Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems

The Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE) program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is designed to foster the formation and sustainability of open-source ecosystems (OSEs) derived from existing open-source products. The program is an initiative within NSF’s broader strategy to accelerate the translation of scientific innovations to societal impact through public and collaborative efforts. Unlike programs such as I-Corps or SBIR/STTR, which support commercialization pathways, POSE supports a community-driven, open-development model that enables robust participation across academia, government, non-profit, and industry sectors. POSE awards focus on developing managing organizations that will support, coordinate, and sustain distributed, community-led development of open-source technologies. These organizations are expected to implement infrastructure, governance, and workflows necessary to ensure the ongoing utility, integrity, and security of the open-source products. The program emphasizes that it does not fund the initial development of open-source products or well-resourced communities already in operation. Instead, it targets transitioning promising existing research outputs—such as software, hardware, models, or platforms—into scalable, collaborative ecosystems with potential for societal or national impact. The program offers two tracks: Phase I for scoping and planning, and Phase II for establishment and expansion. Phase I awards provide up to $300,000 over a 1-year period for activities like ecosystem discovery, community engagement, governance modeling, and training. These are intended to help applicants evaluate the viability of their product and readiness to scale into an OSE. Phase II awards provide up to $1.5 million over 2 years to organizations that already have a tested open-source product with an existing community of users and contributors. These projects must present a detailed, actionable plan to establish a managing organization that ensures quality, governance, continuous development, and long-term sustainability of the ecosystem. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based institutions of higher education, non-profit and for-profit organizations, state and local governments, and tribal nations. PIs must hold appropriate academic or organizational roles and reside in the U.S. International collaborators may be included as non-funded participants. Proposals must be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov in accordance with the current NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG), and must follow the solicitation-specific requirements including inclusion of risk/security analysis, governance structures, community engagement plans, and training participation. The next deadline for Phase I proposals is January 14, 2025, and for Phase I and II proposals, September 2, 2025. These deadlines recur annually on the second Tuesday of January and the first Tuesday of September, respectively. The solicitation explicitly states that proposals with budgets exceeding $300,000 (Phase I) or $1,500,000 (Phase II) will be returned without review. Each project must also designate a team of 3–5 individuals to participate in mandatory POSE training known as “I-Corps for POSE,” which involves a seven-week commitment of meetings and interviews. Applications must include a project description, letters of collaboration from third-party contributors or users, a list of all project personnel and partners, and a data management plan. Evaluation criteria include intellectual merit, broader impacts, and program-specific questions such as the proposal's fit within the technological landscape, clarity of the OSE vision, and plans for governance, sustainability, and user engagement. Contacts for inquiries include multiple NSF program officers, with the general POSE inbox at [email protected]. Final funding decisions are based on peer review and NSF staff recommendations.

Include evidence of third-party users; emphasize OSE governance and sustainability planning; ensure risk and security issues are addressed clearly.