Sovereign Tech Agency: Investing in the infrastructure of the 21st century
We are securing open digital infrastructure as the foundation for a future-oriented economy and modern society
Digital sovereignty empowers us to shape our own future. This requires more than simply using digital technologies; we need to actively be part of building them - to be independent, secure, and competitive.
The foundation for this is open digital infrastructure. Much like roads and railways serve as physical infrastructure, invisible software components are the bedrock of our economy and society. Components like programming libraries, open standards, and developer tools are essential for innovation and competition.
Digital infrastructure emerges from an open source ecosystem that makes it possible to reuse, quickly distribute, and maintain digital technologies. Sustaining this ecosystem protects Germany's and Europe's digital sovereignty, capacity for innovation, and economic competitiveness today and in the future.
Sovereign Tech Fund
Strategic investments in the digital infrastructure of our economy and society
With the Sovereign Tech Fund, we invest globally in the open software components that underpin Germany's and Europe's competitiveness and ability to innovate. By targeting core digital infrastructure, our investments scale across many sectors and benefit a broad range of users. Improving the security, stability, and reusability of open software components directly enhances the productivity, competitive edge, and capacity for innovation of startups and small and medium-sized businesses.
Sovereign Tech Resilience
Bug bounty, prevention, and elimination of vulnerabilities in critical digital infrastructure
The Sovereign Tech Resilience program takes a holistic approach to protecting critical digital infrastructure. Severe vulnerabilities in open software components have far-reaching consequences, affecting millions of people and impacting software products of all kinds that make use of them. To mitigate these risks and prevent untold damage, it is not enough just to find and fix bugs. We need to take proactive measures to improve the resilience of open digital infrastructure in the face of undiscovered vulnerabilities.
Sovereign Tech Fellowship
Effective support for essential experts in the open source ecosystem
Our maintainer-in-residence fellowship program supports key individuals and strengthens the open source ecosystem in a way that transcends individual technologies and industries. By focusing on the people behind the code, we highlight and provide recognition for the often invisible work that goes into our digital infrastructure. In this way, we are empowering more people to put their skills and experience toward making the open source ecosystem more resilient and sustainable for us all.
Sovereign Tech Challenge
New solutions for structural challenges in the open source ecosystem
The Sovereign Tech Challenge uses a competition model to identify challenges in the open source ecosystem and develop new and innovative solutions. Examples of potential objectives could include developing forward-looking solutions in open software components that are useful for emerging technologies, or securing existing dependencies.
Latest news
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Newsletter
Read article: Newsletter: New Technology Investments, Sessions at Open Source Summit, and Sovereign Tech Fellowship Highlights
Email newsletter on 21 October 2025: the Sovereign Tech Fund's latest technology investments, an in-depth interview with Sovereign Tech Fellow Jan Kowalleck, and video recordings from our sessions at Open Source Summit Europe in Amsterdam and FrOSCon.
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News
Read article: Meet Sovereign Tech Fellow Jan Kowalleck
Open source maintainer Jan Kowalleck began his journey with OWASP CycloneDX by fixing a single bug. That small step led to becoming Project Co-Lead, mentoring new contributors, and helping shape the international standard for software transparency. In this interview, Jan shares how he balances maintenance and community building, why SBOMs are key to software security, and what it takes to guide a fast-growing open source project.
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Newsletter
Read article: Newsletter: Fellow Interviews, EU-STF, OSPOs for Good Panel & Upcoming Events
Email newsletter on 6 August 2025: We share two new in-depth interviews with Sovereign Tech Fellows Hugo van Kemenade and Matthias Klumpp and express our support for the recently published EU Sovereign Tech Fund feasibility study by OpenForum Europe. We’ve also adapted Adriana Groh’s remarks at UN Open Source Week in June into a more accessible blog post.
Publications
Bug Bounties and FOSS: Opportunities, Risks, and a Path Forward
Bug bounty programs have long been used by industry to help incentivize reporting of dangerous vulnerabilities in software, but how effective are they in making our open source critical infrastructure safer? This is the question the Sovereign Tech Resilience program commissioned Northeastern University's Dr. Ryan Ellis to answer in his research.
A Toolkit for Measuring the Impacts of Public Funding on Open Source Software Development
To better understand how to assess outcomes of public investment, we co-authored a new paper with NGI Commons, CHAOSS, and the Linux Foundation: A Toolkit for Measuring the Impacts of Public Funding on Open Source Software Development. This toolkit offers not only a structured methodology, but also discussion of key considerations and best practices for evaluating public funding’s effects on FOSS.
Feasibility Study
On the consideration of a support program for open digital enabling technologies as a basis for innovation and digital sovereignty
Pilot Phase Report
Insights from validating the approaches outlined in the Sovereign Tech Fund's feasibility study.