Program information and application will be posted by Friday, January 28, 2022.
Hi, thanks for the information about this funding opportunity! For a project, I developed prototypes of automated equipment (pumps, controler for led or laser etc) to automate some lab experiments. I used open source component and software (python, Node-Red, arduino…) and I would like to transform them in open source equipment which could be shared and commercialized (I am the founder of a commercial company called Manetco) to make them accessible to a lot of person / students / researchers.
could you confirm if this type of project could be eligible for the funding (I am based in Belgium, EU)? If it is, is there any template form (I might have missed it)?
Many thanks!
Tanguy
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Hi all
Awesome that this line finally on the move!!
Just an observation regarding the budget:
- Established Project Track: 5 projects phase 1 (23k) + 3 projects phase 2 (23k). Total 46k
- New Project Track: 5 projects phase 1 (10k) + 3 projects phase 2 (23k). Total 33k.
Grand total: 79k
The total funding for the program is $110
There is a gap of 31k… is this ok?
I think we should discuss the exclusion of certain groups with the “Not based in a place the USA has a trade embargo”. I know some amazing projects in open science and free technologies developed by groups in La Habana that are automatically excluded, and some potentials in another countries that don’t have any opportunity to flourish.
I’m worried about a group that aims to have a global and open approach replicating these archaic ideas. But don’t know how it would be circumvented, since the organization is based in the country leading the embargo policies. Is this issue discussed by GOSH core team?
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We are a non-profit association that operates an internet platform (www.oho.wiki) that documents Open Hardware projects according to DIN Spec 3105 and certifies their conformity after a peer review process. So far we have focused on sustainable technologies, but we want to open the platform for Open Science Hardware. Would a project that aims at standards-compliant documentation of about 10 important Open Science Hardware projects be eligible for funding in this program? Please note, we do not want to develop the hardware, but we want to describe existing projects in a standardized way, so that they can be easily found, replicated and further developed.
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Hi @sjacques, thanks for the important question! As you mentioned because the funding source for this programme is from the US and administered in the US by GOSH Inc, the restrictions are imposed by US law and there is no way around this.
It would be great to find a route to supporting open science hardware projects wherever they take place, in line with the GOSH manifesto and values.
The US-based GOSH Inc is one organisation that administers funding support for the GOSH Community but it is not the sole or exclusive one (more info in this FAQ) - for example reGOSH have obtained funding for Latin American residencies. If other organisations based outside the US would be interested to fundraise to enable wider distribution of project support, the GOSH Community Council would be the people to talk to about how to move forward (in their latest meeting notes they have been discussing with Open Source Ecology Germany about helping with funds in EUR). They can be contacted via the council group here on the forum.
Jenny
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Hi, Jenny! Thanks for clarifying this topic. I’ll check out the info you shared!
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Hello! Thanks for sharing this funding opportunity, I have a few questions regarding the application side of it.
- For the “New Project Track”, it is once asked to fully answer each of the ten questions below and later on to complete questions (4-9) in addition to (1-3). Do you expect applications for “New Project Track” to answer question 10 (provide a budget)?
- Is there a minimum/maximum word limit to the answers?
Thanks a lot for your help.
Best, Aude
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Hi @jpeuckert! I think the efforts of oho.wiki and what you’re describing are well-aligned with GOSH.
I think which funding to apply for depends on exactly how you wish to do it. For example, if you’re thinking of running a “documentation-a-thon” where you get people together for a few days to do this documentation, then maybe the 2nd round of the Regional Events funding might be a better fit.
But I’ll let others chime in on their thoughts, too.
Hi @Tanguy
Sorry for the delay
Commercialising open source hardware is allowed under open licences so it wont affect eligibility. We are very happy for projects to have a commercial goal as long as the design is under an open licence so that others could also build a product from it. We recognise that most scientists want to buy hardware not build it, so open source hardware need distributors. A number of us in GOSH spent a while thinking about this and created this document
To apply use this forum post:
https://forum.openhardware.science/t/apply-here-for-gosh-s-2022-collaborative-development-program-round-1/3380/5
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Hi @sjacques
The community council is working hard to understand how the community can have financial sponsoring arrangements with multiple non-profits in multiple countries. This policy is not a policy of the global community but an unfortunate requirement for this particular funding source.
@valerian has established a non-profit in Tanzania and we are also in talks with Open Source Ecology Germany. We are sure there are many more non profits within the community. The council needs to build an effective framework for working with these non-profits, there will be community consultation as we create these policies to ensure they are as fair as possible.
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Hi @jpeuckert,
This is an interesting point and @hpy has said it is somewhat outside what we had in mind, but it is totally aligned to the project.
The goal of the project is to bring experts to projects, and to support collaboration. As such, bringing documentation support to projects is very much within scope. The hardware designers and the OHO community collaborating on a project, with their development focus being the documentation is 100% in scope.
The thing I would worry about as a reviewer if an applications said it will develop the docs for 10 projects, it sounds like you are forking these projects rather than working with the original community.
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@audevuilli
Thank you so much for spotting this. We have had a number of issues that were introduced when copying from our working doc onto the forum. We do need questions up to 13 answered by new projects. I am really sorry about this.
We don’t have a word limit per-se. A paragraph or two per question is probably appropriate. As we are going to have a lot to review. If you have something really important it can be a bit longer. I would recommend trying to write something concise that gets a reviewer excited rather than a long essay.
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Hi all!
We wanted to know if the funds, were they awarded to an Argentinian group, could to stay in GOSH Inc. and be spent directly by them.
The reason for this is that a part of the funds will probably be lost during the transfer to Argentina (and some more while spending them in imported goods).
Thanks for the opportunity!
Best,
N.
We wanted to know if the funds, were they awarded to an Argentinian group, could to stay in GOSH Inc. and be spent directly by them.
@naikymen it is possible in exceptional circumstances if you can’t find a collaborator outside of Argentina. GOSH Inc has one admin/operations support person working only 1-2 days per month so the ordering process would not be the fastest and you’d still need to deal with the importation fees but we can take a look at it if there are no alternatives.
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The Friendzymes Contributors are preparing an application. We would like to double-check our understanding of the two tracks and their definitions. Is an Existing Project any project that satisfies the open source criteria, or must the project have received support from GOSH prior to this funding round?
Thanks @julianstirling for the feedback ! I will try and submit the project. I think it is a good opportunity to get support from the community, at least to know if there is an interest and, if funded, to help me to get something more robust.
thanks also for sharing the document. I never thought of becoming distributor for open-source hardware but it is actually a very interesting idea ! Is there a group discussing this topic ?
Hello!. The submission deadline is February 25, 24:00 Eastern time (EST)?.
Many thanks!