OSPE Forum 2026

The mission of IPCEI-CIS is clear: build Europe’s sovereign multi-provider cloud-edge continuum. Over 120 industry and research partners across 12 member states are actively involved. Each with their unique commercial interest and expertise, all expected to work together towards a pan-European interoperable goal. But funding instruments (like IPCEI, Horizon, and others) alone are not enough; they expose a “digital sovereignty paradox”. Digital sovereignty for Europe cannot be produced by a single vendor. It can only be obtained with an ecosystem of vendors, no winner-takes-it-all. And companies collaborating jointly in software require a unique model of ownership.

We realized that a neutral, open source, digital commons, and governance infrastructure to collaborate in code and to create a sovereign commodity base was missing.

This session tells the story of why SAP championed the move toward open source and founded NeoNephos under LF Europe. We will discuss the strategic necessity of introducing a neutral governance layer into digital sovereignty missions. We will explore how learnings from our Open Source Program Office (OSPO) guided us with proper instruments.