☀️ What is Pioneer Program？
The Pioneer Program is a brand-new operational model launched by the Open Source Promotion Plan (OSPP) in 2026. Compared to the traditional model, the core difference of the Pioneer Program lies in its student-led approach: communities provide focus Areas, students define problems, students design solutions, and students drive implementation.
For the first cohort, participating communities are invitation-only. Invited communities publish their focus Areas. Students choose directions of interest, dive deep into the community to identify problems to be solved, and generate proposals to submit to the community. The community communicates with students to review and select proposals. Selected students will refine their proposals into specific project tasks, design solutions, and carry out development work.
💁 Participation Process
👥 Eligibility for Communities and Students
For the first cohort of the Pioneer Program, participating communities are invited by the Organizing Committee.
The program is open to college and university students aged 18 or above. Students must maintain their enrolled student status throughout the project development cycle.
A student can only apply for or undertake one project task at a time (including Pioneer Program projects); they may apply for other project tasks after rejection or project completion.
📤 Communities Publish Focus Areas
After completing organizational registration in the system, invited communities will publish their focus Areas within the system.
Requirements for Focus Areas
Quantity: Each community can publish a cumulative total of 1 to 3 focus Areas, with each area submitted individually.
Focus Area Name: Concise, clear, and easy to identify at a glance.
Examples: "RISC-V Driver Performance Optimization", "Cross-platform Adaptation of Base Libraries", "Firmware Build System Improvement", etc.
Brief Description: Use 2-3 sentences to explain what this focus area is about; no need to describe specific tasks. Example:
We focus on driver performance optimization on the RISC-V platform, particularly interrupt latency in peripheral drivers, DMA transfer efficiency, and concurrent access overhead in multi-core environments. Currently, the community lacks systematic analysis and optimization tools, and we hope a student can make substantial progress in this area.
Importance of the Focus Area: Explain the value of this focus area to the community. What user pain points or technical debt will it resolve? Example:
As RISC-V hardware platforms transition from embedded to high-performance scenarios, driver performance has become a major bottleneck in user feedback. Currently, the network and storage driver performance on multiple development boards is far below that of equivalent ARM platforms, directly impacting user experience and ecosystem attractiveness.
Expectations for Students: Specify the background knowledge or skills required for students.
Support Provided by the Community: Explain what support the community can provide to students. Example:
Weekly 30-minute online sync with the mentor
Remote access to designated RISC-V development boards
Existing community performance analysis documentation and test suites
Code walkthroughs for relevant modules
Suggested Entry Points (Optional):
If the community has specific ideas or sub-topics in mind but lacks the bandwidth to execute them, they can be provided for students' reference.
Proposal Submission Channels
Proposals are submitted outside the event system; the community designates a receiving email address or other channels.
Community Open Pitch Sessions
When publishing focus Areas, communities should fill in their planned open Pitch sessions, e.g., 19:00-21:00, Month Day, 2026 / To be announced.
📃 Students Submit Proposals
Students select focus area of interest, dive deep into the community to identify problems to be solved, and submit a preliminary proposal to the community's designated channel.
🔗 Community Open Pitch Sessions to Discuss Proposals with Students
Communities regularly organize proposal communication sessions to review and confirm whether student proposals are approved.
Pitch Format: Online meeting / Others.
📍 Generate Specific Project Tasks Based on Selected Proposals
Students and mentors jointly refine the details of the project tasks. The project format requirements are the same as the Classic Track.
The development cycle is measured in months, with a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 6 months.
Communities submit the projects within the community account system.
Students submit formal applications.
🧑💻 Development and Project Completion
Students complete project development and close the project.
Students receive the completion remuneration.
💡 Difficulty Levels and Remuneration
The difficulty levels for Pioneer Program projects are divided into three tiers: Basic, Advanced, and Challenging.
The corresponding completion remunerations are: 6,000 RMB (pre-tax), 8,000 RMB, and 10,000 RMB (pre-tax), respectively.