Foreword

Infrastructure, in its purest sense, speaks to the underlying systems and structures we rely on. In research, these “roads and bridges” that make scientific discovery and scholarship possible and often go unnoticed until there’s a disruption — a service gets shut down or bought, prices increase. 

Our work at Invest in Open Infrastructure (IOI) is grounded in the belief that research functions best when the underlying technology and systems — the infrastructure — is open, accessible to all, and maintained in a way that minimizes disruption and empowers the research community at large. 

We’ve spent the past two and a half years obsessively studying various dimensions of the sector to identify ways to further the adoption of open infrastructure providers globally, and expand the pool of funding available to sustain their operations. We’ve gathered thousands of data points, interviewed hundreds of experts and practitioners, studied and engaged hundreds of infrastructures, and deepened partnerships across four continents to build a more comprehensive and representative understanding of the open infrastructure ecosystem — and we’ve just scratched the surface. 

Today, I am proud to share with you IOI’s first State of Open Infrastructure Report, a snapshot of the deep research and analysis that underpins our work to drive more informed, strategic, and equitable investments in open infrastructure. We designed this report to shine light on the richness, complexity, and opportunity that exist when values and community needs are prioritized in our infrastructure decisions in higher education. 

In this inaugural report, we dive deep into the characteristics of open infrastructure powering research and scholarship and what (we believe) sets them apart from their competitors. We take a closer look at the governing bodies and decision-makers behind the technologies your community relies on. We share the latest data and analysis of over US$415M in grant funding powering open infrastructures and research surrounding them, and bring you the latest infrastructure and policy developments in regions such as Latin America, Africa, and the European Union. We highlight success stories and the key trends in the adoption of open infrastructure. We share the latest on trends we’re tracking, such as the global movement towards Diamond Open Access and the underlying infrastructure needs, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the intersection with open research, and “digital sovereignty” and its impact on research across borders. 

There is so much to digest in this report, but we hope you take away the richness and opportunity that open infrastructure provides as an alternative to many of the models and tools we rely on today. We believe that open infrastructure has an indispensable and irreplaceable role in advancing a research ecosystem that prioritizes access and participation by and for all — and that anchoring our technical systems in community, interdependence, and openness are competitive advantages. The funding, policy, and technological landscape in which open infrastructure is embedded is ever-changing and varied, and it is more important than ever that we look deep into the evidence and trends to make more informed, strategic, and coordinated investments to increase the resilience and health of this invaluable ecosystem of infrastructure.

We hope this report sparks your curiosity about the tools and systems we rely on and helps you to think about how your decisions line up with your vision for the future of research and scholarship. We can’t wait to continue the work of advocating for the future of open infrastructure with you. 

In appreciation,

Kaitlin Thaney
Executive Director, Invest in Open Infrastructure