BSSw Fellowship Program 2027: Up to $25,000 for Scientific Software Sustainability Projects
The Better Scientific Software Fellowship supports individual advocates of scientific software with up to $25,000 for a year-long activity that produces a public artifact improving software productivity or sustainability.
BSSw Fellowship Program 2027: Up to $25,000 for Scientific Software Sustainability Projects
The Better Scientific Software (BSSw) Fellowship Program is accepting applications for its 2027 class. It is a funding and recognition opportunity for an individual who can help the scientific software community work more productively and sustainably. The award is not designed to pay for an open-ended coding project or a new research study. Instead, BSSw wants a well-defined activity that improves practices, processes, tools, or understanding around scientific software and leaves behind something the wider community can use.
Each 2027 BSSw Fellow may receive up to $25,000 in direct costs for the proposed activity. The award is issued through the recipient’s affiliated institution as a subcontract; usual and customary institutional overhead is also covered. The performance period runs from April 1, 2027, through April 30, 2028. Applications are due before midnight Pacific Daylight Time on Friday, October 30, 2026, and the official application page says the deadline is firm and will not be extended.
This opportunity is especially relevant to research software engineers, scientific programmers, computational scientists, research infrastructure staff, educators, and students who already have a concrete idea for making scientific software easier to build, test, document, use, teach, or maintain. The applicant does not have to be a current recipient of Department of Energy or National Science Foundation funding, but the proposed work must be relevant to the scientific software community and capable of reaching beyond one local team or one event.
Key details
| Detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Opportunity | 2027 Better Scientific Software Fellowship Program |
| Funder and sponsor | Better Scientific Software; sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and National Science Foundation |
| Award | Up to $25,000 in direct costs, plus usual and customary institutional overhead |
| Funding route | Subcontract to the Fellow’s affiliated institution |
| Eligible applicant | An individual affiliated with a U.S.-based institution able to receive federal funding |
| Eligible career stages | Students, early-career, mid-career, and senior professionals |
| Project focus | Scientific software productivity, sustainability, practices, processes, tools, or community education |
| Required result | One or more publicly available artifacts that can remain useful after the fellowship |
| Application deadline | October 30, 2026, before midnight PDT; firm deadline |
| Selection announcement | January 2027 |
| Performance period | April 1, 2027, through April 30, 2028 |
| Official application | BSSw Fellowship application page |
What the fellowship funds
BSSw describes the fellowship as support for an activity that promotes better scientific software through a publicly available artifact. Examples named by the program include organizing a workshop, preparing a tutorial, and creating content that engages the scientific software community. The format can be practical and public-facing: a reusable training series, a documented method, an interactive site, a collection of videos, written guidance, or another resource can all fit when the proposal explains the need and the intended audience.
The key distinction is that the fellowship funds community benefit, not merely private work. A proposal to continue writing a research codebase may be weak if the main result is code that only the applicant’s project uses. The same technical experience could become a stronger BSSw proposal if it is turned into a reproducible workflow, a testing guide for a common class of scientific projects, a training resource for research software engineers, or a documented set of practices that other teams can adopt.
The award lasts for one year of performance. The application page says the program selects at least three Fellows each year, with honorable mentions considered as appropriate. Fellows receive recognition as well as funds and are expected to remain part of the BSSw community. That continuing role can include helping select future Fellows, promoting better scientific software, and contributing volunteer time to community activities.
Who is eligible
The categorical requirement is affiliation with a U.S.-based institution that is able to receive federal funding. BSSw gives U.S. government laboratories, U.S. universities, and U.S.-based corporations as typical examples. The award is not paid directly to an individual bank account; it is arranged through the affiliated institution. That makes institutional coordination important even when the proposed work is the applicant’s own project.
BSSw welcomes applicants at all career stages, including undergraduate and graduate students, early-career professionals, mid-career practitioners, and senior professionals. Students can apply, but the FAQ says they must coordinate with their institution and an advising faculty member so the institution can receive the subcontract. In the usual student arrangement, a faculty member serves as principal investigator and the student receives the funding as an employee. Applicants should ask their research office or department administrator whether the institution can accept this type of award before investing heavily in the proposal.
The program is looking for people who are passionate about scientific software, interested in improving its quality through ideas or tools, able to benefit the broader community, and willing to remain engaged as alumni. An applicant does not need an existing DOE or NSF connection. The FAQ also makes clear that the program is for an individual applicant, not a team application, although the proposed activity can involve collaboration or limited support services when justified.
What a competitive project looks like
The strongest project concept has a defined audience, a real software-sustainability problem, a manageable one-year scope, and a durable public result. “I want to improve reproducibility” is a theme, not yet a project. A stronger version might identify a recurring failure in computational workflows, explain who encounters it, propose a practical intervention, and specify what the community will be able to download, read, watch, run, or adapt when the fellowship ends.
BSSw’s FAQ lists several review considerations: relevance to scientific software and the DOE, NSF, high-performance computing, or computational science and engineering communities; a well-scoped plan likely to finish within the performance period; broad impact beyond a single community or event; artifacts that remain available beyond the award; relevant background; and a commitment to advocate for better scientific software over time.
Those criteria point toward a proposal with a clear chain of evidence. Explain the problem with examples from software practice, user feedback, issue records, training needs, failed or fragile workflows, or other concrete signals. Then connect each activity to an outcome. If the project includes a workshop, say what participants will leave with and how the material will be reused. If it includes a tutorial, explain how it will be maintained and who will discover it. If it includes an interactive tool, describe the inputs, users, and public hosting or distribution plan.
Technical depth matters, but BSSw also expects technical information to be communicated with social awareness. A proposal can be technically correct and still miss the fellowship’s purpose if it assumes that every reader has the same computing environment, vocabulary, or institutional support. Show how the activity will help people with different roles or levels of experience make better decisions about scientific software.
Application format and required materials
The application is completed through the online form. The official instructions specify the following materials and response limits:
- A short CV or résumé in PDF format, no more than two pages.
- A description of work relevant to scientific software, between 1,000 and 1,500 characters.
- A description of background and experience relevant to being a BSSw Fellow, also between 1,000 and 1,500 characters.
- A project name or tagline of no more than 100 characters.
- A description of what the applicant would do as a Fellow, between 1,500 and 2,000 characters.
- A description of anticipated technical impact, between 1,000 and 1,500 characters.
- A description of anticipated broader community impact, between 1,000 and 1,500 characters.
- A list of applicable BSSw focus areas and subtopics, in no more than 500 characters.
- If relevant, an explanation of how the proposal differs from or complements prior BSSw fellowship work, in no more than 500 characters.
- A supervisor letter supporting the applicant’s involvement, in PDF format and no more than one page.
The application page says answers must be entered directly in the online form. Material placed elsewhere, such as a GitHub repository linked in an answer, will not be reviewed as a substitute for the requested response. The program does not require a detailed budget with the initial application. Budget details are handled during contracting, but applicants should understand their institution’s process and the program’s allowable-cost rules.
Funding rules and institutional planning
The award may cover essential costs such as the Fellow’s effort, labor from students or other individuals when appropriate, supplies, and justified travel. For a workshop, participant travel, lodging, per diem, venue rental, and audiovisual services can be allowable, while food costs have limitations. Technical editing or graphic design may make sense as modest support services. Durable computer equipment is not allowed, and international travel has additional approval requirements with no guarantee of sponsor approval.
The $25,000 figure is a ceiling for direct costs, not an automatic personal stipend. The FAQ says the award is a subcontract to the institution and that normal institutional overhead is handled separately. Do not promise yourself a particular take-home amount before speaking with the institution’s research administration team. A concise project description should show what resources are essential without turning the application into an unrequested budget narrative.
Timeline and a practical preparation plan
The official timeline includes a Q&A webinar on September 24, 2026, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. BSSw directs applicants to its mailing list for webinar details. Applications close on October 30, 2026, before midnight PDT. Selection is announced in January 2027, the performance period begins April 1, 2027, and the 2027 class is expected to be honored at the US Research Software Engineer Association annual conference in October 2027.
Use the weeks before the deadline to work in this order:
- Confirm that your institution can receive the subcontract and identify the supervisor who can provide the required letter.
- Choose one problem and one primary audience. Remove attractive side projects that do not support the main outcome.
- Study earlier BSSw Fellow projects and explain what your activity adds, changes, or serves differently.
- Draft the public artifact first. If you cannot name what will exist at the end of the year, the project is probably too vague.
- Gather evidence of your relevant software work and advocacy experience, then write separate answers for technical credibility and community leadership.
- Check every character limit, PDF requirement, and form field before submission. Submit early enough to resolve institutional or portal issues.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most serious mistake is proposing ongoing software development as though it were the fellowship’s central purpose. BSSw says it is not intended to support ordinary continuation of a code or a new research project. A proposal may build on existing technical work, but the funded activity should teach, document, standardize, evaluate, or otherwise advance practices that others can use.
Another mistake is describing reach without a distribution plan. “The community will benefit” is not evidence. Name the public artifact, its intended users, the place where it will be available, and how you will learn whether it is useful. Avoid claiming national impact when the plan only reaches one lab meeting.
Do not combine the two experience questions. BSSw distinguishes hands-on scientific software expertise from evidence that the applicant can advocate effectively and reach other people. A strong application answers both: what you have done with scientific software, and how you have helped others adopt or understand better practice.
Finally, do not submit multiple applications. The FAQ states that only one application per person is allowed. Put the time into making one proposal coherent, measurable, and feasible within the April 2027 to April 2028 performance period.
Frequently asked questions
Can students apply?
Yes. Students at undergraduate and graduate level are encouraged to apply, but they must coordinate with an advising faculty member and institution that can receive the subcontract. Confirm this arrangement before submitting.
Do I need to work on a DOE- or NSF-funded project?
No. The FAQ says an existing connection to a DOE or NSF-funded project is not required. The proposal should still be relevant to scientific software and the communities BSSw serves.
Is a team application allowed?
No. The fellowship is limited to individual applicants. A Fellow may need collaborators or modest support services, but the application and award are centered on one person.
Do I submit a budget with the application?
No detailed budget is required in the initial form. Budget information is developed during contracting. Applicants should nevertheless understand their institution’s procedures and make sure the proposed work is financially plausible.
What happens to honorable mentions?
Honorable mentions do not receive funding for their proposed project, but they may engage with the BSSw community and can reapply in later years. The FAQ also says current-year honorable mentions are invited to the US-RSE annual conference with travel expenses provided through BSSw.
Where can I ask a question?
BSSw lists [email protected] for additional questions. The official FAQ and application page should be checked for updates before submission, especially for webinar information and any changes to the online form.
Official links and next steps
Start with the official 2027 application page, which contains the live form, deadline, timeline, response limits, and required supervisor letter. Read the BSSw Fellowship Program overview for the program’s purpose and eligibility. Then review the BSSw Fellowship FAQ for review criteria, funding rules, student arrangements, artifact expectations, and restrictions.
Because the award is institutional and the deadline is firm, the best immediate step is a short conversation with a supervisor and research administration contact. Bring a one-paragraph project idea, the public artifact you expect to produce, the audience it will serve, and a rough explanation of why your institution can support the work. If those pieces align, build the application around evidence and a deliverable that will still be useful after the fellowship year ends.