Seeds to Systems Training

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Coming soon

We are thrilled to announce that the pilot cohort of Seeds to Systems will run from October 2026 to February 2027.

Seeds to Systems is a cohort-based training and mentoring programme designed for individuals and teams leading open initiatives, research communities of practice, or volunteer-run research initiatives. It builds directly on OLS's experience running Open Seeds and extends that support to projects at a more advanced stage of development.

The curriculum centres on organisational infrastructure for project and community sustainability: the practical knowledge, skills, and networks needed to lead a project over time, navigate the research funding landscape, and build the conditions that enable long-term impact.

You can read more in our announcement post.

Mentoring

Personalised support from experts throughout the programme

Peer learning

Connect with a cohort of people leading open initiatives

Modular training

A modular curriculum shaped by the community

What's coming

Before the pilot cohort begins, we will be running a series of activities open to the OLS community and beyond:

  • June 30 (14:00 UTC): Participate in a webinar to learn more about the Seeds to Systems Training. Check the recording below!
  • August 5 & 11 (14:00 UTC): Join two community consultation workshops to collaboratively shape the curriculum. Learn more.
  • September 1-18: Apply to the pilot cohort.
  • Pilot cohort (October 2026 - February 2027):
    • late October - early December: Weekly live cohort calls.
    • January - early February: Mentoring.

Learn more!

Check the recording of the informational webinar to learn more about our new training.

FAQ

Is there a cost to participate?

No, participation in the pilot cohort is free of charge.

What is the time commitment?

During the first phase (late October - early December), there are two 90-minute cohort calls per week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 15:00 UTC, plus an estimated 60-120 minutes of async work per week. During the mentoring period, there is one 1-hour meeting per week, at a time agreed with your mentor, plus an estimated 60-120 minutes of async work.

What are the exact dates of the programme?

Cohort calls run from October 21 to December 3.
Mentoring runs from January 11 to February 5.
The week of February 8-12 is the programme's graduation.

Stay tuned

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