FOSS funding vanishes from EU's 2025 Horizon program plans

Advocates express concern as funding for free and open source software (FOSS) initiatives under the EU's Horizon program is reportedly disappearing from the 2025 proposal. Pierre-Yves Gibello, CEO of OW2, criticized the elimination of funding for the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative, emphasizing the importance of FOSS in protecting European interests. NGI's impact report highlighted that a significant portion of funded projects offer alternatives to existing market solutions and contribute to compliance with EU laws. The lack of funding could jeopardize projects supporting digital goods and services implementation. While NGI plans to continue with limited funding sources, concerns remain about the future sustainability of these initiatives. The 2025 Horizon Europe Work Programme is still under development, with a shift towards more focused funding, potentially impacting the support for FOSS projects. Gibello raised concerns about the reduced scope and funding allocation in the latest plan, emphasizing the importance of maintaining support for the FOSS community. The European Commission has not commented on the matter, and the finalized 2025 Horizon Work Programme is expected to be adopted in the second quarter of the following year.