Have You Shared Your Input Yet? Only a Few Weeks Left for the 2026 International RSE Survey

Take the survey here: https://www.software.ac.uk/news/2026-international-rse-survey

There’s still time to complete the 2026 International RSE Survey and help shape the future of research software engineering in Germany and beyond.

This survey is a key tool for understanding the needs, challenges, and ambitions of RSEs worldwide. The data supports the community, associations, funders, and policymakers in strengthening recognition, career paths, and long-term support structures. Your experience helps build an ecosystem where RSE expertise is not only acknowledged, but actively sought out as essential to research.

Over 160 people working in Germany have already participated — thank you! But we need to hear from more of you.

For initiatives supporting RSEs to be effective and grow, we need solid evidence. We need to show who RSEs are, what they do, what challenges they face, and what support structures actually make a difference. That evidence comes from this survey. By taking part, you help to:

• Strengthen careers and policy: Robust data underpins funding programmes, institutional strategies, and the move toward clearer progression and long-term RSE roles.

• Ensure initiatives reflect reality: Up-to-date insights help national and institutional efforts — including our work within JuRSE — respond to real needs rather than assumptions.

You don’t need to be called a Research Software Engineer to participate. If you write code for research as part of your work, we want to hear from you.

The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete. We know that’s a meaningful amount of time, and we truly appreciate you contributing it.

The survey closes on 20 March 2026.

If you are interested in diving even deeper into the data, check out the RSE Data Competition where you can reuse data from previous surveys and have the chance to win a prize!