The UK conference for "Open Technology" - open source software, open hardware, open data, open innovation, open AI and open standards - State of Open Con 24.

SOOCon24 coalesces the UK and global open technology communities and those wishing to learn more.

It brings together Enterprise, Public Sector, Government, Academia and Open Technology communities and businesses in one event. 

Tackling the key issues faced across the open sectors and the users of its output in 2024 it brings together those involved or interested in open source software, open data and open hardware in one unique forum. 

Everyone is welcome and EDI and Sustainability are not separate tracks but run through the heart of this event.

We have 8 tracks: 

Open Source Software - technical; Open Hardware - mostly technical; Open Data hosted by the Open Data Institute - broad ranging; Security - all things security from technical talks, to the CRA and other legislation and policy issues; Government, Law and Policy - across all of open technology; Open Source - from digital public good and paying the maintainers, to community development and business models, filling the gap between technical and law and policy topics (there may be some overlap); Careers and Entrepreneurship - from making your first commit to scaling a start up; Finance - technical, policy and more in a subject vertical, our first and reflective of the UK’s presence in this sector. 

Conveniently located at the beautiful Brewery in the City of London, and timed as an add on to FOSDEM, SOOCon24 is an easy train journey from Brussels.

Number one in Europe by number of developers in open source software and lines of code committee, the UK is also the home of Open Data and looking to be a leader in AI. Where better to celebrate the achievements of open technology and to tackle the challenges of building a diverse and healthy future for open technology than here in the UK.  

Organised by OpenUK.

Morning of Plenaries: 

6 February - Opening AI

Speakers across keynotes and plenary panels will consider how and why AI should be opened and include UK Shadow Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy Alexandra Davies Jones MP, and Stormy Peters  

7 February - The Future of Open Source Software and Open Source Security 

Speakers across keynotes and plenary panels will consider challenges of the maturation of open source, business models, non approved licences and include former head of MI6 Sir Alex Younger

Eight Tracks over 1.5 days:

8 Tracks will be a mixture of curated and CFP based content. CFP’s for each relevant track managed by CFP committees working on tracks.

1. Open Source Software

Hosted by Liz Rice, Chief Open Source Officer, Isovalent and OpenUK Board Director

CFP Chair Nick Jones, Head of Cloud Native and Platform Engineering, EscherCloud AI

Broadening our 2023 focus on platform engineering this track is a technical one with leaders in a breadth of technical open source software waiting for your pitches, and ready to review all and any technical areas of open source software from platform engineering, cloud computing, to databases and operating systems - the full sweep of open source software will be discussed across this track, and it will cover all levels of technical understanding. Sessions will be clearly marked to indicate experience level.

As with all tracks in 2024 this track will include AI openness and the benefits and challenges of this relevant to the track topics.

CFP Open

2. Open Hardware

Hosted by Allison Randal, Open Source/Hardware Strategist

CFP Chair Erik Riedel, Founder and CEO Flax Computing

Over the past ten years, open innovation and worldwide open collaboration have reached data centres – from chip designs, to servers, to electrical infrastructure and cooling – all being pursued in open collaboration among vendors, service providers, and enterprises. 

This movement mirrors what happens at the consumer hardware level – with students at elementary school exposed to programming and small-scale computing devices. The open approach has proven its value to support learning, quickly validate ideas, and more efficiently and effectively address the most difficult problems in computing today. All areas of open hardware will be relevant to this track which will feature a broad range of discussion.

The sessions in this track will present success stories, problem statements, and collaboration opportunities with incredible leverage and worldwide impact.

As with all tracks in 2024 this track will include AI openness and the benefits and challenges of this relevant to the track topics.

CFP Open

3. Open Data 

Hosted by Emma Thwaites, Director of Corporate Affairs, Open Data Institute 

Content curated by the Open Data Institute 

CFP Chair, Sonia Cooper, Assistant General Counsel, Open Innovation, Microsoft

We invite individuals, companies, and organisations - large and small - to submit ideas for the Open Data Space at SOOCON24. We are especially interested in projects that recognise the value of the data spectrum (ie. the relationship between open, shared and closed data), and identify how solutions to the world’s most significant challenges can be solved across this spectrum of data. However, all projects and ideas must recognise the value of open data as the foundation of effective data infrastructure and include open data. You may be asked to speak at the event if your application is successful.

As with all tracks in 2024 this track will include AI openness and the benefits and challenges of this relevant to the track topics.

CFP Open

4. Security

Hosted by Dr Rebecca Rumbul, Executive Director and CEO, Rust Foundation

CFP Chair Andrew Martin, CEO and Co-Founder Control Plane and OpenUK CISO

We are looking for presentations around the state of open source security to enlighten attendees about current and future initiatives, enliven contributions to projects and movements, and educate new and seasoned professionals on industry patterns and trends.

Our goal is to bring developers, operators, security engineers, and managers together to form a shared understanding of the challenges we face as a community, and the emerging and cutting-edge solutions we may embrace as an industry.

Suggested topics for this CFP include:

• 101: introductory presentations for people new to open source security
  
• Community: groups and organisations moving open source security forward
• End User Reports: how your organisation securely adopts and uses open source technologies
• Governance, Risk and Compliance: the trials and tribulations of passing audits and ensuring secure development and usage of third party code
• Innovation: new or emerging patterns, tools, or movements in the open source security space
• Regulation: how governments and regulators are responding to the dynamic open source landscape
• Supply Chains: attacking, defending, and hardening
• As with all tracks in 2024 this track will include AI openness and the benefits and challenges of this relevant to the track topics.

As with all tracks in 2024 this track will include AI openness and the benefits and challenges of this relevant to the track topics.

CFP Open

5. Government, Law and Policy 

Hosted by Judy Parnall, Director of Industry & Standards, BBC

CFP Chair Sami Atabani, VP of IP Licensing, FocalPoint

Where does open source fit within government and the public sector, where is it being used successfully and how is it being used/ where are the challenges? How should governments and our public sector be tackling the future or our digital infrastructure based on open source software? What is the right approach to policy around open source software? Should open source be regulated and if so why and what is the proportionate and appropriate approach to this? How is the community based nature of open source different to traditional proprietary software, what is the impact of this to the public sector. Should standards be open and if so why, and how do we ensure better creation and adoption of more open standards? 

As with all tracks in 2024 this track will include AI openness and the benefits and challenges of this relevant to the track topics.

CFP Open 

6. Open Source

Hosted by Damani Corbin

This new track will support the space between technical talks, policy talks and careers and entrepreneurship. It is the space to deep dive into open source issues that impact community and its future, from the imbalance we currently face between those creating and maintaining code to the challenges of monetisation of open source software. Business models, community growth and participation, all the open source topics that do not fit into other tracks will be considered here. We look forward to this enabling a healthy debate around topics such as the maturation of open source - it is 30 this year, how will it evolve. Not only how monetisation of open source occurs but whether open source can be used for successful business models; challenges of single vendor sponsors; the place of foundations; paying maintainers; categorisation of open source as a digital public good; encouraging community contribution and growing a healthy community; and much much more.

As with all tracks in 2024 this track will include AI openness and the benefits and challenges of this relevant to the track topics.

CFP Open

7. Careers & Entrepreneurship

Hosted by Carla Gaggini, Senior Director, Global Events, Isovalent

CFP Chair Matt Barker, Global Head of Cloud Native Services, Venafi and Co-Founder Jetstack

This track will explore how to make your first contributions to open source software, becoming part of a community, evolving a living CV in a community, being hired, managing your personal brand, developing and managing a career, founding an open source business, being part of a start up and much more. In short, anything that relates to community and business development in open source. It will cover personal challenges like neurodiversity and overcoming disabilities as well as the mainstream perspective. It may also explore business models but these may also be explored in open source and Government law and policy. Judges will be looking for sharing of personal journeys and stories as well as subject matter expertise. OpenUK seeks to support a diverse and thriving future open technology community, with successful businesses in open technology and this and its challenges will be explored in this track’s session. 

As with all tracks in 2024 this track will include AI openness and the benefits and challenges of this relevant to the track topics.

CFP Open 

8. Finance

Hosted by Kris Sharma, Financial Services Industry Leader, Canonical

CFP Chair Paula Paul, Field CTO, NearForm

This track is reflective of London and the UK’s strength in the financial sector and will explore all things financial in open technologies. The CFP commitee are looking to see open source projects tackling financial challenges and will consider a broad range of finance related open source software, open data, open standards or other related issues. Talks can be technical, policy, governance or community - this track is intentionally broad across the sector. It is SOOCon’s first subject vertical track and may evolve over times.

As with all tracks in 2024 this track will include AI openness and the benefits and challenges of this relevant to the track topics.

CFP Open

Submission notes: 

Please note that in applying to speak at the event, you do so at your own discretion and risk, and submitting an application does not, in itself, amount to a commitment by the organisers that you will be invited to participate as a contributor. The organisers reserve the right to choose contributors completely at their own discretion.

Travel Support is limited and subject to availability. Your talk being accepted does not guarantee travel support will be offered to you.

All speakers are responsible for providing slides in a timely manner, and managing these and their personal profiles on the Sched App which will be provided by the conference organisers.

Speakers will receive a conference code and must register within a week of receiving that free code or risk losing their free place.

We look forward to you joining us at SOOCon24.

Participation at this event is subject to the following OpenUK policies:-

Code of Respect

Privacy Policy

Competition Policy

Sustainability Policy