Skip to content

Commit 1b1710e

Browse files
committed
restructure section 2 a little: moving some sentences to funding
1 parent 7c4a8de commit 1b1710e

File tree

1 file changed

+6
-8
lines changed

1 file changed

+6
-8
lines changed

paper.tex

Lines changed: 6 additions & 8 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -95,24 +95,22 @@ \subsection{Pooling: a necessary ingredient}
9595
As undoubtedly beneficial RSEs are for research, the main focus of the present paper lies on central RSE teams.
9696
Their main advantages all stem from pooling of ressources.
9797
There are at least three pooling dimensions for research instititions to benefit from: funding, diverse knowledge, and support contacts.
98-
The first, pooling of \textbf{funding}, allows organisations to invest in human resources through long-term expert RSEs, where they otherwise could only support short-term partial-position RSEs scattered across the organisation.
99-
Without long-term job security RSE experts are likely to leave the organisation and without RSEs, the research (service) suffers.
100-
101-
A second and equally important pooling is that of \textbf{diverse knowledge}.
102-
Groups of RSEs with tasks spanning the entire organisation necessarily have to offer diverse knowledge.
103-
Obtaining such diversity can also be a challange, but once it has been established it quickly becomes an asset to the organisation.
104-
It might mean that a central RSE unit has a portfolio that is too broad for most individual research groups, but it also means that involving RSEs from these central groups automatically brings in new ideas and becomes a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration within the organisation.
98+
The first, pooling of \textbf{funding}, allows organisations to invest in human resources through long-term expert RSEs.
10599
A central RSE team on long-term contracts will act as a knowledge hub due to their experience in and support of several disciplines as well as established contacts within the organisation.
106100
This is comparable to commercial/industry R\&D departments, where key software architects and developers establish a knowledge hub and consult with as many projects as necessary [REF].
107101
Subject matter experts like software architects, database administrators and other tooling specialists are organized centrally and share their knowledge by consulting with decentralized projects.
108102
It makes economically sense to organise such personel as cost-effective as possible since not every project can afford or needs such RSE FTEs.
109103
Most academic research organisations have established centralized tooling, e.g.\ storage or High-Performance-Computing\ (HPC), but only a few consider software development and consultancy a relevant service yet.
110104
RSE units act as knowledge hubs in a network of academic developers within an organisation~\autocite{Elsholz2006}.
111-
This enables the embedded experts to maintain in-depth knowledge and to assess current trends and developments, both in research as well as technology.
105+
106+
A second and equally important pooling is that of \textbf{diverse knowledge}.
107+
Groups of RSEs with tasks spanning the entire organisation necessarily have to offer diverse knowledge.
108+
Obtaining such diversity can also be a challange, but once it has been established it quickly becomes an asset to the organisation.
112109
RSEs in centralised groups are interdisciplinary specialists due to their experience working on diverse topics, as well as overlaps in methodology across disciplines and research software in general.
113110
They are assumed to be able to suggest the most appropriate tools/frameworks and design or architecture patterns for certain research challenges.
114111
Their diversity in skills (languages, frameworks, front/back-end, UX, management) is welcomed, especially for short-term needs in projects.
115112
This will save money otherwise spent in duplication of efforts.
113+
It might mean that a central RSE unit has a portfolio that is too broad for most individual research groups, but it also means that involving RSEs from these central groups automatically brings in new ideas and becomes a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration within the organisation.
116114

117115
The third kind of pooling is visible most of all of all from a users perspective: a \textbf{single, central contact point} for digital challences is invaluable to researchers, who's first problem often is to not know whom to contact, partially because while they know what they want, they might not know what they need.
118116
A central RSE team can, due to its proximity to research, much better listen to the wishes expressed by researchers and then help formulate needs and act as a channel to either reformulate and redirect the request or also fulfill it in-house.

0 commit comments

Comments
 (0)