The Problem
The digital infrastructure that powers modern science is dangerously fragile. Critical research tools operate without sustainable funding, relying on volunteers and short-term grants.
The Scale of the Crisis
Research software faces a fundamental sustainability problem. Essential tools across every domain operate without guaranteed funding, and the loss of just one or two key maintainers could collapse entire research ecosystems.
Dependency Crisis
Essential tools from EEGLAB in neuroscience to Jupyter in data science operate without guaranteed funding.
Critical Fragility
The loss of 1-2 key maintainers could collapse research ecosystems that millions depend on.
Maintainer Burnout
Volunteer maintainers burn out from essential work that receives no institutional recognition.
Why Traditional Funding Fails
Innovation Bias
Funding agencies reward new projects, not maintenance. Keeping software running is just as critical as building it.
Grant Cycle Mismatch
Research grants last 2-5 years. Software maintenance is ongoing. When grants end, maintenance stops and software breaks.
Career Disincentives
Universities reward publications, not software upkeep. Research software engineers have no clear career path for maintenance work.
Real Consequences
When critical infrastructure fails, the effects cascade through the research ecosystem:
- Research Disruption: Entire programs halt while researchers scramble for alternatives
- Wasted Resources: Months spent troubleshooting broken software instead of doing science
- Reproducibility Crisis: Broken or abandoned software makes reproducing results impossible
- Barriers to Entry: Poor documentation and unstable tools exclude newcomers
The Network Effect
Research software does not exist in isolation. Tools depend on dozens of other packages. When one component fails, it cascades through the entire ecosystem. A single point of failure can break thousands of research workflows.
When Critical Infrastructure Fails
NumPy’s Creator Exodus: Travis Oliphant created NumPy in 2005-2006 but left academia for industry due to sustainability challenges, leading him to co-found Continuum Analytics (now Anaconda) and establish NumFOCUS to support scientific Python tools.
Jupyter’s Funding Collapse: Project Jupyter lost Google Cloud funding in April 2023, prompting efforts for federation and community-driven funding.
There Is a Solution
The math is simple: just 0.1% of grant funding could solve this crisis. We know how to fix this.