Research software - landscape and actors

Software plays a crucial role in the whole lifecycle of most of scientific data and must be considered in all discussions about openness of data and reproducibility of science. Consequently, some interest and working groups in RDA are dealing with software code. The spectrum of research software ranges from packages driven by large teams of developers and used by a broad community, to small scripts that scientists almost casually write for their own work. The knowledge of modern software development practice is very different, as well as individual skills in programming and documentation. The quality levels are often correspondingly different. In order to reduce such differences in the medium term, general policies can be helpful. Policies can provide a framework for a defined way of dealing with software. In Germany, some coordinated activities are delving into this topic. For example in the Helmholtz Association, the working group Open Science expanded its perspective from initially only data, and has now set up a Taskgroup. Research software was also anchored as an issue in the Priority Initiative Digital Information of the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany. The panels have already published some recommendations on the development, use, and provision of research software. At present, they are working on guidelines that can serve as a basis for daily work at the institutions. The documents cover different facets, ranging from development practice and quality assurance to publication of software and licensing. The talk will give an overview about the status of these activities. It will also shed light on the players in the software development. Starting from the UK, people are increasingly organizing themselves, working at the interface between science and computer science. In Germany too, there has been an association de-RSE since 2018, which campaigns for the interests of research software engineers