Solving Europe's problems with Open Source
UA2.118 (Henriot) | Day 2 | 13:55 - 14:30 | Speakers: Boris DOLLEY, Christopher Brewster, Paula Grzegorzewska, Tobias Augspurger, Claire Pershan
Abstract
Across Europe, open source is increasingly used to address systemic challenges in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, energy, and public infrastructure. However, its full potential depends on how projects, policies, and markets are being shaped in those verticals.
This panel brings together concrete experiences from digital agriculture, energy system modelling, and public procurement to explore how open source enables innovation, transparency, and technological sovereignty across vertical industries. Drawing on EU-funded projects, open science methodologies, and real-world procurement practices, speakers will discuss how open source supports interoperable solutions, trustworthy policymaking, and resilient public infrastructures. The session highlights the critical role of policy choices - funding, licensing, procurement rules, and governance - in turning open source software into sustainable ecosystems that serve Europe’s economic, environmental, and democratic goals.
Speakers
Speaker : Boris DOLLEY
He developed a rare 25+ cross-domain expertise within RTE (French High-Voltage Electricity Grid Operator) combining software engineering, open-source leadership, procurement strategy, and digital-sovereignty vision.
He began his career as a software developer industrializing the load shedding software on a Linux base and moved into IT project leadership, overseeing data-exchange systems, secure remote-access tools, and early Green IT initiatives.
As a company-wide trainer, he coached thousands of employees—from board members to field technicians—gaining a deep understanding of operational realities.
He then shifted into procurement management, mastering contractual, regulatory, and IP dimensions. Identifying a strategic opportunity, he co-created a new software engineering department, hiring ~100 developers and open-sourcing key grid-critical tools within LF Energy.
He now serves in RTE’s R&D executive leadership as Director of the Open Source Program Office and lead for Responsible Digital Strategy.
Dr. Christopher Brewster is a Senior Scientist in the Data Science group at TNO, and Professor in the Application of Emerging Technologies at the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences, Maastricht University. He has a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Sheffield (2008) where his thesis concerned the automated learning of ontologies from text. Following his PhD, he became a Senior Lecturer at Aston University (UK) before joining TNO.
The focus of his research has been in the use of semantics in real world applications, covering topics such as standards, interoperability, architectures for interoperability, and consequent issues with data security and control. More generally his research concerns the application of semantic technologies, FAIR data principles, and data governance, with a special interest in food, agriculture and (more recently) biodiversity.
Recent publications include "IoT in agriculture: Designing a Europe-wide large-scale pilot" (2017), "Data Sharing in Agricultural Supply Chains: Using semantics to enable sustainable food systems" (2024) and "Geospatial Framework for Assessing the Suitability and Demand for Agricultural Digital Solutions in Europe" (2025). He has given a number of invited lectures particularly in the context of his work on food safety and interoperability. A major current focus is the role that technologies can play in the protection of biodiversity, and he has written an internal white paper positioning TNO with regard to biodiversity.
At TNO, he is currently Lead Scientist on the HEU Quantifarm project. At Maastricht, he is the Principle Investigator of the HEU EU FarmBook project, the HEU BioFIN project, and he is currently coordinator of the HEU OpenAgri and the Ambrosia projects.
Paula Grzegorzewska is a Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships at the Linux Foundation Europe. Her expertise revolves around digital policy and open source software, as well as digital transformation of European public services. Previously, she worked in a leading Brussels-based think tank focused on open technologies and policy, where she led its engagement with European and global partners stemming from government, academia, not-for-profits and international institutions. She is a co-author of the 2021 European Commission’s study on the economic impact of open source software and hardware and other policy research reports. She also worked on closing the gender gap in ICT with an NGO in Luxembourg, and has a Master’s degree in New Media and Communications from Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Tobias Augspurger is a climate technology innovator and open data / source advocate. In his role as Head of Data at Open Energy Transition, he is currently accelerating the global energy transition by standardizing electrical grid data within OpenStreetMap as part of the MapYourGrid initiative. With a PhD in atmospheric sciences and a background in aerospace engineering, Tobias combines technical expertise in remote sensing with inclusive collaboration. In his spare time, he works on OpenSustain.tech and ClimateTriage.com, connecting and promoting open projects that combat climate change and biodiversity loss.
Claire is Mozilla Foundation’s Brussels-based Advocacy Lead. She connects Mozilla Foundation’s community to policy discussions that affect them and to which they can contribute, in particular in the areas of data agency, privacy, and the open web.
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