Foundational Competencies of an RSE: State of the project and what comes next

Building on discussions first started at the German RSE conference in 2023 (de-RSE23), a recent pre-print, Foundational Competencies and Responsibilities of a Research Software Engineer, identifies a set of core competencies required for RSEng and describes possible pathways of development and specialisation for RSEs. It is the first output of a group with broad interests in the teaching and learning of RSEng skills.

With continuing growth in RSE communities around the world, and sustained global demand for RSEng skills, US-RSE24 presents an opportunity to align international efforts towards

• training the next generation of RSEs
• providing high-quality professional development opportunities to those already following the career path
• empowering RSE Leaders to further advocate for the Research Software Engineering needs and expertise in their teams, institutions, and communities.

Therefore, we want to give an overview of what the group has been working on so far, discuss the aims of our future work, and invite members of the international RSE community to contribute and provide feedback. We particularly encourage members of regional groups focused on RSEng training and skills to attend and share their perspectives.