Embedding and Expanding Open Leadership for Research Communities

Building on our Round 1 pilot, this project will evaluate and improve the cohort-based Open Leadership training delivered to Software Sustainability Institute (SSI) Fellows, many of whom are highly engaged dRTPs and recognised leaders in their research communities.

Round 1 demonstrated the value of adapting Open Life Science (OLS) training materials to meet dRTP needs. This growth project will systematically evaluate what worked and what did not, using participant feedback and outcomes data to improve content, delivery formats, and the mapping to DIRECT Framework competencies.

An important development is the involvement of Aman Goel, SSI’s Research Software Training Manager, DIRECT contributor, and OLS community member, alongside Oscar Seip from SSI’s community team. For the first time, this brings together SSI’s community and training teams in a structured collaboration.

This internal collaboration is itself an intended outcome: piloting a model where both teams co-own the training will explore its potential as a new addition to the SSI Fellowship Programme ahead of SSI’s next funding phase in 2028, as well as whether the model can be exported to other communities or opened to non-Fellows, which broadens the reach and sustainability of cohort-based dRTP leadership development.