£16 million of public funding for Open Standards, Open Source collaboration and Drupal

In this talk, Will Callaghan and Finn Lewis present insights gained from the Local Digital Fund, which has allocated over £16 million to support 61 council-led projects in the UK since 2018. They discuss key initiatives such as LocalGov Drupal, Open Referral, and LocalGov IMS, examining their objectives, successes, and outcomes. The speakers emphasize the significance of open collaboration and open source approaches within public sector digital solutions, highlighting how these projects drive innovation, reduce vendor lock-in, and deliver economic benefits. Attendees gain a deeper understanding of the role of public funding in fostering productive open source collaborations and the need for sustainable business models beyond the initial funding phase.