GitHub calls for the establishment of an EU Sovereign Technology Fund to support Open Source software development

On July 23, according to the GitHub blog, Open Source software is crucial for economic and social infrastructure, but its funding for maintenance has been insufficient for a long time. The GitHub Developer Policy Team commissioned Open Forum Europe, Fraunhofer ISI, and the European University Institute to conduct a feasibility study to explore how to extend the successful experience of Germany's sovereign technology agency to the EU level and promote the establishment of the "EU Sovereign Technology Fund" (EU-STF). The study suggests that the fund should focus on investing in Open Source dependencies, maintenance, security, improvement, and ecosystem building, and proposes seven design criteria, including a funding pool, low bureaucracy, political independence, flexible funding, community involvement, strategic alignment, and high transparency. GitHub calls on the EU to invest at least €350 million in the budget for 2028-2035 and to co-finance with the industry and countries to ensure the sustainable development of Open Source software and digital sovereignty.