UKRI awards the Software Sustainability Institute £4.8m to strengthen research software maintenance in the UK
6 March 2025
The Software Sustainability Institute (SSI) has launched the Research Software Maintenance Fund, a new initiative offering £4.8 million to support existing research software.
The Research Software Maintenance Fund (RSMF) fund aims to improve how research software is maintained and to reduce technical debt, ensuring essential tools remain available to the research community.
Many researchers rely on software but it can be difficult for the people and projects developing it to find resources to maintain or update it. This funding is designed to help sustain key research software, ensuring it remains reliable and accessible.
The Research Software Maintenance Fund will run up to three rounds of funding and conduct an evaluation of the programme to gain a better understanding of how research software maintenance and development can be effectively supported. This initiative will directly benefit researchers and organisations relying on research software, Research Software Engineers (RSEs) responsible for developing critical research tools, collaborative research projects, and open source software research communities.
Funding will be available for individuals and teams who currently maintain existing research software or are responsible for multiple software tools. It is not intended for developing new software or software that does not already have an established community of users.
This initiative is part of the Software Sustainability Institute’s (SSI) fourth phase and is supported through UKRI funding. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) leads the current phase of funding for the SSI, with funding provided through the UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) programme.
To find out more about eligibility and how to apply, please visit the Research Software Maintenance Fund website.
Richard Gunn UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure Programme Director“Software maintainers play a crucial role in enabling world-leading research and innovation, yet they often face significant barriers to funding. UKRI's Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) programme is proud to support the invaluable work of these dedicated individuals and teams through this new SSI initiative. By investing in the upkeep of essential software, we ensure the ongoing dependability of the tools that propel discovery and technological advancement."
Neil Chue Hong SSI Director“Even widely used software can find it difficult to find resources for maintenance and community development, because the focus of much research funding is on novelty. This initiative will not only fund vital pieces of the research ecosystem, but help us understand how we can effectively provide the support for maintenance that research software needs."
