THE CONTRIBUTION WAS PUBLISHED ON THE OPEN PLATFORM F1000RESEARCH AND AIMS TO DESCRIBE THE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH SOFTWARE IN GERMANY, TO IDENTIFY CHALLENGES AND TO DISCLOSE THE NEED FOR ACTION.
From the abstract:
Research software has become a central asset in academic research. It optimizes existing and enables new research methods, implements and embeds research knowledge, and constitutes an essential research product in itself. Research software must be sustainable in order to understand, replicate, reproduce, and build upon existing research or conduct new research effectively. In other words, software must be available, discoverable, usable, and adaptable to new needs, both now and in the future. Research software therefore requires an environment that supports sustainability.
In this paper, we identify challenges for research software sustainability in Germany and beyond, in terms of motivation, selection, research software engineering personnel, funding, infrastructure, and legal aspects.
This paper is the outcome of two workshops run in Germany in 2019, at deRSE19 – the first International Conference of Research Software Engineers in Germany – and a dedicated DFG-supported follow-up workshop in Berlin.
The article is available online at: https://doi.org/10.12688/F1000RESEARCH.23224.1