Leading open source foundation forms AISBL based in Brussels to serve as its global base of operations
BRUSSELS – JANUARY 14, 2021 – The Eclipse Foundation, one of the world’s largest open source software foundations, today announced the formal establishment of the Eclipse Foundation AISBL, an international non-profit association based in Brussels. The new Belgian entity launches with the support of founding members Bosch, Daimler TSS, IBM, and SAP. By moving its legal residence from the United States to Europe, the Eclipse Foundation has created a global institution that builds on its existing membership base, active developer community, and strong institutional relationships to enable collaboration and the free flow of open source software innovation throughout the entire world.
”The Eclipse Foundation is already the largest open source software foundation in Europe in terms of staff, projects, developers, and members, so the formalization of our AISBL makes a great deal of sense for us and the EU,” said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation. “I firmly believe that establishing this new organization will help to accelerate the drive to digitization throughout the EU and provide a new engine for the development of innovative and open technologies across the continent and beyond.”
The Eclipse Foundation already has more than 170 members and over 900 committers based in Europe. The formalization of the Eclipse Foundation AISBL non-profit association will enable it to leverage its EU presence and recent international growth to foster global industry collaboration on open source projects in strategic technologies, such as the cloud, edge computing, artificial intelligence, connected vehicles, telecommunications, and the Internet of Things.
Open source is proven to be the most viable way to deliver complex, sustainable technology innovation and adoption across industry sectors. As outlined in its new white paper, the Eclipse Foundation recognizes the important role open source will play in driving the digital and industrial transformations called for by the European Commission in its recent strategies. Contributions from a broad cross-section of European companies and governmental organizations to open source projects will be key to ensuring that these emerging technologies are fit for Europe, designed with consideration for the privacy and security of individuals and organizations, and have environmental impact in mind.
Supported by over 330 members globally, including adding more than 90 new members in 2020 alone, the Eclipse Foundation has an established international reach and reputation, and a track record of enabling co-innovation earned over more than 16 years. The Foundation’s more than 375 open source projects have resulted in over 240 million lines of code — a more than €13 billion shared investment. The organization’s members include industry leaders who value the Foundation’s open innovation processes and its unique Working Group governance model that makes it possible to share intellectual property without the threat of antitrust and regulatory challenges.
We have updated resources and information on our plans and how interested parties can get involved at eclipse.org/europe. Resources include:
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A new case study on Cedalo’s successful journey of open source contributions and impact within the Eclipse ecosystem
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A free white paper elaborating on the Eclipse Foundation’s role at the center of European open source innovation: Enabling Digital Transformation in Europe Through Global Open Source Collaboration
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A helpful presentation about the Eclipse Foundation AISBL
Quotes from Members and Supporters
Bosch
“It is great that the Eclipse Foundation has finalized its transition to the EU,” said Dr. Stefan Ferber, CEO of Bosch.IO. “This move is going to serve as a catalyst for European organizations that want to leverage the potential of open source technologies to speed their own innovation and increase their competitive advantage.”
Daimler TSS
“Open source software underpins the most significant and widely used technologies today and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future,” said Basem Vaseghi, Daimler TSS’ head of FOSS Competency Group. “We’re thrilled to join the Eclipse Foundation on this journey as we help to enable the next wave of open source adoption and contribution.”
IBM
“IBM and the Eclipse Foundation have been working to expand the adoption of open source technology around the world for nearly two decades,” said Todd Moore, vice president of Open Technology and Advocacy, IBM. “We look forward to continuing to support the Eclipse Foundation, to enhance its international expansion, and to advance open hybrid cloud technologies.”
SAP
“If you peek behind the curtain of more recent innovations, you will often find a foundation that is built on open source contributions. As a founding and strategic member of the Eclipse Foundation, we know that it has been fostering open collaboration in the industry for more than a decade,” said Juergen Mueller, chief technology officer and member of the Executive Board of SAP SE. “This move will strengthen the foundation's world-wide communities and help to boost the use of open source technologies in Europe, enabling organizations to innovate faster and gain competitive advantages.”
About the Eclipse Foundation
The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organizations with a mature, scalable, and business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. The Foundation is home to the Eclipse IDE, Jakarta EE, and over 375 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, and frameworks for cloud and edge applications, IoT, AI, automotive, systems engineering, distributed ledger technologies, open processor designs, and many others. The Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association supported by over 330 members, including industry leaders who value open source as a key enabler for their business strategies. To learn more, follow us on Twitter @EclipseFdn, LinkedIn or visit eclipse.org.
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