Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/227674 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Citation: 
[Journal:] F1000Research [ISSN:] 2046-1402 [Volume:] 9 [Article No.:] 295 [Publisher:] F1000 Research Ltd [Place:] London [Year:] 2020
Publisher: 
F1000 Research Ltd, London
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.
Subjects: 
sustainable software development
academic software
software infrastructure
software training
software licensing
research software
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Additional Information: 
Version 1
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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