OpenWebSearch.eu – Shaping the web search of the future
Openwebsearch.eu will create an open European infrastructure for internet search based on European values and jurisdiction. Thus, the project will contribute to Europe’s digital sovereignty as well as promote an open human-centred search engine market.
14 renowned European research and computer centres will develop the core of a European Open Web Index (OWI) as a basis for a new Internet Search in Europe. In addition, the project will set the foundation for an open and extensible European Open Web Search and Analysis Infrastructure (OWSAI), based on Europe’s values, principles, legislation, and standards.
Imbalance in the search engine market
The project has its origins in concerns over the imbalance of the search engine market. Despite being the backbone of our digital economy, web search is dominated and limited by a few gatekeepers like Google, Microsoft, Baidu or Yandex. Thus, information as a public good, with free, unbiased and transparent access, is not under public control anymore. In addition, there is no competitive market from which users can choose their preferred information access. This imbalance limits not only user choice but also the innovative potential of Europe’s research landscape and economy when considering the Web as an important resource for upcoming markets like the AI Industry.
Websearch based on European values and jurisdiction
„Free, open, and unbiased access to information – we have lost these core principles in web search and urgently need to restore them. This is why we will create an open European infrastructure for internet search, based on European values and jurisdiction.” says Michael Granitzer of University Passau and Open Search Foundation, project coordinator of OpenWebSearch.EU.
“The open web search infrastructure will not only contribute to Europe’s sovereignty for navigating and searching the web. It will benefit us all as citizens. Based on our own preferences, we will finally have a real choice again when choosing search engines.”
PARTNERS:
- University of Passau, Germany
- Leibniz Supercomputing Centre of Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Germany
- Stichting Radboud Universiteit, Netherlands
- Leipzig University, Germany
- Graz University of Technology, Austria
- Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Germany
- VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, IT4Innovations, Czech Republic
- European Organization for Nuclear Research – CERN, Switzerland
- Open Search Foundation, Germany
- A1 Slovenija, telekomunikacijske storitve, d. d., Slovenia
- CSC-Tieteen Tietotekniikan Keskus Oy, Finland
- Stichting Nlnet, Netherlands
- Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany
- SUMA-EV – Association for Free Access to Knowledge, Germany
NGI OpenWebSearch.ru Coordinator: Michael Granitzer
Email: Michael.Granitzer@uni-passau.de
Website: openwebsearch.eu