NSF Innovation Corps training for Pathways to Enable Secure Open-Source Ecosystems recipients

A maximum of three members of each awarded team is expected to attend a mandatory OSE training to be held virtually. NSF is providing this mandatory training by drawing on the methods and customer discovery curriculum of the NSF Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps™) program, hereafter described as NSF I-Corps for Pathways to Enable Secure Open-Source Ecosystems (PESOSE) recipients training. Taught by National I-Corps instructors, the I-Corps for PESOSE training provides immersive experience that pushes project teams to develop more robust connections to end-user ecosystems, appropriate governance strategies and sustainable OSEs.

The I-Corps for PESOSE training program is conducted in a virtual format once per proposal submission cycle and lasts several weeks, requiring approximately one day of effort per week from each participating training team member. At the end of the training program, each training team will understand how to match the development, structure, and governance of the open-source ecosystems (OSE) to their user and contributor needs. The teams will also understand issues and strategies related to achieving sustainability.

Team members: The team must designate individuals to fill the following three roles:

Technical lead (TL): The TL is typically the principal investigator (PI), co-PI, senior personnel or subawardee who possesses deep expertise in the technology/innovation being developed and has decision-making authority over project direction. The TL will serve as the technical director and is responsible for analyzing information from end-user discovery from the point of view of the technical understanding of the desired capabilities, functionalities, and potential applications. The TL works with the team to ensure that the technical aspects of the innovation align with the identified OSE community needs and opportunities.

Entrepreneurial lead (EL): The EL will serve as the outreach coordinator for the team and should be active and engaged in the OSE project activities, including devising a strategy for sustaining the OSE beyond the PESOSE award. This individual acts as the team lead/organizer by focusing on outreach, identifying and setting up interviews with stakeholders and preparing weekly reports. The EL could be a graduate student, postdoctoral fellow or early-stage investigator seeking an opportunity to develop leadership skills.

Industry mentor (IM): The key word here is "mentor." This team member is someone with extensive experience developing OSEs and a deep understanding of how they operate. The IM could be someone already serving with the PESOSE project team, possibly on an advisory committee, a key collaborator or an experienced OSE leader who wants to support development of the OSE. The IM plays a pivotal role by offering insights from their perspective of industry practices, OSE governance and OSE standards and sustainability models. The IM works with the team to ensure there are linkages between the work being done internally with the real-world needs of external OSE stakeholders.

Additional team members: The team may invite a co-EL or co-TL to participate in the team. These individuals should only be included if they plan to attend all sessions and engage in all ecosystem discovery activities.