This month in research software - community news

Recognition of research software:

• Research Software Engineering in 2030 by Daniel S. Katz and Simon Hettrick was presented at eScience23. See the slides, preprint, and paper for predictions, including that at least 50 countries globally will have research software engineering (RSE) associations (see current associations below), and at least one university Masters of Research Software Engineering (MRSE) program will exist; many universities will offer RSE certificates or minors at the undergraduate level. Image credit: Ian Cosden

• Journal Production Guidance for Software and Data Citations by Shelley Stall et al., provides structured guidance to the academic publishers on how to implement software and data citation publishing workflows. A Checklist of Best Practices for Journal Publishers is included in the article.

Funding opportunities - also see Research Software Funding Opportunities, or add to it

• [Global] Code for Science & Society Event Fund: for this cohort of the Event Fund, CS&S are seeking to support Black Research Software Engineers (RSEs) looking to bring change to spaces and places where they are. Closes 27 Nov.

• [USA] The Simons Foundation is accepting applications for the Scientific Software Research Faculty Award -- aiming to support multiple faculty positions at US institutions with a focus on scientific software development and maintenance. Letters of Intent are due 8 Dec.

International Research Software Funders Workshop

Our latest blog post reports on the success of the second International Research Software Funders Workshop, co-hosted by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada (the Alliance) and ReSA from 18-20 September. People are at the heart of research software sustainability and funders can lead the way by investing in the people who develop and maintain research software. That is why the workshop theme was “Investing in People: Anticipating the Future of Research Software”. The event aimed to set the future agenda for government, philanthropic, and industry funders to support sustainable research software and communities.

In total, 50 representatives from more than 35 organisations – including funders and organisations that support research software from around the globe – attended the hybrid workshop held in Montreal, Canada, and virtually. During the three-day workshop, experts explored how research software funders can facilitate capacity building through funder practices; research software platforms, infrastructure, and communities; and new initiatives. Moreover, Version 1.0 of the Amsterdam Declaration on Funding Research Software Sustainability (ADORE.software) was released and is now available for signing.

Research Software Community Leaders Forum

ReSA’s Community Leaders Forum (CLF) offers an opportunity for participants to meet other community leaders, engage in interactive discussions, and consider how to address common issues to achieve shared goals. ReSA aims to coordinate discussions across a wide range of research software organisations and programs, enabling the community to create outcomes that will achieve both local goals and those of the international community. The CLF is one of the online forums that ReSA hosts for decision makers and key influencers in the global research software community.

The CLF is open to everyone and features a short talk and follow-up discussion - notes and slides from the October meeting discussion on the International Research Software Funders Workshop and release of Amsterdam Declaration for Funding Research Software Sustainability are now available. Sign up to receive CLF calendar invites and recordings of the talks.

Upcoming call:

15 November 2023, 20:00 UTC (see in your time zone)

• Topic: Update on Research Software Alliance (ReSA) strategy, engagement and operations, including the proposed ReSA-RDA Working Group on Policies in Research Organisations for Research Software (PRO4RS), our Organisational Membership program, and the work of our Community Managers in Asia and Africa.

• Zoom link to join the call (Passcode: 446688)

• Download a calendar invite

ReSA Membership update

ReSA is delighted to welcome the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as our latest Organisational Member. ReSA Organisational Members support us financially to bring research software communities together to collaborate on the advancement of the research software ecosystem. 

NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. For more than 50 years, NASA has been breaking barriers to achieve the seemingly impossible. At its 20 centers and facilities across the country – and the only National Laboratory in space – NASA studies Earth, including its climate, our sun, and our solar system and beyond. They conduct research, testing, and development to advance aeronautics, including electric propulsion and supersonic flight. They develop and fund space technologies that will enable future exploration and benefit life on Earth. NASA is making a long-term commitment to building an inclusive open science community over the next decade. Open-source science is a commitment to the open sharing of software, data, and knowledge (algorithms, papers, documents, ancillary information) as early as possible in the scientific process.