Research software as enabler and research output, 7-8 October 2026

Research software—including code, algorithms, workflows, models and computational tools—is an essential part of modern research, yet its development, sustainability and contribution are not always adequately recognised or supported. This two-day online Discussion Forum, hosted by the NSTF and UCT eResearch Centre, will explore the research software landscape in South Africa, connect local experience with international Research Software Engineering (RSE) developments, and consider recognition, policy, open science and scholarly publishing. Bringing together researchers, research software professionals, policymakers, institutions and other stakeholders, the forum will highlight current practice and challenges while identifying priorities for strengthening research software capability and recognition in South Africa. The second day coincides with International RSE Day.

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Research software as enabler and research output (Mr Peter Van Heusden, Senior Bioinformatics Scientist: South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape (UWC) AND Ms Anelda Van der Walt, Senior eResearch Analyst: UCT)
The missing middle – Who employs the people who maintain research software? (Prof Mattia Vaccari, Director: eResearch Centre, UCT)
From Code and Platforms to Impact: Research Software in Biostatistics and Public Health (Prof Tarylee Reddy, Unit Director: Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC))
Hardware is not enough: research software as enabler and output at South Africa’s national HPC (Mr Mthetho Sovara, Senior Research Engineer: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Beyond the Data Portal: From Scripts to Systems – Evolving Research Software for Environmental Science at SAEON (Dr Marc Pienaar, Data Science Team Lead: South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), National Research Foundation (NRF))
Drop in the Digital Ocean: The Development of a Smartphone-based System for Water Quality Monitoring in South Africa using Machine Learning Techniques (Ms Sanet Witbooi, Software Engineer: Ninety One (previously at Water Research Commission (WRC))
Code for conservation: The data science evolution of South Africa’s National Biodiversity Assessment (Dr Lize Von Staden, Senior Scientist: South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI))
The role of research software at the Council for Geoscience (Dr Patrick Cole, Chief Scientist: Council for Geoscience (CGS))
Unpacking the NRF’s Role in South Africa’s Research Software Development (Mr Alistair White, Senior Business Intelligence Specialist: NRF)
Shaping International Research Software Policy (Dr Michelle Barker, Director: Research Software Alliance (ReSA))
Policies concerning Publicly Funded Research Software in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Dr Alan Paic, Senior Policy Analyst: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD))
Open Science Eco-System and its Implications on Research Software (Dr Adrian Tiplady, Deputy Managing Director, South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO))
The role of Research Offices in supporting research software as research outputs? (Ms Natalie le Roux, Manager: Research Support Services, UCT)
Repeatability and transparency, why code belongs in the main text (Dr Christel Hansen, Editor: South African Journal of Geomatics (SAJG))
From Research Data and Computational Methods to Policy Intelligence and Societal Impact at the HSRC (Dr Mercy Ngungu, Senior Research Specialist: Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC))

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