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OSPO as Co-Principal Investigator §

Pattern Summary §

Leverage OSPO staff’s open source expertise and cross-disciplinary collaboration skills to become co-Principal Investigators (co-PIs) on funding proposals.

Problem / Challenge §

There has been a growth in recognition of the value of open source software amongst funders. Increasingly, funders require software to be released as open source and to make research outputs publicly available.

OSPO staff may find themselves in supporting roles on funding proposals - providing open source expertise but lacking formal authority. This limits their ability to:

  • Maximize the open source impact of a research project.
  • Embed sustainable software development practices from the outset of the project.
  • Ensure long-term maintenance and community adoption of research outputs.
  • Advocate for best practices in reproducible, transparent research.

Meanwhile, research teams may lack the expertise needed to plan, execute, and sustain open source components of their research, leading to:

  • Unsustainable software that is not maintained when funding ends.
  • Inefficient reinvention of existing tools.
  • Missed opportunities for collaboration and broader research impact.

Pattern Category §

  • Advocacy, Governance & Policy
  • Demonstrating value as an Academic OSPO
  • Funding & Financial Support
  • Open Source Development
  • Open Source Sustainability
  • Promoting Best Practices

Context §

A university or research institution that submits grant proposals to federal, state or private funding sources.

PIs, other leaders and central institution or departmental grants offices are involved in the preparation of grant applications.

OSPOs have established a level of credibility through the successful support of grant proposals.

Research projects require software development and/or community engagement components.

An OSPO with the resources/capacity for staff to take on co-PI leadership responsibilities.

Forces §

Limited understanding amongst researchers of an OSPO professional's expertise or track record as a co-PI.

Potential resistance from established researchers to sharing leadership authority.

Growing funder emphasis on open science practices and reproducibility.

The OSPO and/or specific OSPO staff have a track record of successful open source project management.

Solution §

Promote the OSPO as a co-PI for relevant/strategic funding proposals to ensure that open source impact is maximized and communicated.

The solution below outlines questions or steps for the OSPO to consider:

Strategic Positioning §

  • Are there research areas where open source infrastructure is critical to success?

  • Does the OSPO have good relationships with a small number of research groups that can lead to valuable co-PI relationships?

  • What does the OSPO know about funding agency priorities and review processes?

  • Does the OSPO have relationships with program officers at target funding agencies?

  • Has the OSPO developed a funding track record through support of or collaboration in smaller grants or industry partnerships?

Co-PI Preparation §

  • Does the OSPO have demonstration projects that showcase its ability to lead technical work packages?

  • Develop clear value propositions for the co-PI role that is focused on the OSPO’s unique expertise (e.g. knowledge of best practices, sustainability, community building, dissemination).

  • Research and prepare formal collaboration agreements that:

- Agree formal governance structures. - Outline the distinct roles and responsibilities of each PI. - Recognize software and infrastructure contributions. - Establish clear success metrics for open source components. - Plan for post-grant sustainability.

Co-PI Execution §

  • Allocate tasks for proposal submissions.

  • Following award of grants, set up meetings and processes based on the terms of the collaboration agreement.

Resulting Context §

Research projects benefit from expert guidance on open source best practices.

Research outputs have a better chance of creating greater impact through community building and planning for long-term sustainability.

Funding proposals may be more attractive to funders that value open source and open science.

Marketing the OSPO’s services as a co-PI may lead to long-term engagement with research teams to advance their open source software.

Offering this service provides an opportunity to develop and strengthen relationships with faculty, researchers and students.

Co-PI responsibilities will need to be balanced against other OSPO responsibilities. OSPOs may risk overcommitment if co-PI opportunities rapidly multiply.

Known Instances §

References §

Contributors & Acknowledgement §

  • Ciara Flanagan, https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3153-7673

Thanks to all the CURIOSS members who identified this pattern at the 2025 CURIOSS Winter Gathering.