Why do we need an EuSSI?

Software sustainability is an important aspect of research software engineering. Good practices in software sustainability are still evolving and are not yet universally standardized. Different practices have emerged within domain specific communities, and expertise is additionally shared in local communities. This leads to different sets of rules being practiced by different communities, despite all of them sharing similar objectives. Knowledge transfer and sharing expertise between communities will benefit all involved communities by avoiding duplication of efforts and identifying common grounds for good practices. This is the goal of the European Software Sustainability Infrastructure (EuSSI).

The main objectives of EuSSI are to (1) produce standard guidelines and policies for good practices, (2) provide tools for software quality assessment, (3)conduct training and different community engagement, and (4) provide consultancy support on different aspects of software sustainability. However there may be other areas which should be considered. The idea of a EuSSI has been discussed in the past but has not yet materialised.

Within this workshop, we will discuss the goal of EuSSI and would like to hear what a EuSSI could do for RSEs: what support do RSEs need which they cannot find in their local institutions? How should a EuSSI work with national RSE associations? We would appreciate input from early career RSEs (what obstacles you face starting as an RSE) as well as from established RSEs (what trends you see that should be considered).

The European focus of EuSSI makes it easier for coordination, but excludes other geographical areas. Within the workshop, we encourage participants from outside Europe to share their views and suggestions. Since EuSSI is not a fully implemented infrastructure, the output of this session will help guide our efforts towards its creation and implementation.