The University of Sheffield recognises the critical role that Research Software Engineers (RSEs) play in advancing scientific research. The University of Sheffield Research Software Engineering (RSE) team was founded in 2016 by two EPSRC RSE fellows to develop research software and collaborate with academics/researchers developing research software. The team has since grown to 13 members and has engaged with all faculties at the University. We have worked with research teams on small internally funded projects but also with large international consortiums and industry. Areas of expertise within the group include:
To support the One University vision and the University research community we are pleased to announce for the third consecutive year the 2026 RSE collaboration call for proposals. This initiative aims to facilitate access to RSE expertise for researchers who require assistance with software development, optimization, or other computational challenges to help make their research software more robust and improve alignment with the FAIR Principles for Research Software) which is an important component of Open Research now that eligible output for REF2029 has been expanded to include software and code.
Previous calls in 2024 received 26 submission and the 2025 call saw the number of applications increase to 35 applications so . Read about the proposals in the above linked blog posts.
Previous calls for proposals were fully funded internally by the University through IT services who continue to support the initiative. This year we welcome a new partner, the Royce institute. The Henry Royce Institute is committed to supporting the digitalisation of materials science research across the UK. As part of this commitment, Royce is seed funding two projects from this call on any topic in materials science that would benefit from collaborating with the research software engineering team.
We will select at least 4 projects to support. Two of these projects will be dedicated to material science and funded by Royce, the others can come from any research domain (see Eligibility section below). Selected proposals will receive 6 months @ 45-50% FTE of RSE support. The start date will be decided by the RSE team based on the project timeline and RSEs availability. The duration of the project will not exceed 6 months but might be shortened with a higher FTE fraction (e.g. 3 months @ 100%. In addition, the collaboration will be continuous and can not be split into multiple shorter, disjointed periods of time.
The objective of this call is to create collaborations between RSEs and researchers who may lack the resources or expertise to effectively develop and maintain research software. By providing free access to RSE expertise, we aim to enhance the quality, reliability, and impact of research projects across diverse disciplines.
An application template for this call has been prepared and is available here. This is a locked file so please make a copy and use it to draft your proposal. When you are ready to submit please use the form. Further details about each section are given below.
Abstract [max 600 words]: Provide a brief description of the research project, its objectives and the role of software or computation methods in achieving these objectives. As reviewers might not be expert in your field, please make sure that your abstract is accessible to the panel.
RSE support objectives [max 600 words]: Outline the specific areas where RSE expertise is needed, such as software development, optimisation, debugging, use of HPC, etc… We remind you that, if selected, your project will receive 6 months half time. You will have to take into account project onboarding at the beginning of the collaboration and offboarding the project where we will handover the work done back to you.
Expected outcome [max 300 words]: What does a successful collaboration look like to you? Describe the anticipated outcomes resulting from the contribution of RSE.
Project risks [max 200 words]: What issues may cause the collaboration to be unsuccessful? Briefly describe the potential risks to the project. (A common example: lack of data or no access to sensitive data).
Impact statement [max 200 words]: Explain how access to free RSE time would benefit the project and contribute to its success or broader research goals.
Does the project fall within materials science?: If “Yes” it will be considered for the Royce sponsored funding.
Existing material [max 200 words]: Briefly explain what existing material you already have: Data, Software, Documentation…
Preferred timeline: what would be the ideal start date of the RSE.
The application should be submitted via the form no later than the 17:00 BST 10th July 2026.
The panel reviewing the projects will consist of members from the Research Software Engineering (RSE) team and Data Analytics Service (DAS). The panel will gather in July where a shortlist of six proposals will be invited for a short interview.
The criteria for the selection will be the following:
Selected projects will be advertised on our website (displaying a short abstract of the project).
The Primary Investigator, and at their discretion their co-investigators, of shortlised proposals will be invited to attend a short interview with three members of staff from the RSE and DAS teams. The purpose of the interview will be to
Important Note: While the P.I. is requested to provide an ideal starting date, the final starting date might be different. Availability of team members depends on other projects and we will make our best to accommodate the requested starting date. We will therefore ask the P.I.s to understand that if their project is selected, the starting date might be different from what they have requested.
For inquiries or assistance with the proposal submission process, please contact Neil Shephard (n.shephard@sheffield.ac.uk, Joint Chair of the selection Panel) or Matthew Leach (m.leach@sheffield.ac.uk, Joint Chair of the Selection Panel) and/or Romain Thomas, (romain.thomas@sheffield.ac.uk, Head of the RSE group).
For queries relating to collaborating with the RSE team on projects: rse@sheffield.ac.uk
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Queries regarding free research computing support/guidance should be raised via our Code clinic or directed to the University IT helpdesk.
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