International Research Software Conference (IRSC)

Research software is increasingly recognised as critical to research outcomes. Yet research software, and the people who develop and maintain it, operate with tremendously unstable resources and funding. This instability negatively impacts innovation by slowing research and creating unstable career pathways.

There is an urgent need for international cooperation that supports research software to solidify next-generation research and innovation.

This new event recognises that the international research software community is moving towards aligning global policies and funding, sustaining essential infrastructure, recognizing and equipping its diverse workforce, responsibly integrating AI, improving how software impact is measured, and ensuring interoperability through open, standards-based infrastructure.

The International Research Software Conference aims to support the evolution of this shift toward strategic coordination, long-term sustainability, and collaboration across boundaries.

The conference will foster:

• Global cohesion: Highlight cross-border, cross-sector, and cross-discipline collaboration to build new bridges across the global research software landscape
• Community connection: Showcase stakeholder stories, collaboration highlights, and best practices to connect with peers and unite efforts
• Strategic impact: Influence funding, policy, and research priorities; and showcase leadership within the research software community and broader movements (e.g. open science, FAIR, research assessment reform, open source)

Leaders and change-makers of organisations, initiatives, and communities committed to supporting research software, and those who develop it, as fundamental and vital to research.

This includes decision makers and key influencers from:

• National/international RSE associations
• Research-supporting infrastructures that provide services for research software as part of their mission
• Research software infrastructures (development, maintenance, sharing, connectivity)
• University consortia and research organisations
• Funders and policy makers
• Publishers
• Communities focused on open science, research assessment reform, impact measurement, training, and skills initiatives
• Open scientific software and/or open source initiatives
• Research programs on research software (metascience)
• Open source science communities
• Open science and research data communities with overlapping interest in research software (e.g., RDA, CODATA)

The event format will combine multiple elements:

• Community-challenge driven sessions sharing best practices, led by ReSA Forums and task forces
• Invited speakers and panels
• Open call for sessions supporting mutual learning (e.g., workshops, case studies) — selected based on clear criteria

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Host or Publisher Research Software Alliance (ReSA)