Project goals

Goal of the "Open Source Hardware Ecosystem" steering project is to design and establish a cross-stakeholder Open Source Hardware (OSH) innovation ecosystem. An innovation ecosystem is a space in which different actors from science, industry and society act in a networked manner. In the sense of innovation research, new ideas are to be implemented and established on the market for utilization. Subject of the research is the concept of OSH, i.e. freely accessible construction plans for physical components, devices and machines. The aim is to transfer the potential of open source software (OSS - free software development) to technology development. To this end, interest groups such as companies, associations, established networks and also users, which until now have acted separately from one another, must form an ecosystem. This network will be orchestrated by the network partners from universities and research institutions. Using a clear and uniform language and also by using innovative OSH technology approaches, these stakeholders are meant to interact equally in the future and will generate added value for the economy and thus for themselves.

Methods

The work of HTW Dresden is divided into the following three areas:

1. Research and testing of multimedia transfer communication strategies while considering the needs of the individual stakeholders. The aim of the HTW Dresden is to establish a communication strategy suitable for the individual stakeholders to guarantee an effective and comprehensible OSH knowledge transfer between science and practice
2. Organization and establishment of a knowledge-creating conference in Dresden. The goal of the HTW Dresden is to establish knowledge in the field of free hardware development in particular, in addition to knowledge transfer.
3. Development of interactive information and qualification projects in the field of OSH. The goal of the HTW Dresden is to transfer knowledge from the university landscape to the economy and civil society through the OSH theme days/workshops.