A system-wide snapshot: A multi-campus survey of open source contributors at the University of California

Academic open source contributors face a wide array of challenges, making it difficult for universities, support staff, and funders to determine which needs they should prioritize. To help address this problem, the University of California (UC) Open Source Program Office (OSPO) Network conducted a multi-campus survey of open source contributors and aspiring contributors. The goals of this survey were two-fold. First, we aimed to understand the needs of university open source contributors, so that we might design programs to address those needs. Second, we sought to characterize open source activity on campus, in order to assess the value of an OSPO. We received 294 valid responses from students, faculty, researchers, and staff. 93% of students and 92% of researchers report that open source software is important for their work. 58% of experienced open source contributors have served as project maintainers, indicating that a large number of university affiliates not only use open source software, they also build and maintain it. The most common challenge is lack of time, particularly time for writing documentation. Regarding opportunities for support, respondents strongly prioritized access to robust computing environments and dedicated grants for sustainability. Finally, comments revealed that institutional norms and priorities can sometimes impede contribution. The survey findings reveal diverse needs across contributor groups, with resources, infrastructure, and culture all playing a role. At the same time, the abundance of maintainers, the prevalence of time and funding-related challenges, and the comments regarding maintenance all underscore a critical need for support for open source sustainability. We conclude by recommending actionable strategies universities can adopt to incorporate sustainability into their open source initiatives. We expect the findings to extend beyond OSPOs to benefit scholars of open source and research software more broadly, providing empirical insights into open source participation and sustainability in academic contexts.