| Open Source Hardware Association | |
| Abbreviation: | OSHWA |
| Founder: | Alicia Gibb |
| Type: | Non-profit organization |
| Purpose: | Open Hardware advocacy |
| Board Of Directors: | https://www.oshwa.org/about/board-members/Web site: Board Members. Open Source Hardware Association. 10 April 2012 . 19 April 2017. |
The Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) is a non-profit organization that advocates for open-source hardware.[1] [2] It aims to act as a hub of open source hardware activity of all types while actively cooperating with other initiatives such as the TAPR Open Hardware License, open-source development groups at CERN, and the Open Source Initiative (OSI). It has also been active in promoting diversity and inclusive terminology within the open source hardware movement.[3] [4] [5]
The OSHWA was established as an organization in June 2012 by Alicia Gibb, who had been working on the Open Hardware Summit during graduate study.[6] After some debate about trademark with the OSI,[7] in 2012 the OSHWA and the OSI signed a co-existence agreement.[8]
The Open Source Hardware Summit is the annual gathering organized by OSHWA for the open hardware community that takes place at a different location each year. The summit features presentations of projects and developments within the open hardware field from a diverse range of speakers.[9] OSHWA offers the Ada Lovelace Fellowship that covers the costs of the summit to encourage women, LGBTA+ and/or other minorities to actively participate in open technology.[10] The 2024 Open Hardware Summit took place May 3 & 4, 2024 at Concordia University and lespacemaker in Montreal, Canada. https://2024.oshwa.org/
In 2016 OSHWA announced its certification program for open-source hardware at the Open Hardware Summit in Portland, Oregon.[11] The certification aims to offer a simple process for producers of open hardware to indicate that their products meet a uniform and well-defined standard for open-source compliance. [12]