Open source is not the next big wave, but the foundation of a "sharing economy" that has long since arrived in international research and development, according to the paper. In recent years, the open source approach has helped to quickly and efficiently create new standards in numerous sectors of the economy and adapt them to the needs of users.

"The special thing about open source is its dynamism and agility. Many people drive forward joint software development and can thus utilize synergies. In this way, a great deal comes back with relatively little effort, more than any individual could achieve economically," says Thomas Bauernhansl (Fraunhofer IPA), member of the research advisory board of the Industry 4.0 platform. "On the other hand, the complexity inherent in this agility must be made commercially viable for commercial use, especially in consideration of IP rights. If this balance can be achieved, open source is an absolute driver of innovation, especially for medium-sized technology companies."

Trends and areas of application for OSS

The expert surveys show that open source in companies is primarily seen as a collaboration model that allows ideas and developments to be shared and driven forward together with partners or external developers. Collaborative developments are not limited to specific Industry 4.0 areas. Current trends include hardware-related device software, software protocols, sensor communication, reference implementations and administration shells as well as smart and open data models. As specific developments that are suitable for OSS projects, the interviewees primarily mention components that cover basic functions. In their opinion, collaborative development is also suitable where data is to be exchanged, interfaces created and security and trust in development strengthened. This is particularly where resources can be pooled and joint standard solutions can be developed for the respective industry.

According to the report, production automation is one of the most important areas of application for open source software, while the area of autonomization is still underdeveloped. The respondents named cryptography, trust and identity management as well as developments in the software infrastructure sector as other topics that are well suited to cross-company collaboration. However, a pronounced trend is also currently seen in open hardware development.

OSS supports the digital transformation of SMEs

According to the experts, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular can benefit from collaborative open source developments, but also from their use. The use of OSS can help SMEs that are experiencing difficulties with digital transformation. Less innovative companies can use OSS to gain low-risk and easy access to new technologies. In particular, the experts see the advantage that open source allows proof of concepts to be developed more easily and quickly.

Community crucial to the success of open source

The community and the ecosystem that forms in the course of project development and continuation are crucial to the success of an open source solution. As soon as active communities are successfully established, the projects are often of high quality and longevity, as the expertise shows.

"The time of going it alone is over. If you want to make decisive developments and set de facto standards today, you can no longer ignore open source. No German company alone has sufficient motivation, market power or resources to implement key developments or standards quickly enough," says Michael ten Hompel, Managing Director of the Fraunhofer IML. "We must therefore do everything we can to get open source out of its supposed niche and make it fruitful in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. We need to establish a new way of thinking in science and industry in which open source and collaborative development become the norm and an indicator of innovative capability."