Research Software Maintenance Fund - Round 2

Project Lead  

The Project Lead (previously known as a Principal Investigator) is responsible for the intellectual leadership and overall management of the project and is the main point of contact for the project. 

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding to lead the project and apply for funding from the Research Software Maintenance Fund. A Project Lead may only submit one Expression of Interest to the RSMF Round 2. 

Eligible organisations are:  

• UK higher education institutions
• research council institutes
• UKRI-approved independent research organisations
• public sector research establishments
• NHS bodies with research capacity  

Check if your institution is eligible for UKRI funding.  

You do not need to be an academic or researcher to lead the project. We suggest that the Project Lead should be someone with a senior responsible role for the software, which might be the software’s creator, a project manager, a product manager, or research software engineer but it is up to the applicants to justify why the Project Lead is the most suitable for the role.  

UK research organisations will be funded at 80% of the full economic cost (fEC). This includes Directly Allocated and Indirect costs.  

Business, third sector or government body Project co-Leads 

Applicants based in UK business, third sector or government organisations can be included as Project co-Leads (PcLs). When a Project Lead includes a PcL, they must ensure that all associated costs are fully justified within the Resources and Costs Justification section of the application form. Applicants based in UK business, third sector or government organisations cannot be Project Leads, nor are they eligible to take over the leadership of the project. These types of PcLs will only be able to claim certain costs depending on their organisation type.  

It is the responsibility of the Project Lead and the Project Lead’s organisation to ensure that the PcL’s organisation is an appropriate organisation to receive, and has systems in place to manage, the funding provided. They will also need to provide assurance that appropriate agreements are put in place for the delivery of the overseas activities funded under the grant. The SSI will not undertake eligibility checks as standard but reserves the right to perform additional checks or seek further information from the project applicants if necessary.  

On a single proposal, the combined costs of all PcLs from UK business, third sector and government organisations and any Project co-Leads (International), PcL(I)s, from non-OECD DAC list countries must not exceed 30% of the total fEC of the grant proposal (at 100% fEC). In addition, for this funding opportunity, no more than 50% of the number of leads (Project Lead, PcLs, PcL(I)s) can be from business, third sector or government organisations and international partners.  

Table: Eligible costs for PcLs from UK business, third sector or government organisations  

Proposals which include PcLs from the UK business sector or from third sector organisations must ensure that the involvement of these organisations complies with the UK Subsidy Control Act 2022. This Act regulates how public funding is used to manage any advantage which threatens or actually distorts competition in the United Kingdom and/or any other country or countries (“UK Subsidy Control Regime”).  

This guidance is based on ESRC's rules on inclusion of Project co-Leads from business, third sector and government.  

International applicants 

Applicants based in non-UK organisations can be included as Project co-Leads (International) (PcL(I)s). When a Project Lead includes a PcL(I), they must ensure that all associated costs are fully justified within the Resources and Costs Justification section of the application form. International applicants cannot be Project Leads, nor are they eligible to take over the leadership of the project.   

It is the responsibility of the Project Lead to ensure that the PcL(I)’s organisation is an appropriate organisation to receive, and has systems in place to manage, the funding provided. They will also need to provide assurance that appropriate agreements are put in place for the delivery of the overseas activities funded under the grant. The SSI will not undertake eligibility checks as standard but reserves the right to undertake additional checks or seek further information from the project applicants if necessary.  

In general, we will fund 100% of eligible costs, where these have been sufficiently justified. For PcL(I)s based at a non-UK research organisation, overheads will be paid at 20% of the international research organisation’s directly incurred staff salary costs. Indirect costs may not be charged on non-staff related direct costs, for example, equipment, consultancies and conferences as well as travel and subsistence. For PcL(I)s based at business or third sector organisations, the eligible costs follow the same criteria as for UK business or third sector guidance above.  

In the interests of supporting equitable partnerships with those based in low or middle income countries, a 30% funding cap does not apply to any PcL(I) based in a country on the OECD DAC list (excepting India and China) on ESRC proposals.  

The total costs claimed for an international Project Co-Lead who is not from a country listed on the OECD DAC list, plus applicants based in research organisations in India and China, must not exceed 30% of the total full economic costs (fe) cost of the project.  

On a single proposal, the combined costs of all PcLs from UK business, third sector and government organisations and any PcL(I)s from non-OECD DAC list countries must not exceed 30% of the total fEC of the grant proposal (at 100% fEC). In addition, for this funding opportunity, no more than 50% of the number of leads (Project Lead, PcLs, PcL(I)s) can be from business, third sector or government organisations and international partners.  

Any other international costs included in a proposal which are not associated with a Project co-Lead (international) will be funded at 80% fEC.  

This guidance is based on ESRC’s rules on inclusion of international Project co-Leads. 

The Research Software Maintenance Fund is aimed at funding work – particularly around reducing technical debt, improving user experience, and building community – that will improve the sustainability of research software that is hard to find funding for elsewhere.  

The types of work we expect to be funded under this initiative include:  

• Technical - updates to code/software: e.g.
  • Developing components/plugins/integrations to improve interoperability
  • Improving user experience for end users
  • Structural improvements to the codebase (refactoring/rearchitecting, scalability, porting, testing)
• Community - development of materials or events used to engage users or developers: e.g.
  • Community meetings and outreach to users
  • Contribution process improvement (including Code of Conduct development)
  • Sprints, hackathons
  • Dissemination (including blog posts, case studies)
• Documentation - written material used as reference for users and/or developers: e.g. revisions and extensions to
  • User manuals
  • Contributor guides
  • Project website
  • Tutorials
• Training - events or schemes to improve users and/or developers' ability: e.g.
  • Hosting in-person or virtual courses and workshops
  • Mentoring new contributors to the project
• Governance - activities to improve management and/or sustainability: e.g.
  • improving governance structures
  • Developing roadmaps
  • Work with advisors to improve sustainability/identify business models  

In Round 2, awards of up to £150k for twelve months are available. All projects must be completed by Tuesday 29 February 2028. We will only accept one EoI per applicant. 

Applicants must demonstrate that the software(s) they maintain:  

• Is beyond the prototype/pilot stage and has had at least one stable release;
• Is used by people outside their organisation(s), and is used beyond the immediate collaborators of the software’s developers/wider project team;
• Supports research being carried out in the United Kingdom;
• Is open to feedback and additional contributors; and
• Is committed to developing a roadmap and sustainability/business plan.  

Any software is recommended but not required to be openly licensed, however we encourage all proposals to consider how they can improve practices to enable a thriving community of users and contributors.   

Examples of projects that are not likely to be successful if submitted to this fund:  

• A project around software in its earlier stages that is not used extensively or known beyond the creator(s);
• A project that is focused on improving or supporting a platform or service that has few deployments or low adoption/engagement in its target community;
• A project that is widely successful and adopted but has little or no applications to UK research; and
• A proposal for a research project primarily using software to create new research results.  

Additional research outputs are not required to be developed as part of the funding, however if they are (e.g. publications, datasets, additional research software) they must follow UKRI’s policy on open research.   

Proposals supporting multiple research software projects are encouraged, as are proposals that seek to merge or integrate similar software.  

What you can apply for 

Funding can be used to support and maintain existing research software or sustain a team responsible for multiple software tools. However, it is not intended for developing entirely new software, nor is it intended as a continuing source of funding once the grant finishes.  

Acceptable use of funds includes, but is not limited to:  

• Salary support for staff (full-time, part-time, or contract): developers, research software engineers, contributors, technical writers, community managers, product managers, project managers, user experience researchers, community educators, or other roles that directly support the software project(s);
• Hackathons, sprints, outreach, or other forms of community engagement and support for community participation;
• Operational needs such as cloud computing, storage, networking, or continuous integration services; and
• Support for work that bridges software projects or ecosystems, including better coordination across software projects that are similar, dependent on one another, or frequently used together. 

We are running this funding opportunity on our funding platform, which is powered by GoodGrants, and you will be required to register on the platform to submit your proposal. You cannot apply on the UKRI Funding Service or Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.  

The Project Lead is responsible for completing the application process but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the proposal. Please note that some information that you provide in your proposal will be shared publicly. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for further information. Information you provide will also be used to evaluate the initiative and provide recommendations for improving research software funding.  

To apply:  

1. Go to the RSMF submission website.
2. Register for an account, if required.
3. Choose the appropriate proposal form “RSMF Round 2: Expression of Interest” and click on “Start application”.
4. Fill out the information on the first “Start here” tab, including the Application name (the name of your proposal), and click “Save + next”.
5. This will also save your draft proposal so you can return to it
6. Complete all the tabs before submitting the proposal. If there are mandatory responses missing, these will be highlighted in red.
7. You can move through the proposal using the “save + next” button at the bottom of the page, or you can jump between different sections using the tabs at the top of the Application pane.
8. Once you have completed all mandatory questions on all tabs, you can submit the proposal.
9. You will receive an email notification confirming receipt. 

You can download a list of the application form questions on the Start Here tab.  

After submission, you may continue to update/revise your proposal up until the deadline, at which point your proposal will be locked. Please note that you will not re-submit the proposal after the initial submission, but the revisions will be saved each time you choose “save + next” or “save + close”.  

You can see the proposal you have submitted at the bottom of the “Applications” page of the RSMF submission website. You can withdraw a proposal by selecting it and choosing the “Delete” action from above the list of actions. You can also copy or download a proposal. Each Project Lead is only allowed to submit one proposal.  

Additional information about how to use the GoodGrants platform for applicants is available. 

Eligibility  

This criterion considers whether the proposed work is in scope for and eligible for the Research Software Maintenance Fund (RSMF). The RSMF aims to fund work that will improve the sustainability of research software, particularly improving maintenance, reducing technical debt, improving user experience, and building community. The RSMF is especially interested in funding work for which it is hard to find funding elsewhere.  

At the Expression of Interest stage, the applicants must demonstrate that:   

• the software(s) they maintain:
• Supports research being carried out in the United Kingdom.
• Is beyond the prototype/pilot stage and has had multiple stable / production releases (i.e. versions that have been released to end users, not just used for testing or evaluation).
• Is used by people outside their organisation(s) and is used beyond the immediate collaborators of the software’s developers/wider project team.
• Has mechanisms for raising issues, providing feedback, and adding additional contributors.
• The project team is eligible, as defined on the RSMF call page under “Who can apply” [this will be checked by the RSMF team].

Vision and Impact  

This criterion considers the impact this work, if funded, will have on the software but also the impact the improved software is likely to have on the community of users, the research area, or the wider community / society.   

At the Expression of Interest stage, we will be assessing whether:  

• The vision of the proposed work is clearly articulated.
• The benefit to the long-term maintenance, governance, and adoption of the software is clearly demonstrated.
• The applicants demonstrate a clear need in the research community, a clear benefit to UK research, and the resulting impact on the research that is possible.
• The applicants understand the current software ecosystem (including other software used in this research area, and how this differs from their software) and researcher use cases / workflows (the way that software is used in combination) for the research areas their software targets.
• The applicants demonstrate that the project will lead to advancement of good research software practices appropriate for their area / community.
• The project has considered how to increase the variety of users and contributors (for instance, the number of different organisations where users / contributors are based; the career stages of contributors).   
• The project has considered the accessibility of the software and explains how this could be improved
• The project understands their current position in relation to equity, diversity, and inclusivity and explains how this could be improved.

Feasibility and Approach  

This criterion considers the way that the proposed work will be carried out. Here we look for evidence that the funded work has a clear plan that will deliver the objectives and benefits.  

At the Expression of Interest stage, we will be assessing whether:  

• The objectives, activities and outputs of the work are clearly described and relate to each other and to the benefits.
• The project team have considered how the way they measure the progress of their project will be applied to this work.   
• The future sustainability of the software (i.e. the software will continue to be available in the future, on new platforms, meeting new needs) has been considered, and the project has developed, or is committed to developing, a roadmap (a summary of the vision for the software and the direction of the software over time), a governance structure, and a sustainability/business plan.  

Capability to Deliver  

This criterion considers the capability of the team, processes, and procedures in place for maintaining and developing software, and delivering the proposed work.  

At the Expression of Interest stage, we will be assessing whether:    

• The Leads / Co-Leads have appropriate skills, experience and connection to the software to achieve the objectives of the work.
• There are clear mechanisms for engaging the community and seeking external contributions and feedback, and how this will be incorporated into the work .
• Approaches to development of the software being used are suitable for the software and achieving the goals of the work. 

The round will open with a call for Expressions of Interest, which should outline the main idea, the software’s importance and how funding will benefit research. 

Submitted EoIs will be screened by the RSMF team to check they meet the following subset of eligibility criteria for this funding.

Your Expression of Interest will then go into a process of Distributed Peer Review (DPR) to assess the other criteria for the call. In DPR, applicants are also assessors and review other proposals submitted to the same funding opportunity to decide who gets invited to submit a full proposal. By submitting a proposal, applicants agree to act as reviewers and to have their proposal reviewed by their peers. 

DPR has the potential to democratise the peer review process by improving the speed and quality of feedback available to applicants, as well as increasing the consistency and expertise of reviews., It has been used by UKRI for its recent Metascience AI Fellowships, as well as by other funders across Europe. 

By submitting a proposal, applicants accept the following terms and conditions:  

• All applicants will receive on average 7 proposals to review.
• Failing to provide the reviews by the deadline will lead to the automatic rejection of the proposal submitted by the given applicant.
• The reviewer is expected to carefully read all the assigned proposal, rate them, and provide feedback to the applicants following the rules and guidelines.
• If an applicant’s set of reviews is found to be of consistently poor quality (for example, they do not justify the overall scores given), their own proposal may not proceed. 

All proposal reviews will be done through the GoodGrants platform. 

To mitigate conflicts of interest, the RSMF team will ensure that: 

• Reviewers are assigned to different pools from the applicants they review. As a result, they are not ‘competing’ against the applicants whose proposals they review.
• No two applicants from the same institution will receive each other’s proposals to review.
• To mitigate against collusion, we will use an allocation algorithm that avoids having any reciprocal pairs / triads within which reviewers review one another. 

The RSMF team will perform checks, which may include the use of independent moderators, to ensure that reviewers have adhered to the guidelines and criteria for this funding opportunity.  

Applicants will have an opportunity to provide a rebuttal addressing the reviews of the EoI, that will be considered during the ranking process. 

The final ranking of EoIs will be determined by the average of the overall rating. In the unlikely event of a tie in the final ranking of two or more proposals, a lottery will be used. The RSMF team will make the final decisions regarding progression to full proposal. The RSMF team reserves the right to take a portfolio approach to ensure disciplinary coverage. 

The top ranking EoIs will be invited to submit a full proposal detailing planned activities, budget, team experience, and other considerations around community, sustainability and diversity. A panel of experts will identify proposals proposing the most significant impact, quality and value while demonstrating feasibility of the proposed work, and will distribute the available funding among those.  

The review panel will be composed to ensure fairness and balance across a range of domain and technical expertise, as well as different roles, levels of seniority and other relevant experience.  

Further details of the assessment process and criteria for the full proposals will be published on the SSI website when the full proposal stage opens. 

Eligibility and Team Structure

Q: What types of software projects are eligible for funding?

A: To be eligible for the Research Software Maintenance Fund, your software must:

1. Have been previously released publicly and been available to other researchers
2. Have demonstrable evidence of usage by researchers external to your immediate collaboration team
3. Be primarily used for enabling research in the UK

The fund is designed for maintaining existing software, not for developing entirely new software.

Q: I'm a postdoctoral researcher who leads the maintenance of a software project, but my institution may not allow me to be the Project Lead. How should I approach this?

A: This is a common challenge for many software maintainers. If institutional policies prevent you from being the Project Lead, it's acceptable to have your group leader or supervisor serve as the Project Lead while you take on a key role in the project. However, you must make this situation clear in your application. Reviewers will be instructed not to discriminate against such arrangements.

Q: Can a Research Software Engineer on a fixed-term contract be a Project Lead?

A: Yes, from the RSMF's perspective, Research Software Engineers on fixed-term contracts are eligible to be Project Leads.

However, your institution may have additional rules or constraints that you should confirm with your research office. Many institutions do not allow staff on fixed-term contracts to be Project Leads if their contract end date is earlier than the end date of the proposed project.

If institutional policies prevent you from being the Project Lead, consider the approach described in the earlier FAQ about postdoctoral researchers, where a permanent staff member could serve as the formal Project Lead while you take on a key role in the project.

Q: Are international organisations eligible to be lead organisations?

A: Only in specific limited circumstances. International organisations that are eligible for UKRI funding (such as EMBL-EBI) can be lead organisations on applications to this fund. If you have questions about your organisation's eligibility, please contact grants@software.ac.uk.

Q: My software has significant international adoption. Does having users and contributors outside the UK make it ineligible for RSMF funding?

A: No, having international users and contributors does not make your software ineligible. In fact, international adoption is seen as a benefit that demonstrates the wider impact of your software.

The eligibility requirement "Be primarily used for enabling research in the UK" refers to the software's purpose rather than its geographical user distribution. This means that:

1. The software should be designed for research purposes (as opposed to, for example, general-purpose software that might sometimes be used in research)
2. There must be demonstrable usage by researchers in the UK
3. The application must be led by someone based at a UK research organisation

Software originally developed in the UK that now has an international user and contributor base is still eligible, provided it meets these criteria and continues to be used by UK-based researchers.

Q: What costs are eligible under the funding model for this call?

A: For UK research organisations, the funding follows a standard research grant model with 80% of full economic cost (fEC). This includes directly incurred costs, directly allocated costs, and indirect costs. Staff costs are eligible under this model.

For external partners who are not UK research organisations (such as industry, third sector, or international collaborators), different rules apply – please see the RSMF webpages for details.

Q: What types of operational costs are eligible? For example, would subscription costs for communication platforms like Slack be covered?

A: Yes, subscription costs for communication platforms such as Slack would be allowable operational costs under the RSMF.

The fund supports various operational needs that facilitate software maintenance work, including:

1. Communication and collaboration platforms
2. Cloud computing resources
3. Continuous integration services
4. Testing environments
5. Other infrastructure necessary for effective software maintenance

When including these costs in your application, be sure to justify how they directly support the maintenance activities of your research software.

Q: Can I apply for salary costs for international collaborators?

A: What costs can be applied for depends on the type of collaborator (research organisation, industry, charity, individual, etc.) and these are detailed under the "Who can apply - International applicants". There are limits to the proportion of the budget for these costs. The project lead organisation must have appropriate processes in place to be able to pay international collaborators in compliance with relevant UK legislation.

Salary costs can be included in many cases, as we recognise that many pieces of research software are developed by international teams. If you have a specific query about what costs are eligible, please contact grants@software.ac.uk with more details (where the international collaborator is based, what sort of organisations the collaborator belongs to, what types of costs you are looking to fund).

Q: Can I submit more than one application?

A: You may only submit one Expression of Interest as Project Lead. You may be a Co-Lead on other Expressions of Interest however the SSI reserves the right to limit the number of full applications that may be submitted by an applicant as a Project Lead or Co-Lead, depending on demand. 

Q: I am a freelancer or independent contractor who developed/maintains research software. How can I be involved in an RSMF project?

A: There are two potential routes for freelancers or independent contractors to be involved in RSMF projects:

1. As a Project Co-Lead:
   1. Your business is applying as a partner
   2. You can claim 100% of your salary costs and travel/subsistence expenses (up to 1 FTE)
   3. No pension, national insurance, overheads, or equipment costs are allowed
   4. You must have systems in place to manage the funding provided and satisfy legal requirements around fraud prevention, subsidy control, modern slavery regulations, etc.
2. As a contractor supplying services to the lead organisation:
   1. The UK research organisation would be the lead applicant
   2. Your involvement would be as a named contractor providing services
   3. The lead organisation would receive 80% of your costs (standard UKRI rate)
   4. This route may allow for inclusion of other costs beyond salary and travel/subsistence
   5. You would need to meet the lead organisation's procurement/supplier requirements

For freelancers without formal business management systems, the second option (working as a contractor to the lead organisation) is likely more suitable. In this case, your collaborator would submit the application, noting your agreed involvement as a contractor with appropriate budget allocation.

Q: How should we cost industry partners or services in our RSMF application?

A: The costing approach depends on how the industry partner or service provider is included in your application:

1. If included as services/consultancy contracted by the lead organisation:
   1. They would be costed at the standard 80% of full economic cost (fEC) rate
   2. The lead organisation's procurement processes would apply
2. If included as a Project Co-Lead (UK company):
   1. They can include 100% of eligible costs up to a maximum of 1 FTE
   2. Eligible costs include staff costs and travel/subsistence
   3. Ineligible costs include National Insurance, superannuation, overheads, and other direct costs
   4. The combined costs of all co-leads from non-UK research organisations cannot exceed 30% of the total fEC of the project

When deciding how to include industry partners in your application, consider both the financial implications and the administrative requirements of each approach.

Q: For the award limits (£150k for Small Awards), does this refer to the 100% fEC amount or the 80% amount that will be funded? 

A: The award limits (£150k for Small Awards) refer to the amount of funding provided by the RSMF, not the 100% fEC amount. 

For proposals that include only UK research organisations, this means the award limits refer to the 80% fEC amount that will be funded. For example, a Small Award with a maximum value of £150k would correspond to a total project cost of £187.5k at 100% fEC. 

For proposals that include a mix of UK research organisations and other partners (such as businesses or international organisations), the calculation would need to account for the different funding rates applicable to each type of partner.

Scope and Focus

Q: If our software needs substantial rewriting or rebuilding, is it still eligible?

A: This would be eligible if it meets the basic criteria that demonstrate existing use in UK research outside of the immediate collaborators of the software maintainers/creators. The fund is not intended for developing entirely new software, nor for continuing the development of software without an existing user base.

Q: Is green software engineering in scope for this funding?

A: Yes, applying green software engineering principles to research software is in scope for the Research Software Maintenance Fund. Most green software engineering practices also improve maintainability more generally, making them appropriate for this funding.

Projects may also want to consider how they can evidence their commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) and community building through existing green software engineering practices and processes.

Q: Can I apply for funding to improve the environmental sustainability of research software or build a community of Green Software Engineers?

A: Green software engineering activities are eligible for RSMF funding when they focus on improving specific existing research software. You do not need to target a single specific codebase, but your application should:

1. Describe the codes that would be addressed (the application form includes a question on landscape analysis to identify codes being used by the community)
2. Focus on improving the maintenance of existing software, not general Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) topics
3. Demonstrate that the activities will lead to improved sustainability of the software

For more general community-building initiatives around Green Software Engineering (such as creating communities of practice or developing general training materials not tied to specific software), you may find the flexible funds calls from various UKRI-funded DRI Network Plus projects more suitable. These include:

• CHARTED (training-focused Network Plus)
• NetDRIVE
• National Federated Compute Services Network Plus

For the latest information, check the individual project websites or contact the specific Network Plus teams.

Q: Is software infrastructure (as opposed to software packages) also in scope for this funding?

A: Yes, software infrastructure is in scope for the Research Software Maintenance Fund. To be eligible, you need to demonstrate that the infrastructure is used by those carrying out research in the UK, and that its main purpose is enabling research. Research software infrastructure that is administrative in nature (e.g. a research outcomes system) is not in scope. 

Q: Can funding be used for establishing governance structures or international entities?

A: Yes, activities relating to governance are allowed under the Research Software Maintenance Fund. If establishing a new governance organisation, such as a foundation, it is acceptable for that entity to be based outside of the UK if this can be justified. However, you will still need to demonstrate the benefit to UK research in your application and the lead applicant must be based at a UK research organisation.

Q: Are training materials or courses about software development practices eligible for funding?

A: General development of training materials or courses would not be considered in scope for the RSMF, but proposals for training and documentation activities for a specific piece of research software leading to improved user experience, contributions or sustainability would be allowed.

For projects primarily focused on developing training for Digital Research Infrastructure, the UKRI DRI programme has funded several NetworkPlus projects, including CHARTED which is focussed on training, which includes flexible funds that may be better suited for training course development. Please look out for Information about these funding opportunities directly from these projects.

Q: Are 'meta' proposals that focus on supporting a software ecosystem rather than a specific tool eligible?

A: This will depend on the activities proposed and whether software ecosystem or stack was already adopted by users in UK research.

For example, proposals that focus on initially identifying or developing a software stack (rather than maintaining an existing one) would be considered out of scope.

For smaller-scale activities that might still be beneficial (such as documentation sprints, training material development, or community events), consider applying for the smaller, shorter grants offered by the RSMF. There may also be other funding opportunities through the recently funded UKRI DRI NetworkPlus projects which include flexible funds which you may be able to apply for.

Application Process and Timeline

Q: Will there be any information sessions before the application deadline?

A: Yes, the Software Sustainability Institute will be arranging a webinar to provide more information on what we're looking for in this fund and enable potential applicants to ask questions. Details will be shared on the RSMF website and through the mailing list. The slides and questions & answers will be shared on the RSMF website after the webinar.

Terms and Conditions

Q: What are the terms and conditions for RSMF grants, and how can I review them before applying?

A: The terms and conditions for RSMF grants are based on the University of Edinburgh terms and conditions for grant subcontracts, with modifications to ensure that intellectual property (IP) remains with the applicants.

The complete template Grant Agreement and additional T&C documents are available on the Research Software Maintenance Fund website. If you have specific concerns about the terms and conditions, particularly if your organisation has a special status (such as being an intergovernmental organisation), you are encouraged to contact the grants team at grants@software.ac.uk before submitting your application.

We recommend reviewing the terms and conditions early to identify any potential issues that might need to be addressed in the event of an award.

Conflicts of Interest

Q: I have a personal connection to someone involved with the SSI. Does this bar me from applying to the Research Software Maintenance Fund?

A: No, having a personal connection to someone involved with the SSI does not automatically bar you from applying. However, any potential conflicts of interest should be declared in your application for transparency.

If your project involves direct participation from an organisation with close ties to the evaluation process, these connections must be disclosed. We will assess each situation individually to ensure there is absolute transparency and no "insider information" is shared during the application process.

The SSI is committed to fair assessment of all applications and has procedures in place to handle conflict of interest cases appropriately.

Members of the SSI team who are directly involved with the administration of the RSMF are not allowed to be part of any application to the RSMF.