Call for Devrooms for IndiaFOSS 2025

IndiaFOSS Conference
1

IndiaFOSS 2025 is a two day celebration of everything in and around FOSS, happening on 20th and 21st September 2025. This is the 5th edition of the event, expected to draw an estimated 2500 attendees including developers, students, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors and volunteers.

This edition of the conference will feature devrooms - an exciting idea that originated from the community itself (this discussion started it. Please post questions regarding this call for devrooms in that thread itself). Devrooms are essentially half day mini-conference tracks (3 hours programme duration) inside the conference. The idea is that this puts more of the conference contents in the community’s hands. This is modelled loosely on devrooms that FOSSDEM conference has. During the conference, Devrooms will run in parallel with the main conference.

Devrooms may be proposed by a self organizing group in the community. Devrooms are based on topics relevant to a broader subset of the community, or a special interest topic, etc. Devroom proposals are being solicited in advance. The conference committee will review and select 4 devroom proposals.

The call for proposals (CFP) for IndiaFOSS 2025 will be a generic CFP that will mention and link to separate CFPs for each selected devroom. The conference talk submission page will accept talk proposals both for the main track, as well as selected devrooms (these will show up as “tracks”). Anybody may propose sessions for any track.

Each devroom must be represented by two managers (2 for redundancy). These managers are responsible for the following:

  • Finalize a CFP for their devroom.
  • Circulate the CFP in their community or interest group. The Programme Committee (composed of the co-chairs of the conference) shall let selected devrooms know when to do this.
  • Review and finalize proposals to create the devroom programme, in a timely manner. We recommend starting rolling reviews 2 weeks after the CFP is issued.
  • Work with the Programme Committee to finalize the schedule.
  • Run the devroom according to the schedule during the conference

Devroom managers may also rope in additional volunteers to help review proposals. During the conference, devrooms shall be recorded and live-streamed. Each devroom may also have up-to two volunteers to help with the logistics of running the devroom, including:

  • Coordinate with selected speakers to ensure everything runs smoothly and on time
  • Introduce speakers
  • Work with video recording and live streaming POCs
  • Work with other conference volunteers for important tasks (beginning of sessions, administrative stuff, etc)

Each devroom shall be held in a 35 seater room.

Devroom Proposals

Devroom proposals must be posted as a response to this discussion thread. The person who posts a devroom proposal will be deemed the primary contact for the devroom, and also a devroom manager.

A devroom proposal must include the following:

  • Devroom title
  • Details of two managers
    • Name of each manager
    • Short intro and reason/motivation to run the devroom. Please highlight any prior experience running/involvement in events or conferences
  • Some indication that the devroom would be able to generate enough content for the entire 3 hour slot (“proof of feasibility”)
  • Number of volunteers requested for the devroom
    • Proposal reviews (max 2). Names of the reviewers need not be published on the forum at this time to preserve anonymity, but the Managers must have decided the names by the time they propose the devroom.
    • Logistics volunteers for the devroom (max 2). Names can be decided later.
  • CFP for the devroom talks. CFP must include the scope of the talks recommended for this devroom.

FOSDEM 2025 - Schedule has some ideas for devrooms.

Key Dates

  • Call for devrooms opens on : March 1st 2025
  • Last date to submit devroom proposals : March 31th, 2025
  • Intimation of devroom proposal acceptance: April 15th, 2025
  • Devrooms to start circulating their CFP : May 1st, 2025 (Same date as CFP open for IndiaFOSS)
  • CFP end date : June 30th, 2025
  • Devrooms to finish reviews and finalize sessions for their devroom : July 15th, 2025
4 Likes
2

FOSS in Science

Managers : @rahulporuri and Jaidev Deshpande

Intro

The Scientific community is often considered a passive observer within the broader FOSS community. In our experience, this is far from the truth. Numerous successful FOSS projects originated in the Scientific Community. The “FOSS in Science” devroom enables the Indian scientific community to come together.

Motivation

The SciPy India conference enabled the Scientific Python community in India to come together but after 13 editions the conference was sadly discontinued in 2021. I attempted to reignite this community at a Birds of a Feather session at PyCon India 2023 with Jaidev Deshpande (a regular reviewer of the SciPy India conference). We were successful in bringing together 10+ people for more than 1 hour to discuss how they were using Python in Science & Tech. We sadly weren’t able to replicate this at the 2024 PyCon India.

We believe that there is pent-up demand for such a gathering in the Indian Scientific Community and the devroom will hopefully address this.

Feasibility

SciPy India regularly attracted 100+ audience and 10+ speakers so we believe a 3-hour devroom is easily doable - especially because we’re not limiting the gathering to the Scientific Python community.

Volunteering

We believe that 1 additional reviewer and 1 additional volunteer should be sufficient. Please note that the two devroom managers (including me) will also do reviews and handle on-day logistics (e.g. MC).

CFP

Scope

Please submit proposals that discuss “FOSS in Science”. Please limit the domain of your proposals to “Pure Science” e.g. Astronomy, Biology, …, Zoology. Meta proposals on “FOSS in Science” are also welcome e.g. roadblocks/challenges regarding FOSS adoption in Science, lessons learnt from training Scientists to adopt FOSS, Open Science.

Selection/review

Crude order of preference for proposals (first is highest preference)

  • FOSS creation for Science in India
  • Meta-proposals on FOSS in Science from those with hands-on experience
  • Significant* hands-on FOSS usage in a Scientific domain in India
  • FOSS in a Scientific domain coming from the inexperienced
  • All other proposals

** Significant refers to anyone with greater than 1-2 years of daily hands-on experience with the FOSS software. In practice, this translates to graduate students being given preference over bachelors/masters students.

5 Likes
3

I’d love people from academia to come in and talk about the lack of FOSS too. For example, I got to hear recently that NIH/NCBI (which maintain databases & tooling for bioinformatics) were affected due to funding cuts from the new US gov and their important tools were down. FOSS could provide helpful alternatives where such gaps exist

4 Likes
4

Devroom Title:
Android Open Source Project (AOSP) Devroom

Devroom Managers:
Sumit Semwal and Amit Pundir
Both of us are part of the organizing team of Android Micro-conference at yearly Linux Plumbers conference. We were also part of the aosp-devs.org team which helped run the AOSP devroom at FOSDEM '25.

Short intro and reason/motivation to run the devroom:
AOSP is an important part of the FOSS ecosystem. It is the most widely used open-source operating system, yet its development is often perceived as inaccessible compared to traditional Linux distributions. AOSP devroom will provide developers, maintainers and enthusiasts an open and collaborative space for discussions that are otherwise fragmented across forums, mailing lists, and private groups.

Feasibility:
India has a large number of developers working on or around AOSP-based projects. Several custom ROMs, kernel projects and XDA/LineageOS forums have Indian developers as core contributors.
Many Indian startups and companies customize AOSP for industrial, enterprise and automotive use.
AOSP is a great way to learn operating system concepts, especially for students and developers interested in systems programming and kernel development.
So we are hopeful that if we promote it well, then the AOSP devroom can attract a good crowd of AOSP contributors or enthusiasts, whether as speakers or attendees.

Number of volunteers requested for the devroom:
Proposal reviewers: 2
Logistics volunteers: 2

CFP:

Scope:
Anything AOSP.

For the AOSP devroom, we will look at the AOSP topics that appeal to both beginner and advanced developers. Topics including, but not limited to:

  • AOSP Bring-Up & Porting
  • Android Common Kernel
  • Android Bootloaders
  • AOSP community and ecosystem
  • Deep dive into AOSP framework/internals and Security
  • Performance optimization and debugging stories
  • AOSP tutorials, tips-n-tricks
  • Headless Android
  • Android Automotive

Time slot wise, we are looking for talks that are either:

  • 10+5 min (lightning talk)
  • 20+5 min (normal session)
2 Likes
5

Building FOSS Culture: The Role of Tech Communities in Open Source & Student Growth

Managers: @YourName and [Second Manager’s Name]

Intro

Tech communities play a crucial role in bridging the gap between students and the open-source world. Through structured mentorship, collaborative projects, and real-world exposure, these communities have empowered thousands of students to become active FOSS contributors. This devroom will highlight the impact of student-driven tech communities on open-source adoption and skill development.

Motivation

Student-led tech communities have created a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures developers and introduces them to open-source projects. Events, hackathons, and community-driven mentorship have helped many students contribute to FOSS.

To provide a broader perspective, this devroom will feature experienced community leaders who have successfully built sustainable open-source learning models. Through discussions, workshops, and talks, we aim to inspire and equip the next generation of FOSS contributors in India.

Feasibility

Various student-driven initiatives have demonstrated that:

There is strong interest in FOSS and community-driven learning.

Speakers and mentors are willing to contribute their expertise.

A 3-hour devroom is feasible, as similar events have sustained engagement for longer durations.

Volunteering

We believe that 1 additional reviewer and 1 additional volunteer should be sufficient. Both devroom managers will also assist with proposal reviews and logistics.

CFP

Scope

This devroom welcomes proposals that discuss:

The role of tech communities in onboarding students into FOSS.

Success stories of students contributing to open-source.

Challenges in sustaining and scaling student-led FOSS communities.

Strategies for integrating open-source learning in academic institutions.

Community-driven mentorship models for skill development.

Selection/Review

Crude order of preference for proposals (highest preference first):

  1. Successful student-led open-source projects from community-driven initiatives.

  2. Mentorship models that have helped students transition from learners to contributors.

  3. Meta-proposals on how institutions and communities can collaborate to grow FOSS adoption.

  4. Case studies on tech communities actively driving FOSS participation.

  5. Other proposals that align with the overarching theme.

This devroom will bring together students, mentors, and FOSS advocates to explore scalable models for community-driven learning and open-source contributions.