Software Heritage, an archive to enable our digital future

Software is all around us: it powers our industry, fuels innovation, supports scientific research and lies at the heart of our societies.

The Software Heritage project, launched in 2016 by Inria (France), aims at collecting, preserving, and making readily available the source code of all software ever written, building an essential infrastructure at the service of cultural heritage, digital development, science, industry, and society as a whole.

On April 3rd, 2017, a landmark partnership agreement was signed between UNESCO and Inria to establish a framework for collaboration on preserving the knowledge embedded in software source code, and making it widely available, centered around the ongoing development of the Software Heritage archive.

On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the project, this event is an opportunity to take stock of the achievements and status of the project, and to highlight the relevance of its mission in the context of today’s dynamic digital innovation landscape.  The half-day event, which may follow a hybrid format of virtual and on-site participation at the UNESCO Headquarters, will focus on three major dimensions of relevance to the Software Heritage archive: 1) Follow-up discussion on Open Science raised during the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference 2) The role for culture preservation and digital skills education 3) Innovation for industry and administration