Experimentation and Open Science as First-Class Concerns for the Future of Software Engineering

Software Engineering has matured as an empirical discipline, with experimentation playing a central role in generating evidence to support methods, tools, and practices. Despite this progress, the community continues to struggle to accumulate reusable and trustworthy knowledge at scale. Limited reproducibility, fragmented experimental protocols, and misaligned academic incentives hinder cumulative scientific progress. In parallel, Open Science has emerged as a global movement advocating transparency, accessibility, and accountability in research, yet its adoption in Software Engineering often remains superficial or ad hoc. This paper advances the position that the future of Software Engineering depends on treating experimentation as a first-class research concern and positioning Open Science as foundational research infrastructure rather than an optional add-on. Drawing on empirical Software Engineering research and open research practices, we critically assess the current state of the field, articulate structural challenges, and outline a forward-looking agenda centered on structured experimentation, community-level rigor, and aligned incentives. We conclude with a call to action for researchers, venues, and educators to collectively shape a more sustainable, cumulative, and socially responsible future for Software Engineering.