OPEN_NEXT · Project

Open Source Hardware Platform That Cuts Product Development Costs by 20% for SMEs

manufacturingTestedTRL 6

Imagine how Linux changed software — anyone can see the code, improve it, and build on it. Now picture that same idea applied to physical products like electronics or machines. OPEN!NEXT built the tools and business playbooks that let small manufacturers tap into global communities of designers and makers to co-develop real products. The result: faster launches, lower costs, and access to innovation talent that was previously out of reach for smaller companies.

By the numbers

15%

Reduction in time-to-market through company-community collaboration

20%

Reduction in development costs through open source co-development

Consortium partners across 7 countries

SMEs directly involved in developing and testing the approach

Demo deliverables including platform, database, and dashboard

The business problem

What needed solving

Small and mid-size manufacturers face rising R&D costs and long development cycles, but lack the resources of large corporations to maintain big in-house design teams. Meanwhile, a growing global community of engineers, makers, and designers is creating open source hardware — but most SMEs don't know how to tap into this talent pool or build a viable business around open designs.

The solution

What was built

The project built a collaborative engineering platform with Git-based version control for hardware designs, a Wikibase semantic database for discovering and linking open source hardware products, a dashboard for tracking open source development status, and documented business models and consulting methods for SMEs adopting open source hardware. All demonstrators were usability-tested and validated with real business partners.

Audience

Who needs this

SME hardware manufacturers looking to reduce R&D costs and speed up product launchesMakerspaces and fab labs wanting to offer structured collaboration services to local companiesProduct design consultancies advising manufacturers on open innovation strategiesIndustry clusters and technology parks supporting manufacturing SMEsElectronics startups seeking community-driven co-development of physical products

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Consumer Electronics Manufacturing

SME

Target: SME hardware manufacturer developing IoT devices or consumer electronics

If you are a small electronics manufacturer struggling with long R&D cycles and limited design capacity — this project developed a collaborative engineering platform and Git-based version control for hardware designs that enables you to tap into open source communities for co-development. The project demonstrated a 15% reduction in time-to-market and 20% reduction in development costs through company-community collaboration with real business partners.

Industrial Equipment & Machinery

mid-size

Target: Mid-size machinery company looking to accelerate product iteration

If you are a machinery company looking to reduce prototyping costs and speed up design iterations — OPEN!NEXT created a semantic database (Wikibase instance) for discovering and reusing existing open source hardware designs, plus a tested collaborative engineering platform. Instead of designing every component from scratch, you can build on verified open source designs and get community feedback before committing to production.

Makerspace & Fab Lab Services

SME

Target: Makerspace or fabrication lab offering prototyping services to local businesses

If you run a makerspace or fab lab and want to offer structured collaboration services to SMEs — this project developed and documented methods for onboarding, training, and supporting makerspaces in collaborations with SMEs. The OSD Lab reports and consulting network give you a ready-made service model to help local manufacturers adopt open source hardware practices.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does this cost to implement?

The project outputs — the collaborative platform, Wikibase database, and business model guides — were developed as open source tools. Adoption costs would primarily involve staff training and integration time. Based on available project data, the project targeted a 20% reduction in development costs for participating SMEs.

Can this work at industrial scale?

The platform was tested with real business partners across 7 countries and validated through usability testing. The Wikibase semantic database was populated with real open source hardware product data. However, scaling beyond the pilot group would require dedicated infrastructure and community management.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

This is the core of the project. OPEN!NEXT specifically developed adapted business models for SMEs working with open source hardware, addressing how to create commercial value while keeping designs open. The project synthesized IP strategies that balance openness with competitive advantage — a critical concern for any manufacturer considering this approach.

How mature is the technology?

The project delivered finalized demonstrators that were usability-tested, verified, and validated. The platform includes a working Git-based version control system for hardware designs and a populated semantic database. This is beyond prototype stage but would need customization for specific company workflows.

How does this integrate with existing product development tools?

The platform demonstrator is based on product and service data management, embedding a Git-based distributed version control system. This means it follows established software development workflows adapted for hardware. Based on available project data, integration with existing CAD or PLM systems would require additional configuration.

Who provides support after the project ended?

The project established a network of consulting actors specifically to support SMEs in adopting open source hardware business models. The consortium of 20 partners across 7 countries includes 6 SMEs and 7 industry partners who were directly involved in developing these methods. TU Berlin coordinated the effort.

Is there regulatory risk in using open source hardware designs?

Open source hardware follows established licensing practices derived from open source software, which has a well-understood legal foundation. The project specifically addressed business model adaptation for SMEs, including how to handle IP in company-community collaborations. Compliance with product safety regulations remains the manufacturer's responsibility regardless of design origin.

Consortium

Who built it

The OPEN!NEXT consortium brings together 20 partners from 7 countries (AT, DE, DK, ES, FR, NL, UK), led by TU Berlin. With 7 industry partners and 6 SMEs making up 35% of the consortium, this is a well-balanced mix of academic research (4 universities, 5 research organizations) and real-world business testing. The strong SME presence is particularly relevant because the entire project targets SME adoption of open source hardware — meaning the tools were built by and tested with the exact type of company they are designed to help. The multi-country spread across Western and Northern Europe suggests the methods are not limited to one national market.

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT BERLINCoordinator · DE
UNIVERSITY OF BATHparticipant · UK
INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE DE GRENOBLEparticipant · FR
SODAQ HOLDING BVparticipant · NL
WIKIFACTORY EUROPE SLparticipant · ES
DESIGN SOCIETY FONDparticipant · DK
UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPESthirdparty · FR
ZENTRUM FUR SOZIALE INNOVATION GMBHparticipant · AT
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT-INSTITUT FURINTERNET UND GESELLSCHAFT GGMBHparticipant · DE
WIKIMEDIA DEUTSCHLAND - GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FÖRDERUNG FREIEN WISSENS EVparticipant · DE
MAKERparticipant · DK
STICHTING WAAG SOCIETYparticipant · NL
PROTOTYPES FOR EUROPE EVparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

TU Berlin, Germany — coordinator of a 20-partner consortium with direct experience in open source hardware business models for SMEs

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT BERLIN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how open source hardware collaboration could cut your product development costs? SciTransfer can connect you with the OPEN!NEXT team and help assess fit for your specific manufacturing challenge.

Order a report on this topic More in Manufacturing & Industry 4.0