The ‘open’ movement has a lengthy and broad-ranging history, but has gathered serious momentum over the past 35 years years in relation to tech.

You’ve probably heard about the plethora of open source software platforms being developed which include various strains of Linux. And, you might already have encountered the growing interest in open data and open government initiatives. You might be less familiar with the implementation of open standards by the UK Government. But, you’ll almost certainly have picked up on the growing number of open hardware projects that are underway around the world, which range from development of the Arduino to the Global Village Construction Set and, more recently,  Wiki House.

Now, London has a unique opportunity to build a platform for open sharing at the heart of Tech City: data, tools, spaces, skills and resources that everyone can use to learn, work and collaborate. It is a chance to provide something new of benefit to a wide range of communities but, most importantly, to bring shared interests together around new collective opportunities.

So, we were thrilled to be invited to The Future of Open along with our partners to respond to an open call to co-develop the Open Institute London.

We began by meeting Olivia Tusinski to talk about the scope to incorporate thinking (and doing) around digital assets, enterprises, data coops and open networks developed by and for communities – read the full interview text. And, tomorrow, we look forward to the ‘main event’ during this brief development phase.

Specifically, we will be asking people whether they agree with us that the Open Institute London has the potential to build upon the fine grain of long established local institutions, harness the can-do and know-how of Tech City communities, and translate that via a truly open infrastructure so that innovation, services and growth can benefit everyone:

Because, ultimately, we believe the future really must be open – to all.