Description
Scientific research relies heavily on software which in turn must be maintained. In this session we will introduce two recent endeavours to fund the maintenance and development of such software. The Embedded CSE (eCSE) software development programme has been running since 2013 supporting nearly 200 projects. Initial calls were to develop software to run on the UK National Services, ARCHER and ARCHER2 with more recent calls focusing on a wider range of systems, systems based on GPU hardware. More recently, the Software Sustainability Institute (SSI) has run the Research Software Maintenance Fund (RSMF), which supports work to reduce technical debt, improve user experience, and build communities with the overall aim of improving the sustainability of software; Round 1 funded 13 projects and funding decisions for Round 2 are expected in early summer 2026.
The session will begin with an introduction to relevant calls (e.g. the eCSE and RSMF calls) and will lead into a speaker-led discussion about these types of funding and the extent to which they satisfy the research communities’ needs, and the challenges that arise from managing such funding calls. Participants will discuss topics such as the frequency of calls, submission and reviewing process, size of awards, remit, etc. There will also be a discussion on the role calls play in advancing environmental sustainability. Should this be integrated into calls? And if how should this be done?