Our tools shape how we make science. Yet scientific instruments can be big or small, for experts or for beginners, old or new, popular or niche. Some have a graphic user interface, others are just libraries or AI models. Some are made by accident or necessity, others by vocation.

Tool makers are no less varied. Some are professional developers who work outside academia, others are professors. Some love coding, some dislike it. Some love writing papers, while others hate it. Are they proud of making tools? Or do they prefer hiding it? What does it take to maintain a tool over the long term? Is academia a safe haven or a hostile environment?

This event gives a voice to those who build and care for our scientific instruments

The artisans of these knowledge technologies face different kinds of problems. This panel is an open discussion between different tool makers from across Europe, and with the public, about the different issues at stake at the intersection of open source software, open science, and academic practices. Our goal is to document these issues and discuss how best to address them.

Join us for a fantastic debate!