Minisymposium Presentation

Most research software is developed by Research Software Engineers (RSEs), who are widely dispersed across the research landscape. The RSE community at ETH Zürich is actively working to foster efficient and effective knowledge exchange among RSEs, promote best practices in academic software development, and encourage the development & adoption of common standards by leveraging synergies across institutions. Sustaining long-term open-source software is a significant challenge, but adherence to best practices in software development can reduce maintenance overhead and make contributions more accessible. This could lead to active and engaged communities that can play a crucial role in ensuring the longevity and impact of open-source projects. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of our ongoing efforts to promote better software development practices, collaboratively develop guidelines within the community, and foster launch of and strengthen connections with RSE initiatives at partner institutions. We will also outline our goal to work towards a Swiss-wide RSE network.