An environment for sustainable research software in Germany and beyond: Current state, open challenges, and call for action

Axel Loewe, Gunnar Seemann, Hartwig Anzt, Felix Bach, Stephan Druskat, Frank Löffler, Bernhard Y. Renard, Alexander Struck, Elke Achhammer, Piush Aggarwal, Franziska Appel, Michael Bader, Lutz Brusch, Christian Busse, Gerasimos Chourdakis, Piotr Wojciech Dabrowski, Peter Ebert, Bernd Flemisch, Sven Friedl, Bernadette FritzschMaximilian D. Funk, Volker Gast, Florian Goth, Jean Noël Grad, Sibylle Hermann, Florian Hohmann, Stephan Janosch, Dominik Kutra, Jan Linxweiler, Thilo Muth, Wolfgang Peters-Kottig, Fabian Rack, Fabian H.C. Raters, Stephan Rave, Guido Reina, Malte Reißig, Timo Ropinski, Joerg Schaarschmidt, Heidi Seibold, Jan P. Thiele, Benjamin Uekermann, Stefan Unger, Rudolf Weeber

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

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. Hence, a change is needed in the way research software development and maintenance are currently motivated, incentivized, funded, structurally and infrastructurally supported, and legally treated. Failing to do so will threaten the quality and validity of research. 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. Besides researchers, we specifically address political and academic decision-makers to increase awareness of the importance and needs of sustainable research software practices. In particular, we recommend strategies and measures to create an environment for sustainable research software, with the ultimate goal to ensure that software-driven research is valid, reproducible and sustainable, and that software is recognized as a first class citizen in research. 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.

Original languageEnglish
Article number295
JournalF1000Research
Volume9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2020

Keywords

  • Academic Software
  • Research Software
  • Software Infrastructure
  • Software Licensing
  • Software Training
  • Sustainable Software Development

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  • An environment for sustainable research software in Germany and beyond: Current state, open challenges, and call for action

    Loewe, A., Seemann, G., Anzt, H., Bach, F., Druskat, S., Löffler, F., Renard, B. Y., Struck, A., Achhammer, E., Aggarwal, P., Appel, F., Bader, M., Brusch, L., Busse, C., Chourdakis, G., Dabrowski, P. W., Ebert, P., Flemisch, B., Friedl, S. & Fritzsch, B. & 24 others, Funk, M. D., Gast, V., Goth, F., Grad, J. N., Hegewald, J., Hermann, S., Hohmann, F., Janosch, S., Kutra, D., Linxweiler, J., Muth, T., Peters-Kottig, W., Rack, F., Raters, F. H. C., Rave, S., Reina, G., Reißig, M., Ropinski, T., Schaarschmidt, J., Seibold, H., Thiele, J. P., Uekermann, B., Unger, S. & Weeber, R., 2021, In: F1000Research. 9, 295.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Open Access
    13 Scopus citations
  • An environment for sustainable research software in Germany and beyond: current state, open challenges, and call for action

    Anzt, H., Bach, F., Druskat, S., Löffler, F., Loewe, A., Renard, B. Y., Seemann, G., Struck, A., Achhammer, E., Aggarwal, P., Appel, F., Bader, M., Brusch, L., Busse, C., Chourdakis, G., Dabrowski, P. W., Ebert, P., Flemisch, B., Friedl, S. & Fritzsch, B. & 24 others, Funk, M. D., Gast, V., Goth, F., Grad, J. N., Hegewald, J., Hermann, S., Hohmann, F., Janosch, S., Kutra, D., Linxweiler, J., Muth, T., Peters-Kottig, W., Rack, F., Raters, F. H. C., Rave, S., Reina, G., Reißig, M., Ropinski, T., Schaarschmidt, J., Seibold, H., Thiele, J. P., Uekermann, B., Unger, S. & Weeber, R., 2020, In: F1000Research. 9, p. 295 1 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Open Access
    12 Scopus citations

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