FutuRSI – Concept of a German research software institution
Research software is now a central element of scientific work – from the natural sciences to the human sciences. However, it is often developed by people without formal training in software development, is no longer maintained once a project ends, and is scarcely recognised as a scientific achievement. This leads to problems with reproducibility, sustainability and the pace of innovation.
Whilst national structures have already been established in the UK (SSI 2025) and the Netherlands (eScience Centre 2025), Germany has so far lacked a coordinated strategy. Funding initiatives have focused primarily on research data (e.g. NFDI), but not on software (Streicher 2025).
This is where FutuRSI comes in: the project is developing a strategy and an implementation plan for a German research software institution. This institution is intended to play a coordinating role and to link regional and disciplinary centres of excellence with RSE groups. It addresses systemic shortcomings through:
- Quality assurance & services: support with licensing, publication and sustainable maintenance.
- Training & career paths: training courses, workshops, fellowships, and strengthening the role of Research Software Engineers (RSEs).
- Structures & visibility: establishing and networking stable RSE teams, and recognising software as a research output.
- Community & policy advice: integrating existing initiatives, facilitating cross-disciplinary exchange, and conducting accompanying research.
FutuRSI’s vision is a sustainable, interconnected and recognised research software ecosystem in Germany. By pooling expertise and resources, the aim is to bring about a cultural shift: away from isolated project funding, towards long-term infrastructure that strengthens innovation, reproducibility and competitiveness. All information about the project can be found at www.futursi.de
The project is a joint initiative of the German Informatics Society (GI), the Society for Research Software (de-RSE e.V.), the Lower Saxony State and University Library, Göttingen (SUB), the Jülich Research Centre GmbH (FZJ), the Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the Centre of Excellence for Digital Research at the University of Jena (zedif). The project is made possible by funding from the Klaus Tschira Foundation.
