Mississippi State University#
OSPO: Mississipi State University Open Source Program Office
Personnel: John Walters (Director), Austin Check (Assistant Director)
Member of: CURIOSS
General Description#
Housed within the Office of Technology Management, the MSU Open Source Program Office (OSPO) is dedicated to supporting and guiding the university community in all aspects of open source. It serves as a central hub for open source strategy, policy and best practices; helping to align the university’s open source activities with its broader goals of research excellence, economic development and societal impact.
OSPO services include:
Consultation & Guidance: Advice on open source licensing, compliance and intellectual property considerations for research and software projects.
Project Strategy: Assistance with developing management strategies for open source projects, building contributor communities and ensuring long-term success.
Education & Training: Workshops and resources on open source best practices.
Connecting Innovators: Connecting MSU researchers and developers with industry partners and other institutions. Fostering collaboration built on a foundation of open innovation.
Streamlining Disclosures: Working closely with inventors to simplify the technology disclosure process for open source software and ensuring it aligns with both university policies and potential commercialization pathways.
Core Objectives#
The OSPO’s mission is to empower faculty, staff and students to effectively use, create and release open source projects while managing intellectual property, ensuring compliance and maximizing the impact of their work.