Open source hardware (OSH) refers to equipment and instrumentation whose designs are made available to anyone for use, modify, and distribute without restrictions in ways that are easily understood. OSH is part of the Open Science Ecosystem, intersecting with open software as part of the toolchain used in experimental setups that generate data. The key role of OSH in research has been recognised at the highest levels, including the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, ratified in 2021. Neil Jacobs of UKRN was a panelist in Geneva, Switzerland at the: “Accelerating the Adoption of Open Science” event (10-14 July 2023): Overview Indico (cern.ch) Neil noted it was clear at this event that “Hardware is critical to the rigour and transparency of many areas of research, and so open source here has huge potential benefits. However, for many researchers it can be unfamiliar and daunting. We hope this new primer, authored by world experts, will give more researchers the confidence to start both using and producing open source hardware.” Read the primer in full here
Image credit: “GOSH Gathering for Open Science Hardware” by Fernan Federici view terms of use