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The Software Sustainability Institute - Phase 4

Lead Research Organisation: University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre

Abstract

Software is fundamental to research, fulfilling many different roles - instrument, model, tool, infrastructure - across all disciplines. Recent shifts in the wider research landscape, e.g. inclusion of research software in policies developed by the OECD and UNESCO, necessitate new approaches to software sustainability and consolidation and scaling of existing initiatives to support research software (the software used in research) and digital research infrastructure (the compute, data, networking, software and people infrastructure) that enables it. Thus far, support for research software has tended to focus on individuals or national policies and standards. Moving forward, organisations such as universities and other research institutions will play an increasingly important role in ensuring research software culture and practice is adopted by the research community. This is essential to empower those engaged in research to fully harness the potential of software and foster the execution of excellent research.

The Software Sustainability Institute (SSI) was established in 2010 as the first organisation in the world dedicated to the development and support of research software best practices. In its first phase (2010 - 2015), the SSI gained an understanding of the state of the nation of research software, its developers/users, its requirements, and the importance of software for conducting research. The second phase (2015 - 2019) focussed on supporting communities to become self-sustaining and campaigning for change in research culture. In the third phase (2018 - 2024), the SSI consolidated its position as world-leading experts in research software policy and best practices. The SSI also scaled up its highly successful activities to make them more sustainable in the longer term. Throughout, the SSI has fostered a large, collaborative, worldwide community of advocates and practitioners to help deliver on their motto: better software, better research.

The fourth phase of the SSI will continue enhancing and scaling its signature activities, including the fellowship programme, community building, career development and training. It will continue to campaign for the recognition of all of the people and outputs that contribute to research and add a new focus on environmental sustainability and empowering organisations to take responsibility for the research software they create and use.

Four impacts will guide the work in SSI-4:

1. Evidence-driven research software policy and guidance.
2. Capable research communities.
3. Widespread adoption of research software best practice.
4. Broadened access and contributions to the research software community.

The SSI will achieve these through:

- Building on its successful platforms and campaigns: empowering individuals through the Fellowship Programme, amplifying dissemination through online resources and social media, raising awareness of research software through events, and campaigning for policy and research culture change.

- Growing its policy and research activities: building on SSI national landscape studies, collaborating on the HiddenREF campaign, creating new connections to further embed software into UK research policy.

- Developing new training courses, learning pathways, communities of practice handbooks, and bringing the community together through the Collaborations Workshop.

- Co-producing research to explore the barriers and enablers to career progress, commissioning articles and guides from a diverse range of authors, and running workshops in other, non-English, languages.

- Coordinating an innovative software funding pilot to better understand how research software maintenance and development should be funded.
 
Description Connecting Hub for Advancing the RTP Talent Enabling DRI (CHARTED)
Amount £1,599,998 (GBP)
Organisation United Kingdom Research and Innovation 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2025 
End 03/2029
 
Description DRI-focussed training for research facilitators and teams (DRIFT)
Amount £381,867 (GBP)
Organisation United Kingdom Research and Innovation 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2025 
End 03/2027
 
Description Society of Research Software Engineering 
Organisation Society of Research Software Engineering
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution Members of research team have been appointed as trustees of the organisation.
Collaborator Contribution Assistance in running bi-annual international survey of Research Software Engineers.
Impact In progress.
Start Year 2019
 
Description The Carpentries 
Organisation The Carpentries
Country United States 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution Coordination of Carpentries training events in the UK. Training of Carpentries instructors. Contribution of training material. Facilitation of development of new courses for social sciences and life sciences.
Collaborator Contribution Production of training materials. Provision of central administrative infrastructure. Governance of open source materials production. Organisation of international workshops.
Impact Multi-disciplinary. Training of hundreds of researchers in basic software engineering and data management and analysis skills.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Article in Nature on UK REF 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact SSI Director of Strategy, Simon Hettrick, was featured in a new Nature article titled The Human Costs of the Research-Assessment Culture.The article explores the impact of the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) on the lives of those involved in research, it highlights Simon's work advocating for recognising the contributions of research software and other non-traditional outputs in research.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02922-4
 
Description Article in Research Professional on use of AI in software development 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact An opinion piece on the use of AI for writing code
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-views-of-the-uk-2024-november-ai-and-research-so...
 
Description HiddenREF award ceremony 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact News reporting on HiddenREF awards ceremony recognising the importance and impact of the event
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-political-science-blog-2024-12-hidden-research-role...
 
Description Press coverage of Air Quality Stripes 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Press coverage around the launch of the Air Quality Stripes website
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://theconversation.com/these-colourful-diagrams-show-how-air-quality-has-changed-in-over-100-co...