Save the date and join a global gathering of leaders and change-makers working to advance global shifts toward strategic coordination, long-term sustainability, and high-level collaboration across the research software community.
| Event Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Event Name | International Research Software Conference (IRSC) |
| Event Dates | September 7-8, 2026 |
| Collocated With | RSECon26 |
| Informational mailing list | https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/778129/164453536097109381/share |
Research software is increasingly recognized 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 recognizes 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.
This event 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)
Who should attend
Leaders and change-makers of organizations, 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)
What to expect
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
Goals & objectives
The event supports three levels of engagement in line with the ReSA Strategic Plan 2025–2028:
- Exchange information to increase knowledge flow in the community
- Engage collaborations to solve common issues
- Evolve governance of a global community to achieve a shared vision
Specific goals and objectives include:
- Strengthen community ties and visibility
- Engage key stakeholders to improve collaboration and coordination
- Advance strategic thinking and alignment
- Address shared challenges across contexts
- Enable exchange of best practices
Please join the mailing list for further information and updates: https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/778129/164453536097109381/share
