Registration for #ossym2026 is now open

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The 8th International Open Search Symposium (#ossym) brings together experts and practitioners from across computer science, law and regulation, ethics, economics, and civil society.

#ossym2026 will take place as a hybrid event in Berlin from 7–9 October 2026, hosted at CODE University of Applied Sciences and supported by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). This year’s conference theme is “Boosting Digital Sovereignty.”
Join us for inspiring talks, thoughtful discussions, and the latest research on open and distributed web search, open web data infrastructure, and their role in AI.

Program focus: open web search + AI in the context of sovereignty

We are especially interested in how an open web data infrastructure can counter the current concentration of web services, value loss, and regulatory pressure. Key questions include:

  • How can open web search and web data infrastructure strengthen digital diversity?
  • Which technical and economic concepts improve acceptance and resilience?
  • Which ethical and legal questions must be addressed to make this approach work?

Keynotes

Confirmed* keynote speakers include:

  • Stéphane Beemelmans (DLR)
  • Peter Gehle (DLR)
  • Julian Kunkel (GWDG / University of Göttingen)
  • Aline Blankertz (Structural Integrity)
  • Stefan Mesken (DeepL)
  • Hannes Taubenböck (DLR)

Tracks and sessions

#ossym2026 features a hybrid format with scientific talks, poster sessions, panels, demonstrations, and informal discussion spaces. The conference includes science tracks on:

  • Crawling
  • Retrieval
  • Spatial modeling
  • AI in Science
  • Web data driven applications

And sessions around:

  • Ethics + Society
  • Legal aspects of open web search & AI training
  • User behavior and preferences in search and AI

Workshops and community formats

Workshops and community activities include (among others):

  • Evaluating design patterns for legally compliant Open Web Index and Search Engine systems
  • Disinformation tools
  • Open Web Data Working Group of EuroHPC
  • Student project session / index access tutorial
  • Additional workshop opportunities (details may be updated on the website)

Side Event at Weizenbaum Institute

This year, a special  panel discussion (in German) & networking dinner will take place at Weizenbaum Institut.
„Souveränität im Netz – Wie eine europäische Webdateninfrastruktur Freiheit, Wirtschaft und Demokratie stärkt“

Find more here.

Registration

Registration for onsite and online participation is open and free of charge. Please register here.
Better be fast, as availability may be limited for on-site seats!
The conference programm* is available here.

 

*The conference programm and keynote speaker announcements are published under reservation of the right to make alterations

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