Join the 2026 Bennett Oxford Symposium on Open Code in Science!

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: 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!

We're looking for posters, lightning talks (5 mins) and standard talks (10 mins)! If you work in open code, or have exciting things to say about it, please submit your proposal by 21 September 2026. 

We’re interested in all the exciting aspects of code sharing across science and beyond. Are you an economist helping colleagues share analysis code? Working on transparency policies at an ecology journal? Leading the latest innovative open source development of a tool in psychology research? We’re interested in all this, and more!  

Below are some broad themes we’re particularly interested in

• 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

If you have an idea for a talk that does not quite fit into any of these categories, don’t let that deter you! We encourage you to submit your idea, and explain in the 500-word abstract how it’s relevant to the symposium.

Bennett Institute Prize for Outstanding Poster Submissions

This year’s Bennett Institute Prize will be awarded for exceptional posters presented at the Symposium. Please designate in your submission form if you would like to be considered for the Bennett Institute Prize. There are no limitations on who can enter.

For full event details – including more information on the call for submissions, Bennett Institute Prize, and how to register for the symposium – see the event website, or email events.bennett@phc.ox.ac.uk. We hope to see you there!