The Better Scientific Software (BSSw) Fellowship Program is accepting applications for its 2027 cohort, offering funding and professional recognition to individuals committed to improving the quality, sustainability, and productivity of scientific software. The programme supports advocates who develop practical resources, share knowledge, and promote better software engineering practices across the scientific research community.
Selected fellows will receive up to US$25,000 to carry out an activity that promotes better scientific software. Proposed activities may include organising workshops, developing tutorials, creating educational resources, or producing publicly available content that helps researchers and software developers improve their practices.
The application deadline is 30 October 2026, before midnight Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). This is a firm deadline that will not be extended. Applications are submitted online, and the selected fellows are expected to undertake their funded activities between April 2027 and April 2028.
Overview of the 2027 BSSw Fellowship Program
- Programme: 2027 Better Scientific Software Fellowship
- Organiser: Better Scientific Software (BSSw)
- Funding: Up to US$25,000 per selected fellow
- Number of fellows: At least three annually, with honourable mentions where appropriate
- Application deadline: 30 October 2026, before midnight PDT
- Selection announcement: January 2027
- Fellowship period: 1 April 2027–30 April 2028
- Recognition: Fellows will be honoured at the US-RSE Annual Conference in October 2027
- Application method: Online application form
- Sponsors: US Department of Energy and National Science Foundation
About the Better Scientific Software Fellowship
The BSSw Fellowship Program promotes practices, processes, tools, and resources that improve scientific software development and sustainability. Scientific software plays an important role in research, modelling, simulation, data analysis, and high-performance computing. However, maintaining reliable, reusable, and sustainable software requires effective development practices and knowledge-sharing across research communities.
The fellowship supports individuals who can address these challenges through practical, publicly available outputs. Fellows are expected to propose a defined activity that helps researchers, developers, and scientific software communities adopt better practices.
The programme also provides professional recognition for individuals who demonstrate leadership in scientific software improvement and community engagement.
Fellowship Benefits and Funding
1. Funding of up to US$25,000
Each selected 2027 BSSw Fellow will receive up to US$25,000 to support an approved activity that promotes better scientific software. The published information does not specify a single fixed award amount for every fellow.
2. Professional recognition
Fellows receive recognition for their contributions to scientific software quality, developer productivity, and software sustainability.
3. Community leadership
The programme offers an opportunity to contribute to the wider scientific software community by sharing tools, knowledge, and practical approaches that other researchers can adopt.
4. Opportunity to develop useful resources
Supported projects may include tutorials, workshops, educational content, and other publicly accessible materials designed to improve software development practices.
5. Professional visibility
The 2027 fellowship class will be honoured at the US-RSE Annual Conference in October 2027, providing an opportunity to present the programme’s contributions to the research software engineering community.
Who Should Apply?
The fellowship is intended for individuals with relevant experience in scientific software and the ability to lead an activity that improves software practices or supports the scientific software community.
Applicants should be able to demonstrate their experience, explain their proposed project, and describe the technical and broader community impact they expect to achieve.
The programme may be relevant to scientific software developers, research software engineers, researchers who develop or maintain scientific codes, and professionals involved in software sustainability, developer productivity, and research computing.
The supplied application information does not specify a complete list of formal eligibility requirements concerning nationality, academic qualifications, employment status, or country of residence. International applicants should review the official fellowship guidance and application form for any applicable restrictions before submitting.
Proposed Activities and Expected Impact
Applicants must propose a project or activity that promotes better scientific software through a publicly available output.
Potential activities include:
- Organising workshops on scientific software development.
- Preparing tutorials and training materials.
- Developing educational resources for research software engineers.
- Creating practical guidance on software sustainability and developer productivity.
- Producing content that encourages adoption of effective software engineering practices.
- Supporting community knowledge-sharing around scientific codes and tools.
The application requires candidates to explain both the technical impact and the broader community impact of their proposed work. Projects should therefore identify the problem being addressed, the intended audience, the activities to be delivered, and how the resulting resources will be made publicly available.
Applicants should also indicate which BSSw focus areas and subtopics their projects address and explain whether their proposals build on previous work in the Better Scientific Software community.
Application Requirements
The online application requires several written responses and supporting documents.
Experience and background
Applicants must provide:
- A short curriculum vitae or résumé in PDF format, limited to two pages.
- A description of work relevant to scientific software, between 1,000 and 1,500 characters.
- A description of background and experience relevant to serving as a BSSw Fellow, between 1,000 and 1,500 characters.
Proposed project and impact
Applicants must also provide:
- The proposed project name or tagline, limited to 100 characters.
- A description of the proposed fellowship activity, between 1,500 and 2,000 characters.
- An explanation of the anticipated technical impact, between 1,000 and 1,500 characters.
- An explanation of the expected broader community impact, between 1,000 and 1,500 characters.
- A description of the relevant BSSw focus areas and subtopics, limited to 500 characters.
- A statement of whether the proposal builds on previous fellowship work and how it differs from or complements that work, limited to 500 characters.
Letter of recommendation
Applicants must submit a supporting letter from their supervisor in PDF format, limited to one page.
All questions must be answered directly in the relevant fields of the online application form. Answers provided elsewhere, including in a GitHub repository, will not be reviewed simply because a link is included in the application.
How to Strengthen an Application
Applicants should propose a practical, clearly scoped activity that addresses an identifiable challenge in scientific software development. The proposal should demonstrate that the activity is feasible within the fellowship period and that its outputs will be useful to a defined audience.
Candidates should explain how the project will improve software quality, sustainability, developer productivity, or knowledge-sharing. They should also identify measurable outputs, such as a completed tutorial series, workshop materials, documented practices, or publicly accessible educational resources.
Before submitting, applicants should verify all character limits, prepare the required PDF documents, secure the supervisor’s recommendation letter, and ensure that every response is entered directly into the application form.
Important Dates
- Application deadline: 30 October 2026, before midnight PDT.
- Selection announcement: January 2027.
- Fellowship activity period: 1 April 2027–30 April 2028.
- Fellows recognised at US-RSE Annual Conference: October 2027.
The deadline is firm, and late applications will not be accepted.
How to Apply for the 2027 BSSw Fellowship
Interested candidates should complete the official online application and submit all required responses and supporting documents before the deadline.
The 2027 BSSw Fellowship provides an opportunity for experienced scientific software contributors to secure project funding, demonstrate leadership, and develop resources that strengthen software practices across the research community.
