For Immediate Release.
Champaign, ILL — Dec. 10, 2025. The HDF Group today announced that it has been selected by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for funding under the inaugural Safety, Security, and Privacy of Open‑Source Ecosystems (Safe‑OSE) investment. The new project, titled “NSF‑Safe‑OSE: Strengthening HDF5 for Science, Industry, and National Security Applications” (Award #2534078), will advance the safety, security, and privacy (SSP) of the HDF5 library, file format, and broader ecosystem.
The award recognizes HDF5’s role as foundational scientific infrastructure—supporting data management in disciplines ranging from astrophysics and climate science to healthcare, finance, and defense—and underscores the importance of strengthening open‑source software that underpins research, innovation, and national security.
“This award is about ensuring the long-term trustworthiness of the HDF5 ecosystem,” said Dr. Gerd Heber, Executive Director of The HDF Group and Principal Investigator on the project. “Safety, security, and privacy are community responsibilities. With NSF’s support, we will establish the frameworks, practices, and community calls needed to make HDF5 development and usage safer for everyone.”
Serving the HDF5 Community
Over the next two years, the project team will conduct a comprehensive safety, security, and privacy (SSP) assessment of the HDF5 ecosystem, engage domain experts and users across scientific and industrial sectors, and implement targeted mitigations and governance processes.
To keep the community informed and involved, the team will host regular community calls, publish monthly newsletters and blog posts, share status reports, and maintain a dedicated project website at https://www.hdfgroup.org/projects/safe-ose/. All findings, tools, and documentation will be made publicly available to benefit the entire HDF5 ecosystem.
“We invite all members of the HDF5 community—researchers, developers, integrators, and stakeholders in academia, enterprise, and government—to participate,” Heber added. “Together, we can strengthen not just the HDF5 library, but the culture of secure and sustainable open-source software.”
Participation details and a public call for interest will be announced in the coming weeks on The HDF Group website and HDF5 community channels.
Collaboration Across Ecosystems
The HDF Group extends its congratulations to all 2025 NSF Safe‑OSE awardees, whose projects collectively advance the security and sustainability of open‑source software vital to science and society.
“We look forward to working with our fellow Safe-OSE awardees,” said Dr. M. Scot Breitenfeld, Director of Engineering and key personnel on the project. “There is tremendous opportunity for collaboration across our ecosystems—sharing best practices, tools, and experiences that benefit the broader open-source community.”
About the Safe-OSE Program
NSF’s Safe-OSE initiative invests in open-source ecosystems of strategic importance, supporting projects that strengthen the security, resilience, and sustainability of foundational scientific software. More information about the program and the 2025 awardees can be found in the NSF announcement: https://www.nsf.gov/tip/updates/nsf-invests-safeguarding-open-source-ecosystems
About The HDF Group
The HDF Group is a non‑profit organization dedicated to advancing open‑source data management technologies for science, engineering, and industry. As the steward of the Hierarchical Data Format (HDF5), The HDF Group ensures the long‑term sustainability, accessibility, and evolution of one of the world’s most widely used technologies for managing large and complex data.
About the NSF
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that promotes the progress of science by investing in research to expand knowledge in science, engineering and education across all 50 states and territories. NSF supports nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions through competitive grants aimed at advancing science with broad impacts across the nation and its people. Learn more at nsf.gov.
Media Contact:
Lori Cooper
Communications Lead, NSF Safe‑OSE Project
The HDF Group
info@hdfgroup.org
(217) 531-6100
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Federal Award No. 2534078. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.