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- Convenor:
-
Moritz Feichtinger
(University of Basel)
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- Chair:
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Valérie Schafer
(University of Luxembourg)
- Discussants:
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Moritz Feichtinger
(University of Basel)
Adarsh John Willibald
Anne Pasek (Trent University)
Lukas C. Bossert (RWTH Aachen University)
- Format:
- Roundtable
Short Abstract
How can we make research practices more resilient? By using free and open-source software, independent data formats, collaborative research, new publication forms, sustainable and resource-efficient workflows, and decentralized, accessible networks.
Description
The use of digital tools and research methods promises to expedite research practices, facilitate the management of voluminous sources and data, and enhance the visibility and reach of publications. However, the utilization of computers also entails numerous dependencies, including but not limited to computing hardware, research software, data storage, format conventions, personnel, and finances. These dependencies give rise to epistemic problems, jeopardize the reproducibility of research, and render projects more superficial and short-lived.
The discussion panel will explore countermeasures to this trend, which has recently been exacerbated by AI: Free and open-source software, independent data formats, collaborative research practices, new forms of publication, sustainable and resource-efficient research designs and networks. The participants are practitioners and early adopters of other approaches to doing and disseminating research in a more resilient, decentralized, accessible and sustainable way. They will engage in a reflective process, contemplating their experiences and the necessary steps to transform research cultures and institutions towards a more resilient future.
Dr. Anne Pasek has argued for and explored low-carbon research methods and zine-based conferencing.
Dr. Lukas C. Bossert is head of RWTHA’s Research Process and Data Management unit, with ample experience in persistent data formats and open-source software.
Dr. Moritz Feichtinger is an advocate of open science and principal investigator of a research project that relies solely on open software, data, and publication formats.
Adarsh John Wilibald is research software developer and expert in free and open operations systems, software, and networks.
Prof. Dr. Valérie Schafer is an expert on the history of computing and digital media and co-director of one of Europe’s largest digital history research institutes (C2DH Luxembourg).
Accepted contribution
Session 1Short abstract
This paper examines La Suite as a public-sector experiment in building more resilient digital infrastructures amid dependence on Microsoft 365, arguing that resilience depends less on technical substitution than on the institutional work of reconfiguring platform dependence from within.
Long abstract
This paper examines La Suite, DINUM’s state-backed open-source office suite, as a public-sector case for examining infrastructural resilience in a context shaped by Microsoft 365. As Microsoft 365 has become the default environment for office work, collaboration, document production, and cloud governance, it has also structured institutional workflows through proprietary standards and deep platform dependencies. These dependencies raise broader questions about autonomy, long-term control, transparency, and the durability of digital environments across institutional settings. Against this background, the paper analyses La Suite as an institutional experiment in reworking such dependencies. By assembling open-source components, administrative needs, and public governance principles, La Suite offers a situated attempt to build freer, more transparent, and more publicly accountable digital infrastructures. It shows how alternative infrastructures are not simply chosen at the level of individual tools, but must be institutionally coordinated and maintained over time. At the same time, the paper complicates optimistic narratives of open-source resilience. La Suite remains shaped by standardisation pressures, inherited workflows, and broader platform dependencies. The case therefore highlights both the promise and the limits of building more resilient digital infrastructures from within dominant platform environments. It argues that resilience is not a purely technical property, but an institutional achievement produced under conditions of dependence that cannot be fully escaped.