Conduct an economic research study of the costs/savings from shifting research software to open source

[dr-eric-jensen]

Potential Activity Scope
Conduct an economic research study to quantify the money that has implicitly funded maintenance and sustainability, and has been saved or lost in the shift to open source for research software (e.g., where have funds been spent on one-off software rather than maintaining existing open source software, and where has an investment in software maintenance saved funds from being spent on one-off software).

Data collection should be a central component of the study. This should involve gathering diverse data sources, including financial records, project documentation, market analysis, and expert opinions specific to the research software domain. The data should be comprehensive, credible, and contextual, reflecting the unique characteristics and challenges of research software economics.

The analysis phase should employ rigorous economic models, methodologies, and metrics tailored to the research software context. This should enable a nuanced quantification of the financial investment, savings, losses, and overall value related to research software maintenance, sustainability, and open source transition. The analysis should be transparent, robust, and insightful, providing a clear understanding of the economic dynamics at play.

The findings of the research study should be synthesized into a coherent and compelling report.

Potential Objectives

• To design and implement an economic research study that aims to quantify the financial resources that have implicitly funded the maintenance and sustainability of open-source software projects.
• To identify instances where funds have been spent on one-off software development rather than maintaining existing open-source software, and calculate the associated costs.
• To pinpoint cases where an investment in software maintenance has resulted in savings by preventing the need for one-off software development, and estimate the financial benefits.
• To gather and analyze relevant financial data from a variety of sources, such as project budgets, funding reports, financial statements, and cost-benefit analyses.
• To engage with various stakeholders, including software developers, project managers, funders, and users, to gather insights, validate findings, and contextualize the economic analysis.
• To synthesize the findings into a comprehensive report that presents a clear, detailed, and nuanced picture of the economic dynamics and impacts of open-source software maintenance and sustainability.
• To disseminate the research study effectively.

Targeted Impacts

• To provide a granular understanding of the economic dimensions of software maintenance, sustainability, and shift to open source, shedding light on the hidden financial dynamics, decisions, and dilemmas of the field.
• To offer valuable insights, evidence, and examples for funders, policymakers, institutions, and other decision-makers, supporting informed strategies, investments, and practices related to software development, maintenance, and sustainability.
• To foster a more transparent, accountable, and strategic approach to software economics, promoting a culture of rigor, reflection, and responsibility around software's financial role and impact.
• To inspire and guide software developers, researchers, and managers, offering methodologies, models, and lessons that can be applied, adapted, and expanded in various contexts and domains.

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This potential activity was curated as part of "Charting the Course: Policy and Planning for Sustainable Research Software," a Sloan Foundation-funded project within URSSI dedicated to supporting the future of research software through evidence-informed policy work (Project contacts are: @danielskatz and @dr-eric-jensen). If you are interested in working on this, please add a comment.