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The Software Sustainability Institute (SSI) has been awarded a record £10.2 million funding through the UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) programme.

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This funding will support the fourth phase of the SSI from 2024 to 2028, enabling it to continue its vital work improving software in research.

AHRC leading

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) leads the fourth phase of funding for the SSI, which will focus on:

• environmental sustainability
• equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in the research software community
• the rising interest in artificial intelligence and machine learning

AHRC Executive Chair Christopher Smith said:

Software plays a fundamental role in all disciplines of research.

That’s why it’s so important that we invest in supporting the development of research software that is top quality, meets the needs of our research communities, is environmentally sustainable and is ready for the future.

This record £10.2 million investment is part of the UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure programme’s ongoing investment in evolving existing capability and supporting new infrastructure.

It reflects the SSI’s strong track record and the importance of its work for the future of research.

I am delighted that AHRC will be hosting this investment for all UKRI communities for the next four years.

Transforming research software

The SSI was founded in 2010 with the mission of transforming research culture by establishing the principle that reliable, reproducible and reusable software is necessary across all research disciplines.

It achieves this by working with, and investing in, individuals and organisations from across the research sector.

The SSI’s ‘collaborate, not compete’ ethos has allowed research software to move towards becoming a first class citizen in the research landscape.

SSI Director Neil Chue Hong said:

Every modern societal advance is driven by research which relies on software.

From weather forecasting to whether we can build new narratives for the next decade, it’s important that we provide equitable access to the digital tools and skills enabling this.

This grant – which will see the SSI into its 18th year – enables us to work with the research community to build capability and expertise, ensuring a sustainable future for research software.

Infrastructure for digital research

Funding for the fourth phase of SSI comes from the £85 million of further funding for the DRI programme announced by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in March 2024.

DRI supports critical improvements in digital services, for example those for computing and data, as well as funding for software and skills training to empower researchers and innovators across the UK.

Further information

The SSI is based at the universities of Edinburgh, Manchester and Southampton.

It was founded in 2010 thanks to funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

In 2016, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council joined EPSRC to further invest and help continue the work of the SSI throughout its second phase.

The third phase was funded by all UKRI research councils