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Bring a project

OHTF exists to give useful health software a home that does not depend on one person's spare time or one employer's priorities. If you maintain something that fits, we would like to hear about it.

What fits

A good candidate is:

  • Shared infrastructure. A library, specification, terminology or reference-data tool, clinical calculator, record system or service that others can build on, deploy or depend on, rather than one organisation's internal product.
  • Useful beyond one organisation. Used, or usable, across products, organisations and, ideally, countries.
  • Open source, or willing to be. Code, build and deployment configuration and tests published under an OSI-approved licence; documentation under an open content licence.
  • Maintained. At least one named maintainer who intends to keep looking after it, and a realistic plan for more.
  • Honest about safety. If the software could affect patient care, it records its clinical safety position, for example in a SAFETY.md.

What OHTF provides

  • A neutral organisation to hold the repository, and domains and trademarks where that protects the project's independence.
  • A shared code of conduct, contribution terms and security reporting process, so you do not have to write your own.
  • A copyright holder and contribution policy that can reassure contributors' employers.
  • Continuity: if a maintainer steps back, the project does not vanish with them.
  • Where it makes sense, a route to paid hosting, support and training that funds maintenance.

What OHTF asks of you

  • Keep the project open. Foundation Projects cannot be made proprietary later; see the open-source commitment.
  • Accept DCO sign-off on contributions.
  • Name a security contact and respond to reports.
  • Keep the project's lifecycle status accurate.

How to propose a project

Start a conversation in the open: open a discussion on GitHub with:

  1. The project name and a link to its repository.
  2. What it does, and who uses it today.
  3. Who maintains it, and how much time they can realistically give.
  4. Its current licence and copyright holder(s).
  5. Anything that could affect patient safety, and how that is documented.

If you would rather talk privately first, email us.