Apply for the BSSw Fellowship Program

Applications for the 2026 BSSw Fellowship Program will open August 14, 2025. We encourage you learn about the application process now ... And join the BSSw community by contributing to the BSSw site.

BSSw Fellows receive recognition and funding to be advocates of high-quality scientific software and leaders in the field.

Timeline for 2026 BSSw Fellowship Program

Applications for the 2026 BSSw Fellowship Program will open August 14, 2025. Please check back for additional information and dates.

  • Thursday, August 14, 2025: Fellowship application process opens.
  • Friday, October 31, 2025: Application deadline, before midnight, PDT. This is a firm deadline that will not be extended.
  • January 2026: Announcement of selection of 2026 BSSw Fellows.
  • April 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027: Period of performance for 2026 BSSw Fellows.

The BSSw Fellowship program fosters and promotes practices, processes, and tools to improve developer productivity and software sustainability of scientific codes. BSSw Fellows are selected annually based on an application process that includes the proposal of a funded activity that promotes better scientific software through a publicly available artifact. We select at least three Fellows per year and honorable mentions as appropriate. Each 2026 BSSw Fellow will receive up to $25,000 for an activity that promotes better scientific software. Activities can include organizing a workshop, preparing a tutorial, or creating content to engage the scientific software community.

Application Format

Experience:

  • Describe your work relevant to scientific software (1000 - 1500 characters).
  • Describe your background and experience relevant to being a BSSw Fellow (1000 - 1500 characters).

Proposed work and impact:

  • What would you do as a BSSw Fellow? (1500 - 2000 characters).
  • What technical impact do you foresee from your efforts? (1000 - 1500 characters).
  • What broader community impact do you foresee from your efforts? (1000 - 1500 characters).
  • Which BSSw focus areas and subtopics apply to your proposed work? (500 characters). Specify all that apply. See https://bssw.io for a list of focus areas and subtopics (e.g., Focus Area: Planning; Subtopic: Requirements).

Questions must be answered directly in the fields of the online application form. Answers provided elsewhere (e.g., GitHub repo) and linked in the application form will not be reviewed.

Applications for the BSSw Fellowship Program

Applications for the 2026 BSSw Fellowship Program will open on August 14, 2025; subscribe to our mailing list to receive details.

Q&A Webinar about the BSSw Fellowship Program

Please subscribe to our mailing list to receive further details about the BSSw Fellowship Program, including telecon information for a Q&A session to take place in September.

More information


The BSSw Fellowship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and National Science Foundation.