Matthias Stürmer
Matthias Stürmer is professor at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) and Head of the Institute for Public Sector Transformation (IPST) in the BFH Business School. In the context of these two affiliations, he is involved in teaching, research and consulting on digitalization topics such as digital sustainability, open source software, artificial intelligence and machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), open data, linked data, open government and ICT procurement. Since 2020, he is a private lecturer at the University of Bern through his habilitation "Perspectives on Digital Sustainability".
From 2009 to 2013, Matthias Stürmer worked as consultant at EY (Ernst & Young) and as a project manager at the Swiss software company Liip AG. Prior to that, he completed his PhD at the Chair of Strategic Management and Innovation at ETH Zurich (Dr. sc. ETH Zurich), where he researched the collaboration between open source communities and technology companies. He studied business administration and computer science at the University of Bern and graduated in 2005 with a licentiate thesis on open source community building (lic.rer.pol.).
Today, Matthias Stürmer is president of the Digital Impact Network and president of the open source association CH Open. And he is managing director of the Swiss Parliamentarian Group for Digital Sustainability (Parldigi) since 2009 and was member of the city parliament of Bern for 8 years.
Intervention
Since 2024, the Swiss federal government has been obliged by the new EMOTA law to publish all its software under open source licenses. This new 'Federal Act on the Use of Electronic Means to Conduct Official Tasks' (EMOTA) has had an impact on IT procurement and open source activities in Switzerland. By encouraging the creation of open source communities, the law reduces vendor lock-in and strengthens digital sovereignty.