When researchers propose digital infrastructures, and research projects deploy their results to a broader public, what are the main questions around their legitimate, long-term governance? We reflect on two cases: COVID-19 contact tracing protocols, and their transfer to Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) — breakthroughs financed with public money, but often surrounded by private actors looking to entrench their own power. In this workshop we ask: (how) can digital public goods stay public, and how can and should researchers, funders, policymakers think about durable, infrastructural interventions? In this workshop, we invite attendees to reflect on the current state of affairs of research programs. The aim is to identify what actions are needed by researchers, funding bodies, and policy makers, to redirect research efforts such that digital public goods stay public, benefiting the majority rather than the few.
