Linux Foundation Member European Forum

Call For Proposals (CFP)

Overview

The Linux Foundation Member European Forum is an annual gathering for Linux Foundation Europe members, along with invited speakers, sponsors and media.

This event cultivates collaboration, open innovation, and partnerships among those in the private and public sectors working to drive digital transformation through open collaboration. It is a must-attend for business and technical leaders looking to advance a Europe-wide open source strategy and shape how European organisations participate in the global technology commons.

Please be aware that the Linux Foundation will now be utilizing Sessionize for CFP submissions. Sessionize is a cloud-based event content management software designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. If you need guidance, please review how to submit your session for an event to see step-by-step instructions and helpful screenshots.

dates to remember

  • CFP Closes: Tuesday, 21 July @ 3:00 PM CEST / Tuesday, 21 July @ 9:00 AM EDT
  • CFP Notifications: Tuesday, 18 August 2026
  • Schedule Announcement: Thursday, 20 August 2026
  • Event Date: 6 October 2026

suggested topics

Topic A: Europe and the global tech commons

How to best leverage the open source global technology commons to maintain innovation while increasing digital sovereignty?

  • Subtopic: Balancing European digital sovereignty and global open source collaboration
  • Subtopic: Need for European open source code vs. need for a stronger European open source ecosystem
  • Subtopic: Digital sovereignty requires open source, but also neutral governance and participation
  • Subtopic: Investment models for digital sovereignty initiatives, including public-private partnership models
Topic B: Successfully navigating troubled waters

We live in interesting times. How can our organizations best navigate through upcoming regulation, AI impact, and other disruptions?

  • Subtopic: Relationship between open source projects, manufacturers and stewards under CRA
  • Subtopic: EU regulatory compliance strategies for open source AI projects, models, and companies
  • Subtopic: Impact of AI on open source development models
  • Subtopic: Maintenance, sustainability and funding aspects of open source in Europe
Topic C: Open Source initiatives and projects with a European context

Present your project, initiative, or community to European open source practitioners and decision-makers.

  • Subtopic: New or noteworthy initiatives with a European context
  • Subtopic: Adoption of open source technologies in the public or private sector
  • Subtopic: Cross-border collaboration models and governance frameworks
  • Subtopic: Success stories and use cases in specific sectors/verticals

submission types

  • Session Presentation (typically 30 minutes)
  • Panel Discussion (typically 30 minutes)
  • Round Table Discussion (typically 30 minutes)
  • Lightning Talk (typically 10 minutes – ideal for first-time speakers)

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • All speakers are required to adhere to our Code of Conduct. We also highly recommend that speakers take our online Inclusive Speaker Orientation Course.
  • Panel submissions must include the names of all participants in the initial submission to be considered. In addition, The Linux Foundation does not accept submissions with all-male panels in an effort to increase speaker inclusivity.
  • Complimentary Passes For Speakers – One complimentary pass for the event will be provided for the accepted speaker(s) per submission.
  • Avoid sales or marketing pitches and discussing unlicensed or potentially closed-source technologies when preparing your proposal; these talks are almost always rejected due to the fact that they take away from the integrity of our events, and are rarely well-received by conference attendees.
  • All accepted speakers are required to submit their slides prior to the event.
  • If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected].

preparing to submit your proposal

While it is not our intention to provide you with strict instructions on how to prepare your proposal, we hope you will take a moment to review the following guidelines that we have put together to help you prepare the best submission possible. To get started, here are three things that you should consider before submitting your proposal:

  1. What are you hoping to get from your presentation?
  2. What do you expect the audience to gain from your presentation?
  3. How will your presentation help better the ecosystem?

There are plenty of ways to give a presentation about projects and technologies without focusing on company-specific efforts. Remember the things to consider that we mentioned above when writing your proposal and think of ways to make it interesting for attendees while still letting you share your experiences, educate the community about an issue, or generate interest in a project.

First Time Submitting? Don’t Feel Intimidated

Linux Foundation events are an excellent way to get to know the community and share your ideas and the work that you are doing and we strongly encourage first-time speakers to submit talks for our events. In the instance that you aren’t sure about your abstract, reach out to us and we will be more than happy to work with you on your proposal.

How to submit

First time using Sessionize?

Sessionize is a cloud-based event content management software designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. If you need guidance, please review how to submit your session for an event to see step-by-step instructions and helpful screenshots.

Submitting on behalf of somebody else?

While speakers ordinarily submit their sessions themselves, it’s also common for them to have someone else do it in their name. Submitters can choose to submit as someone else and must fill out the necessary speaker fields, but the session submission process is otherwise identical to when the session is submitted by the speaker themselves.

code of conduct

The Linux Foundation is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for participants at all of our events. We encourage all submitters to review our complete Code of Conduct.