Checklist to support Helmholtz centers in implementing guidelines for sustainable research software

As the digitization of research and teaching progresses, the number of software solutions created at scientific institutions and used to gain knowledge is increasing. In many disciplines, the accessibility and subsequent use of scientific results - called for under the heading of Open Science - can only be ensured if, in addition to research data, program code is also made openly accessible.

This checklist is aimed at decision-makers in the Helmholtz centers who are concerned with the implementation of guidelines for sustainable research software. It supplements a model guideline (https://doi.org/10.2312/os.helmholtz.007) that already provides the centers with a guiding and reusable template for the creation of regulations for the sustainable use of research software.