Solid, an open-source initiative led by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, is reimagining data use, reuse and sharing by giving everyone the option to share a range of data - including personal, organisational or commercial - securely, for social and economic benefit.
We are now looking to recruit members for the Solid Advisory Committee.
With applications across digital health, AI, and financial inclusion, Solid holds immense potential as a transformative vector for societal impact. To date, Solid technologies have already been used in numerous projects including:
- Improving citizens access to services, including the homeless
- Building more resilient and sustainable food supply chains
- Democratising media and social media
- Improving the integration of health data for analytics and sharing between service providers
The ODI and Solid’s, now shared vision - to establish a data ecosystem that benefits individuals, organisations and society - reflects my own. It is an opportunity to correct our global data infrastructure to one that encourages collaboration, stimulates creativity and fosters compassion - my original hope for the web.
Government – Citizen Data Representative
Previous experience with the Solid project is not required for this position. We encourage you to apply for this role if you are in a senior technical or policy position in the public sector and have led work on citizen data management, open data, digital sovereignty, and digital identity strategies.
You will advise the Solid Advisory Committee on how Solid can empower citizens through government and civic applications. Your role involves leveraging your experience with open data, digital sovereignty, and digital identity strategies to shape policies and ensure Solid aligns effectively with regulatory frameworks. You will help identify practical opportunities to integrate Solid into public sector initiatives, promoting data rights and digital empowerment.
Additionally, you will guide the committee in balancing innovation with essential privacy and security protections, making sure that citizen-centric services are delivered responsibly and ethically. Your insight into global regulatory landscapes and data protection frameworks (like GDPR) will enable Solid to strategically engage with governments and policy-makers to influence standards and adoption.
Ultimately, your work will contribute to setting long-term priorities, fostering meaningful partnerships, and ensuring Solid delivers significant, positive impacts for citizens worldwide, including improved digital inclusion and public service efficiency.
(Financial) Sustainability Representative
Previous experience with the Solid project is not required for this position. We encourage you to apply for this role if you have experience fundraising or financially sustaining open source projects and/or projects involving responsible data sharing.
Your primary focus will be helping to guide the financial sustainability of the Solid project. With significant experience with open source initiatives, the financial sustainability of core infrastructure, you will support the advisory committee to devise sustainable business models, fundraising strategies, and diversified funding sources. Desirable experience includes designing business models for digital applications that, empower users, are complimentary with data sharing and data portability (i.e. not requiring data siloing), support open-source infrastructure and building upon open standards. Desirable experience also includes facilitating cooperative fundraising between organisations to support core infrastructure used. You will also play a key role in advising how to build strategic relationships with philanthropic organisations, grant-making bodies, and other potential funders such as ecosystem members.
Social Good Representative
Previous experience with the Solid project is not required for this position. We encourage you to apply for this role if you have experience leading social impact projects, humanitarian initiatives, or nonprofit technology.
Your role will be to champion Solid’s potential to address critical societal challenges through impactful use cases such as digital inequality, healthcare, education, and community development. Your background in social impact, humanitarian initiatives, or nonprofit technology projects will inform your advocacy and ensure Solid benefits diverse communities, especially vulnerable and marginalised groups. You will guide Solid in maximising its empowerment potential while carefully managing associated risks, such as online harms and data misuse. Your insight into ethical and social considerations around data sovereignty and infrastructure will help prioritise use cases that promote positive societal outcomes. Drawing from your experience addressing complex social challenges, you will influence Solid’s strategic direction, ensuring the technology is both accessible and beneficial to communities worldwide, fostering digital equity and inclusion.
Commercial Sector Representative
Previous experience with the Solid project is not required for this position. We encourage you to apply for this role if you are in the commercial sector and have - or are looking to - build applications using Solid. We also encourage you to apply if you have prior experience developing business models for consumer applications which that do not rely on silo-ing customer data.
You will advise the Solid Advisory Committee on effectively engaging commercial sectors, utilising your significant experience introducing innovative technologies, standards, and platforms to market. Your role involves designing and the articulation of business cases for Solid to stakeholders and clearly communicating its benefits such as enhanced data control, interoperability, and privacy. Additionally, you will support the establishment of strategic commercial partnerships, ensuring these collaborations accelerate Solid’s adoption without undermining its user-centric, open and decentralised values. Your insights into industry dynamics, market opportunities, and barriers will inform strategic decisions to effectively target specific sectors or customer segments for initial adoption. Ultimately, you will contribute to Solid’s sustainability and global scaling strategy, balancing openness and decentralisation with practical market considerations, and helping the project achieve lasting success.
Research Sector Representative
We encourage you to apply for this role if you are doing research developing Solid and Semantic Web technologies or if you are using these technologies for your research in other domains such as health and the digital humanities.
You will serve as a key bridge between research communities and the Solid project, bringing specialised expertise in building or using technologies relating to Solid, web standards, decentralised data management, privacy, or related research fields. Your experience and networks will be instrumental in fostering meaningful academic engagement, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and driving research initiatives directly relevant to Solid’s technological advancement and adoption. Your role will include identifying and advising on critical research questions and developing pilot projects or studies that provide empirical validation of Solid’s benefits. You will help Solid establish rigorous, evidence-based foundations, demonstrating clear value in terms of privacy enhancement, data management efficiency, and user empowerment. Through your leadership in research and interdisciplinary approach, you will ensure Solid remains closely aligned with cutting-edge research, facilitating knowledge transfer, innovation, and continuous improvement in its core technologies and strategies.
Server Implementors
We encourage you to apply for this role if you represent an organisation or project which implements a Solid Server.
Your direct implementation experience and proven ability to collaboratively deliver use cases will enable you to provide valuable feedback on current Solid specifications. You will advocate for necessary improvements, reflecting the business requirements and priorities of implementers and other stakeholders within the Solid ecosystem. By sharing insights and challenges drawn from real-world implementations, you will actively contribute to the continuous refinement and evolution of Solid’s technical ecosystem. Additionally, as Solid continues to grow and scale globally, you will advise on strategies to maintain robust, efficient, and interoperable infrastructure, ensuring long-term success and adaptability.
Open Source Representatives
We encourage you to apply for this role of you have experience doing opensource development work on Solid or related projects.
Your role will focus on representing Solid’s developer and open-source community, leveraging your extensive experience in building applications, contributing to open-source initiatives, and fostering developer engagement. You will help nurture a diverse, inclusive, and active developer ecosystem, essential for Solid’s sustained growth and innovation. You will provide practical feedback on developer experiences, advocating improvements in Solid’s libraries, documentation, and developer resources. By identifying barriers to entry and promoting accessible pathways for new contributors, you will support a thriving global community of Solid developers. Through continuous community engagement and strategic advocacy, you will ensure long-term contributor retention and ecosystem health, promoting collaborative innovation and growth in line with Solid’s mission.
Civil Society Organisation Representative (Challenge Role)
Previous experience with the Solid project is not required for this position. We encourage you to apply for this role if you have experience in advocacy, digital rights, or public-interest initiatives.
Your position is uniquely designed to provide critical, constructive challenge and accountability within the Advisory Committee from a civil society perspective. Drawing on your experience in advocacy, digital rights, or public-interest initiatives, you will question assumptions and highlight ethical or societal considerations, ensuring Solid remains aligned with the public interest. Ultimately, your contributions will guide Solid in balancing short-term objectives with the long-term public good, fostering public trust, accountability, and ensuring alignment with broader societal values and needs.
Inclusion Advisor
Previous experience with the Solid project is not required for this position. We encourage you to apply for this role if you have experience in making available, or building digital technologies for a diverse and global audience. This experience may include experience with global outreach and networking to global organisations and governments, work on community engagement to build global developer communities, or work on Web accessibility standards.
You will support Solid’s inclusivity strategy, ensuring the project is accessible and beneficial to a diverse global community. Your extensive experience promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in technology projects will guide Solid’s vision, roadmap, and community initiatives to reflect diverse perspectives and needs. Your responsibilities include advising on inclusive design, accessibility standards, and targeted outreach strategies to engage underrepresented and underserved populations globally. You will propose practical actions and tools to ensure Solid’s technology, documentation, and community practices are inclusive and accessible to all.
By developing clear measures and feedback mechanisms, you will track and evaluate progress towards inclusivity, making strategic recommendations to ensure Solid continuously evolves to meet the diverse needs of global users and communities.
Closing date for applications
Wednesday 30th April, 10:00 BST
Renumeration
These roles are unpaid. If required, travel expenses for the annual in-person meeting will be covered by the ODI.
How to apply
Email [email protected] with a cover letter for the role you are applying for and your CV.
