Helmholtz Codes!

4 Nov 2025, 12:00 → 6 Nov 2025, 13:00 Europe/Berlin

DLR Berlin

Bernadette Fritzsch, Katja Linnemann (HZDR (FWCC, HIFIS)), René Caspart (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)), Robert Speck, Stephanie Schworm (HIDA), Tobias Huste (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf), Tobias Schlauch (DLR / HIFIS)

HiRSE, HIFIS and HIDA are hosting a 3-day workshop for people writing and maintaining research software within Helmholtz. During this event, we will discuss options on how Helmholtz could further support our daily work in research software engineering. Together with you, we would like to envision three scenarios:

1. What if there is no additional money coming in for research software?
2. What if we had a huge amount of money waiting for us?
3. What if this amount were small(er)?

These interactive sessions will be accompanied by presentations from the different services and offers we already have in Helmholtz as well as by a keynote by Laurent Romary (Inria, France) on Research Software and Open Science Policies at Inria (tentative title).

As a result we would like to have a short position paper from all of us, summarizing our findings and presenting them to Helmholtz decision makers.

For details see the preliminary timetable.

This event is by invitation only. We are targeting exclusively researchers taking care of software listed in the RSD and their teams. 

Organizers:
René Caspart (KIT), Bernadette Fritzsch (AWI), Tobias Huste (HZDR), Katja Linnemann (HZDR), Tobias Schlauch (DLR), Stephanie Schworm (HIDA), Robert Speck (FZJ)

Tuesday 4 November

1 Welcome and Warm Up

2 Introduction to HIFIS, HiRSE, HIDA

14:30 Coffee break

Workshop: Launch Pad

3 Collaborative Sessions

In several collaborative sessions (1-2-4, World Café, or similar) we look at what is already there and helpful and what shortcomings and roadblocks we face in our work as research software engineers. We also develop ideas on how to improve the situation for research software bottom-up by networking, by making better use of what is there and by identifying areas where collaborating on shared solutions might support us.

16:30 Coffee Break

4 Collaborative Sessions (continued)

19:30 Joint Dinner

Wednesday 5 November

Workshop: Moonshot Session

5 Collaborative Sessions

Let’s dream big! In several collaborative sessions (1-2-4, World Café, or similar) we dream of the possibilites if resources were nearly unlimited. What is the ideal ecosystem for RSEs at Helmholtz?

10:30 Coffee Break

6 Collaborative Sessions (continued)

12:30 Lunch Break

Workshop: Orbital Session

7 Collaborative Sessions

We know resources are limited. In several collaborative sessions (1-2-4, World Café, or similar) we identify low hanging fruits and collect ideas for projects, that might make a big difference for RSEs in Helmholtz while asking for a realistic resource investment. We also look at what policies are hurtful or might be helpful.

15:00 Coffee Break

8 Collaborative Sessions (continued)

9 Wrap Up

Thursday 6 November

10 Keynote: Research software and open science policies at Inria

Speaker: Laurent Romary (Inria)

10:00 Coffee Break

Workshop: Moving Forward

11 Collaborative Sessions

What ideas do we want to put into motion? In sessions centered around collaboration and project ideas sparked during the past 2 days we gather to plan first steps and make sure those ideas become reality. In a parallel session we summarize our findings and structure them for a first draft of our position paper.

12 Summary and Farewell