Awarding open software practices in France
Software has become a pillar of scientific research in all disciplines. Access to the source code of research software is essential for open science: a product of human creativity, software contains a growing part of scientific and technical knowledge.
Several open science actors are advocating for the distribution of source codes for research software under a free license, which allows unhindered reuse, and for recognition of the contributions to the development of quality research software, in all their forms, in the career evaluation of researchers and engineers.
A national open science prize for research software launched in France in 2021 is a concrete step in this direction. The awards are given by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
The idea for the Open Science Free Research Software Awards was set out in the Second National Plan for Open Science. These awards highlight the work of research projects and teams that develop and disseminate open source software and thus contribute to the construction of a common good. They recognise the production of open source software as a contribution to and a result of research. They showcase exceptional or highly promising achievements that could inspire the scientific community and society alike.