Research Software

  1. Why Research Software Matters
  2. FAIR Principles for Research Software (FAIR4RS)
  3. RS Support Offered by the Alliance
    1. Funding Initiatives
    2. Software Management Plan Template
    3. Canadian Research Software Repository

Why Research Software Matters

Research software (RS) is a cornerstone of modern scientific discovery. It enables researchers to analyze complex data, simulate experiments, visualize results, and collaborate efficiently. Without reliable software tools, many research projects would be slow, error-prone, or even impossible.

RS is essential for many reasons:

  • Improves Efficiency: Automates tasks, reduces manual effort, and accelerates research workflows.
  • Enables Advanced Analysis: Supports data processing, modeling, and simulations.
  • Promotes Collaboration: Facilitates teamwork through shared platforms and open-source tools.
  • Ensures Reproducibility: Helps standardize methods and ensures that research findings can be verified.
  • Supports Open Science: Encourages transparency, data sharing, and broader knowledge dissemination.

As research becomes increasingly data-intensive, having robust, well-maintained software is crucial for driving innovation and maintaining scientific integrity.

FAIR Principles for Research Software (FAIR4RS)

The FAIR4RS principles ensure that research software, like research data, is findable, accessible, interoperable, and resuable.

🔍 Findable

  • Software and metadata are easy to locate for both humans and machines.
  • Each software version and component has a unique, persistent identifier.
  • Metadata is indexed and clearly linked to the software.

🔓 Accessible

  • Software is retrievable via standardized, open protocols.
  • Metadata remains accessible even if the software is no longer available.

⚙️ Interoperable

  • Software exchanges data and interacts with other software via community standards and APIs.
  • References to related software and data are properly linked.

♻️ Reusable

  • Software is well-documented with clear licensing and provenance.
  • It aligns with domain-specific standards to ensure it is adaptable and reusable.

RS Support Offered by the Alliance

Funding Initiatives

The Alliance builds on CANARIE’s 15-year legacy of supporting research software in Canada by offering funding to institutional RS teams and domain-specific communities. Stay up-to-date on funding opportunities here.

Software Management Plan Template

The Alliance offers the Software Management Plan (SMP) Template to provide structured guidance for developing, maintaining, sharing, and reusing research software. Similar to Data Management Plans (DMPs), SMPs ensure that software remains accessible and sustainable over time.

The SMP template helps funders, institutions, and researchers:

  • Promote Best Practices: Encourages adherence to software management standards like FAIR4RS.
  • Improve Software Quality: Supports researchers in developing robust, reusable software.
  • Improve Research Reproducibility: Ensures software, data, and documentation are preserved for future use.
  • Assess and Align Software with Research Goals: Helps researchers evaluate software compatibility with overall project objectives.
  • Evaluate Software Reliability: Helps researchers asssess the interoperability, flexibility, and extensibility of their software.

Canadian Research Software Repository

The Alliance is compiling a directory of actively supported Canadian research software platforms (RSPs). These platforms are also featured in the Research Software Directory (RSD), an international registry for academic research software, that was created by the Netherlands eScience Centre.

Research software projects that are actively maintained, open-source, and led by Canadian institutions can be submitted for inclusion in this directory.

Ultimately, this initiative aims to connect researchers with powerful tools, while boosting the visibility and impact of Canadian research software on a global scale.