We at the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN) are thrilled to announce today that the Call for Proposals of the inaugural “Open Technology Research (OTR) Symposium 2026 – Shaping the Open Transition” is now open until 5 July 2026. The Symposium is the flagship initiative of our new Open Technology Research initiative, together with our partners the Open Source Initiative (OSI), OpenForum Europe (OFE), and the Digital Infrastructure Insights Fund (D//F).
This year’s Open Technology Research (OTR) Symposium, themed “Shaping the Open Transition”, moves from diagnosis to action: from mapping the landscape to charting the path forward. With keynotes anchored in what is already working, and sessions designed to translate research directly into policy recommendations and practice, the event is both a stocktaking exercise and a forward-looking call to build a more united, evidence-based global research agenda – one that strengthens open technology’s role as a shared foundation for resilience and sovereignty, reinforces public interest governance, and mobilises research and evidence to drive collective action.
We hope you will join us from 26–27 October at the historic University of Barcelona as we translate evidence-based research into actionable policy. The event takes place as part of the Barcelona Open Tech Week, organised by actors within the City of Barcelona. More information will be announced soon.
If you would like to contribute to the event, our Call for Proposals is now live. You can find more information about the event and our new research agenda for Open Technology Research over on the OTR website. For any questions or concerns, please contact info@opentechresearch.org.
Key Information
- Submission Deadline: 5 July 2026
- OTR Symposium 2026 Dates: 26–27 October 2026
- Location: University of Barcelona | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
