Free and open-source hardware (FOSH) is rapidly gaining momentum because it provides customized research hardware with over 90% savings compared to the costs of proprietary tools. However, the focused skill sets of researchers who aim to facilitate their own research limit FOSH complexity. The most expensive research equipment normally requires an interdisciplinary team. To overcome this complexity barrier and obtain large returns on investment for research funders by replacing the most expensive proprietary research equipment with FOSH, new development funding mechanisms are needed. To guide such research policy, this paper provides the first analysis of the strategic national benefit of applying the FOSH approach to major research equipment for any nation. The results of an example analysis for a single nation indicate Finland's science funders could save between 2.84–27.7m'/year directly on scientific equipment purchases if research hardware is converted to FOSH and the nation would likely garner the well-established concomitant benefits of increased research innovation within their economy. Finally, a detailed generalized model for determining national research policy in hardware development is derived and research policy mechanisms for accelerating FOSH deployment and greater accessibility to research equipment are discussed.
Highlights[edit | edit source]
- Free and open-source hardware (FOSH) is documented for research hardware.
- Simple FOSH reduce costs over 90% compared to proprietary tools.
- Opportunity to fund complex FOSH.
- Finland's science funders could save between 2.84–27.7m'/year with FOSH.
- Generalized model for determining national research policy in hardware development.
See also[edit | edit source]
- Economic Savings for Scientific Free and Open Source Technology: A Review
- Equitable Research Capacity Towards the Sustainable Development Goals: The Case for Open Science Hardware
- Sponsored Libre Research Agreements to Create Free and Open Source Software and Hardware
- Life-cycle economic analysis of distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printers
- Quantifying the Value of Open Source Hardware Development
- Open-source, self-replicating 3-D printer factory for small-business manufacturing
- Global value chains from a 3D printing perspective
- Emergence of Home Manufacturing in the Developed World: Return on Investment for Open-Source 3-D Printers
- Emerging Business Models for Open Source Hardware
- Making the Tools to Do-It-Together: Open-source Compression Screw Manufacturing Case Study
- From Open Access to Open Science: The Path From Scientific Reality to Open Scientific Communication
- Strategic Investment in Open Hardware for National Security
- The Rise of Platinum Open Access Journals with both Impact Factors and Zero Article Processing Charges
- Economic Impact of DIY Home Manufacturing of Consumer Products with Low-cost 3D Printing from Free and Open Source Designs
- Professors Want to Share: Preliminary Survey Results on Establishing Open Source Endowed Professorships
- Canadian professors’ views on establishing open source endowed professorships
- Open source decarbonization for a sustainable world
- Towards open source patents: Semi-automated open hardware certification from MediaWiki websites
- Open-source 3-D printing materials database generator
- Business Models for Open Source Hardware Repositories
- Patent Parasites: Non-Inventors Patenting Existing Open-Source Inventions in the 3-D Printing Technology Space
- Leveraging Open Source Development Value to Increase Freedom of Movement of Highly Qualified Personnel
News[edit | edit source]
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