How to disseminate and sustain the research software developed in our laboratories more effectively

The Source Codes and Software College’s working group on software promotion and sustainability has published a report on strategies for the dissemination and sustainability of software produced in French public research institutions.

🔍 A revealing field survey

The analysis is based on a survey of those working on several software projects and enables the definition of the software life cycle. It also identifies four ideal types which have their own sustainability challenges:

• dormant software projects
• custom software projects
• collaborative software projects
• strategic software projects

🎯 Tangible ways forward

Beyond the survey findings, the report also suggests actions to consolidate strategies and integrate these into the practices of public research institutions.

📑 We invite the community to read this report and take up the actions proposed so we can build research software together that is more visible, sustainable and useful for everyone. The group’s next work in the short term will concentrate on summarising the report’s main points.

Read the report (in French): ‘What strategies should be adopted in French public institutions to ensure the dissemination and sustainability of research software?‘