Coming 8-9 December: The 2026 Bennett Oxford Symposium on Open Code in Science

We are pleased to announce the 2026 Bennett Oxford Symposium on Open Code in Science. It will take place on 8-9 December 2026 at The Examination Schools, 75-81 High St, Oxford OX1 4BG. We’d love to see you there!

Full details of the event are available on the event webpage!.

Book your place using this Eventbrite link. Spots are first come, first served, so be sure to register early!

This year’s theme is Open Code!

Here at the Bennett Institute, we have long shared all the code behind both our research projects and our tools and platforms – and we encourage and teach others to do the same!

We think open code makes science better: and we know many agree. It makes research easier to deliver, check, reproduce, and build on. But it’s still far from standard practice.

The 2026 Bennett Oxford Symposium on Open Code in Science will explore, with contributions from across the community:

• What academia can learn from the open-source software movement
• Why people do – and do not – share their code
• The impact of open source code and software in science and beyond, and
• How AI is changing the open-source landscape.

With a full day of talks and panels on Day 1, there will be opportunities for more open and collaborative sessions on Day 2.

Whether you work in research, policy, software development, or elsewhere, the 2026 Bennett Oxford Symposium on Open Code in Science is a chance to connect and learn from those who are both passionate and knowledgeable about open and transparent code and software.

Doing exciting work in the open code space? We want to hear from you!

In the next few weeks, we’ll announce an open call for talks and symposium posters. We’re interested in all aspects of code sharing in science and beyond, but some themes we’re particularly interested in include:

• Examples of your great initiatives in Open Code.
• How to share open source code and software
• The power of open source software in science and/or society
• Barriers to sharing code and how to overcome them
• Strategies for making open source the default
• The impact of AI on open source code and software

We’re committed to representing a broad range of perspectives from a diverse array of people, so please feel free to think creatively about what you can contribute when submitting your proposal.

Full instructions on how to submit will be published with the call in mid-August. Before then, if you have something you’re burning to present, drop us a line at events.bennett@phc.ox.ac.uk to discuss!

About the Bennett Institute Symposium

This year’s meeting will mark the third annual Bennett Institute Symposium. Our previous symposia have focused on OpenSAFELY, our award-winning platform for analysing large, sensitive datasets, and medicines data – including the digital tools, such as OpenPrescribing – that support better research, policy, and clinical practice.