Open Source
The source codes and digital tools developed by researchers are fully part of research results and may be subject to an openness approach. Made available to all through collaborative development platforms, free software can be used, modified, and redistributed.
T
his practice makes collaboration much easier among researchers, including doctoral students, and even between researchers and citizens.
The use of free and open software can also support sustainable development. By integrating the user into a community that collectively improves products and services, it frees them from the sometimes-monopolistic control of proprietary software publishers and reduces the threat of foreseeable obsolescence due to lack of medium‑term support.
In many cases, it also promotes digital sobriety by avoiding the use of technologies that require ever more computing power and that shorten the lifespan of hardware, which remains in the hands of industry.
Finally, the use of free software alongside proprietary software can facilitate the interoperability of data, source code, or other files between operating systems and digital environments.
The University of Liège intends to concretely support open‑source development by providing the appropriate tools. To strengthen their use, awareness‑raising and valorization actions are necessary, considering the fact that the choice of software used depends on many parameters, including functionalities, security, stability, ergonomics, maintenance, etc., each “solution” having its advantages and disadvantages. Barriers to the use of these software forges must be identified and removed as much as possible, whether they are technical, legal, or cultural.
Since 2019, two GitLab installations have been available to members of the university. Launched at the end of 2023, the Open Source Academy is part of ULiège’s Open Science Roadmap. Its ambition is to bring together a dynamic community around the Open Source ecosystem within ULiège and the CHU.
