how we shape the conditions for it to succeed – together. At a time defined by geopolitical competition, economic uncertainty, and rapid technological change, open technologies have never been more critical, or more in need of active stewardship. But the right response is not a defensive one.
Through keynotes, research presentations, and collaborative sessions, the Symposium will spotlight what is already working and ask what it will take to go further. It will explore questions like: How do we build the evidence base that translates open technology research into real policy change? How do we strengthen open technologies as a global commons governed in the public interest? What governance and business models best sustain open ecosystems at scale? How can open source, open standards, and open data support resilience and institutional independence in an era of geopolitical competition? And how do we build the research capacity and community infrastructure that makes all of this possible?