Together for free and open web search: OWS.EU Community Meet-Up was a great success!

From 9 to 11 October the #ossym24 brought together the open web search community to discuss technical, legal, ethical and economical aspects of free, unbiased and transparent access to information on the internet.

This year the OWS.EU consortium organised for the first time a “Community Meet-Up” on the evening of the first conference day. Many participants accepted the invitation and mingled with the experts from the project. Tables were dedicated to specific topics like “Infrastructure”, “Sustainability”, “Ethics”, “Legal” or “Web Index and Crawling”.

Megi Sharikadze (Leibniz Supercomputing Centre) who is heavily involved in management and coordinating aspects of the EU-funded OpenWebSearch.EU project explains the idea behind the gathering: “Usually the people involved in open web search initiatives are spread across Europe and beyond. It’s not always easy to stay in touch. The opportunity to meet the community locally, exchange ideas, inspire others and share common motivations is therefore of the utmost importance. As we build an open European web search ecosystem together, our community is growing and diversifying. We remain committed to motivating others and finding new allies – especially as we pass the halfway point of the OpenWebSearch.eu project. We have made great strides over the past few years, bringing on board new partners selected through our Community Programme. Now it is time to go out with our results and spread the word about how free and open web search can enhance our sovereignty and innovation potential in Europe”.

How to join the community

Are you a researcher, entrepreneur, inventor, politician, etc. interested in open web search, its chances and challenges? Don’t miss our monthly community meetings where the latest developments in open web search are presented and discussed on a regular basis. The 45-min community updates take place online on the BigBlueButton platform every first Monday of the month. The next Community Meet-Up will take place on 4 November 2024 in conjunction with our partner project NGI Search. Find out more about the event and registration in our community area.

 

Europe 2.0 – upgrading Europe’s internet search capacity” | Horizon Magazine

A recent Horizon Magazine article portraits the OpenWebSearch.eu project and lay out why building a European Open Web Index (OWI) opens up multiple new opportunities for future web search and data retrieval and how it contributes to promoting the diverse European linguistic and cultural landscapes.

“We want to empower communities so that they can easily filter and find those parts of the web that are relevant to them,” says project leader Michael Granitzer, Professor of Data Science at the University of Passau.

Additionally, privacy & data protection are an integral part of the project.
This not only serves science & research teams, but also offers new possibilities for the Pan-European economy.

A European OWI centres around European laws and values and serves as a solid soil for tech startups and enterprises that appreciate digital sovereignty and open data culture.

Read the full article on Horizon Magazine online here.

OWS.EU Community Meet-Up @ #ossym24

The 6th International Open Search Symposium #ossym24 invites open search enthusiasts to discuss and promote ideas and concepts of Open Web Search at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) in Garching from 9 to 11 October 2024. OWS.EU hosts a Community Meet-Up during the conference.

OWS.EU Community Meet-Up @ #ossym24

The #ossym24 is organised by the Open Search Foundation in collaboration with the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ). OWS.EU is proud to be involved in this year’s symposium and to invite attendees to the first OWS.EU Community Meet-Up @ ossym on Wednesday, 9 October, 7 PM. Members of the OWS.EU project will be waiting for you to discuss all aspects of a European Open Web Search over a catered dinner. The community meet-up is a get together for everyone involved in the OWS.EU project and its Community Programme but also for people who want to join or learn more about the quest for a better European Web Search that enables free, unbiased and transparent access to information.

#Ossym24 with a multifaceted programme

Members of the OWS.EU project are also heavily involved in the conference programme. Our colleagues will present their work on technical, legal and ethical aspects of piloting a European Open Web Search. All details and times can be found at the event website.

Sign up and save your spot

The #ossym24 will take place in a hybrid format in presence and online, registration is required. Participation in both formats is free of charge. There are 100 places available for on-site participation at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre in Garching near Munich. Save your spot now!