# Episode 264: Neil Chue Hong on the Software Sustainability Institute

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustain-796832/episode-264-neil-chue-hong-on-the-software-sustainability-institute
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustain-796832/episode-264-neil-chue-hong-on-the-software-sustainability-institute.md
Podcast: [Sustain](https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustain-796832)
Published: 2025-03-21T14:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcast.sustainoss.org/264
Audio file: https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/27729c65-f4a6-4496-8c86-820e7f13b285/5d4ff238-1af4-4fcb-ba90-f2d950861ae1.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sustain-796832/episodes/episode-264-neil-chue-hong-on-the-software-sustainability-institute
Duration seconds: 2359

## Resource

Guest Neil Chue Hong Panelists Richard Littauer | Justin Dorfman Show Notes In this episode of Sustain, hosts Richard Littauer and Justin Dorfman talk with Neil Chue Hong, Director of the Software Sustainability Institute (SSI). They discuss the SSI's mission to sustain software used in research, the institute's history and funding, the role of research software engineers, and the newly launched Research Software Maintenance Fund (RSMF) with £4.8 million dedicated to supporting research software. Neil shares insights into the collaboration, training initiatives, and policy work done by the SSI to promote sustainability in software development. The episode also touches on the impact of large funding initiatives like those from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the evolving role of software development in the age of large language models (LLMs). Hit the download button now! [00:01:44] Neil explains SSI’s mission and purpose. [00:02:27] Richard inquires about SSI’s funding model and how long SSI has existed. Neil explains SSI is a government funded collaboration via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and it was founded in 2010 and is funded through 2028. [00:05:03] Richard highlights SSI’s impact and Neil discusses how SSI helped establish “Research Software Engineer (RSE)’ as a recognized role. [00:08:20] SSI’s annual Collaborations Workshop (May 13-15 in Stirling, UK) is mentioned, and Neil recalls a pivotal collaboration with Greg Wilson (Software Carpentry), which expanded training programs. [00:11:16] Neil explains that the SSI has evolved from consultancy to training, community initiatives, and policy advocacy to scale its impact and ensure long-term sustainability in research software. [00:13:57] Richard introduces SSI’s new £4.8M Research Software Maintenance Fun…

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