The White Rabbit Collaboration: An innovative model of public-private partnership

White Rabbit (WR) is an open-source synchronisation technology developed at CERN in collaboration with other institutes and industry. It is commercially available from multiple vendors, and its adoption in industry and academia grew significantly after its standardisation as part of the Precision Time Protocol (IEEE 1588-2019). This resulted in a substantial increase in the number of feature and support demands. To support this broader adoption, ensure the continued development of the open-source core, and establish effective governance over the evolving technology, the White Rabbit Collaboration (WRC) was formed. WRC members, through an annual fee, contribute to funding the CERN-based Bureau, responsible for maintaining WR’s core components, providing support to members, and collaboratively shaping the technology's future. The WRC represents an innovative model of public-private partnership and knowledge transfer of an open-source technology and can serve as a template for similar initiatives. This paper will analyse WRC’s establishing and first year of operation.