We've Reached 100 Codes!

A Spotlight on German Research Software Through the HiRSE Code Promotion Initiative

As of July 2025, we've hit an exciting milestone: 100 codes featured through the HiRSE Code Promotion initiative! This means over 100 researchers, postdocs, and students from German universities and research centers have showcased their software and research contributions to the broader Research Software Engineering (RSE) community.

Software and code developed by RSEs helps power scientific research and discovery yet the code developed is not always visible or recognised. That's why in summer 2024, HiRSE (Helmholtz Platform for Research Software Engineering) launched this initiative to give research software the visibility it deserves.

The responses exceeded expectations, the RSE community was eager to share their work. Within the first four weeks of launch, nearly 50 developers and teams had submitted their code. The immediate enthusiasm for this initiative was a clear indication that RSEs want to be recognised for their work and contributions to science.

To participate, developers of research software submit their software details through a simple form and the HiRSE team creates a promotional slide from the provided information. These showcases appear during HiRSE Seminars and get shared across multiple communication channels, and live permanently on the HiRSE website—providing sustained exposure to the RSE community.

The diversity of submissions is particularly notable. The contributions span multiple scientific disciplines and range from frontends to existing codes, to codes providing services to simulation codes running at the largest supercomputers. The promoted codes are supporting crucial work in tackling challenges in STEM and beyond—demonstrating both the breadth and sophistication of Germany's research software.

This initiative serves as more than just a promotional platform; it is taking steps toward building a community where research software engineers share experiences, learn from each other, and collaborate on common challenges. These connections may prove just as valuable as the promotional benefits.

The HiRSE Code Promotion initiative represents a crucial step toward recognising research software development as a legitimate and valuable scientific contribution. By providing a platform for visibility and community building, it addresses two fundamental needs: recognition for research software engineers and discoverability for users.

We hope that the Code Promotions initiative will serve as a model for institutions and organizations looking to support their research software communities. The early success suggests there's keen interest for such programs, and the diverse range of participating codes demonstrates that research software deserves broader recognition.

Ready to showcase code #101? We're actively seeking new submissions to keep this momentum going and ensure even more exceptional research software gets the spotlight it deserves.