Across the two days of Open Source Innovation Days, attendees enjoyed keynote presentations, panel discussions, and collaborative workshops designed to inspire new thinking and encourage knowledge sharing across the community. The insights gained can now be brought into the work of both the Foundation’s collaborative projects and the individual organisations driving them forward.
Setting the tone for collaboration
Open Source Innovation Days 2026 opened with welcoming remarks from Board of Directors member Stefan Hohm and Board of Trustees member Prof. Michael Henke, who reflected on the Foundation’s journey and the importance of collaboration in driving digital transformation across logistics.
Their commitment, together with the continued support of the Foundation’s strategic members DACHSER, Rhenus Logistics, and Fraunhofer IML, has helped turn a shared vision into a growing open source community that is creating practical solutions for the logistics industry.
Day 1: Exploring open source in logistics
The first day focused on three themes currently shaping the future of open source and logistics: digital sovereignty, new inputs, and commercial open source.
Digital sovereignty
How can open source strengthen Europe’s digital resilience and technological independence?
This topic opened the event with keynotes from Sachiko Muto and Jordan Maris, who connected developments across Europe with the growing importance of collaborative open source for innovation and digital sovereignty.
Building on this foundation, Clare Dillon, Sebastian Wolf, Cornelius Schumacher and Andreas Nettsträter shared practical insights into Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs), including how to get started, identify the right stakeholders, and develop an approach that fits each organisation.
Their message was both simple and encouraging:
Start small, but start. Then build your own path.
New inputs
As regulation and standardisation increasingly influence digital transformation, the second theme explored how organisations can navigate new legal and technical requirements while continuing to innovate.
Sessions from Dr. Till Jaeger, Kate Kraemer and Davide Alocci examined topics ranging from the Cyber Resilience Act to practical experiences with ONE Record, providing valuable guidance for organisations preparing for the next stages of digital innovation.
Commercial open source
The final theme explored how open source creates sustainable business value.
Prof. Dirk Riehle, Timo Väliharju and Georg Kunz shared different perspectives on business models, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, and the future opportunities for commercial open source in Europe.
Across all three themes, conversations continued well beyond the stage. The themes were touched on in exchanges between attendees and in the second day workshops. OSID once again proved that some of the most valuable ideas emerge through informal exchanges, particularly in discussions between members facing similar challenges.
Day 2: Focus on our Working Groups
While the first day inspired new thinking, the second day focused on putting collaboration into practice.
The morning began with an update on current European and global legal developments from Dr. David Saive, LL.M. He provided members with practical guidance on the evolving regulatory landscape surrounding digital logistics.
Participants then joined interactive Working Group sessions dedicated to:
Rather than traditional Working Group meetings, this new format encouraged participants to look beyond their individual projects and discover where topics overlap, where knowledge can be shared, and where new collaborative opportunities are emerging across the Open Logistics Foundation landscape.
By bringing different voices and perspectives together, members explored how today’s individual projects can connect to better support tomorrow’s digital ecosystem.
Alongside the Working Group sessions, participants also had the opportunity to join our “Ask the Experts” session, where Christian Lüpges, Sebastian Raible and Maximilian Schütz answered questions on eFTI, European regulations, and press and media, respectively.
Looking ahead along the member journey
The Open Source Innovation Days are one important milestone within the Open Logistics Foundation’s annual member journey.
Throughout the year, members connect quarterly through two virtual member updates and two in-person community events, on top of our regular Working Group meetings. OSID marks the first opportunity each year to meet face-to-face, strengthen existing relationships, welcome new members, and spark ideas that continue long after the event itself.
The discussions started in Berlin will now continue across our Working Groups and community activities over the coming months, and the community will further develop these ideas in-person at our Ideation Workshop in December.
Members: Join the Ideation Workshop in Dortmund, Germany on 03 December 2026!
A heartfelt thank you to all speakers, moderators, organisers, and especially to every member who contributed questions and experiences throughout the two days.
The strength of the Open Logistics Foundation has always been its community. Every discussion, every contribution, and every collaboration helps move our shared vision forward.
We are already looking forward to bringing the community together again for our Ideation Workshop, where the next generation of collaborative open source projects will begin to take shape.
Until then, the conversations continue.
