# Nordic-RSE blog post April 2020

Outline:
1. intro: what is Nordic-RSE and why do we need it?
- link to previous articles
2. announce dates and location of conference. Describe the venue, consider including pictures, emphasize friendly atmosphere. Why are we organizing this conference?
- rough idea about the programme: plenary lectures, contributed presentation, workshops, poster session
3. why is attending Nordic-RSE2020 is a good idea?
- call for contributions: workshops, lightning/contributed talks
- Mention programme committee and organizing committee, link to sections
4. how to get involved: help out with local arrangements, help us find sponsors
- call for volunteers, for logistics, helping out locally
- also add info to https://nordic-rse.org/conference
5. list confirmed sponsors
- encourage new sponsors to join, why should you sponsor it?

### Updates to nordic-rse.org

Updates needed before publishing this blog post:
- link https://neic.no/news/2018/05/04/building-a-community/ under https://nordic-rse.org/archives
- publish survey results (as jupyter notebook?)
- also add info on volunteers to https://nordic-rse.org/conference

## Announcing the first Nordic-RSE conference

A couple of years ago, [several CodeRefinery members and their friends](https://neic.no/news/2018/05/04/building-a-community/) started discussing how a Nordic network of Research Software Engineers (RSEs) could be established, and soon thereafter the [Nordic-RSE initiative](https://nordic-rse.org/) was launched. The idea was to follow in the footsteps of very successful such initiatives in other countries, most notably in [the UK](https://rse.ac.uk/), [the Netherlands](http://nl-rse.org/) and [Germany](http://www.de-rse.org/de/index.html). For the past two years we have been taking the first steps in this direction. A [survey was conducted](https://github.com/nordic-rse/RSE_intro_survey/blob/master/analysis/results_nordics_2018_narrative.ipynb) to learn about the environment for people in RSE-related roles. Information on [groups and people](https://nordic-rse.org/map/) working in Nordic universities who identify as RSEs is being collected, and local campaigns have been launched within several universities for the creation of new RSE groups. To further grow the emerging Nordic community of RSEs, we are now happy to announce that **the [first Nordic-RSE conference](https://nordic-rse.org/conference/), Nordic-RSE2020, will take place in Stockholm between 1st and 2nd December 2020!**

### About the conference

At Nordic-RSE2020, we will bring together those that develop software for research purposes and contribute to building the RSE community. The program is not set in stone but we will have invited talks, lightning talks, poster sessions and workshops on best practices for creating research software and other popular RSE related topics. We expect a large contribution from Nordic-RSEs but will also invite international RSEs that can help our Nordic community to take shape.

The emphasis of the conference is on learning from each other in a supportive and relaxed atmosphere. The choice of the location for Nordic-RSE2020 conference reflects our hopes: it has lots of spaces for casual conversations and is equipped with fast internet and all the facilities required for a successful conference.

### Who should attend?

Our aim is to reflect the diverse and emerging community of RSEs by seeking input from all levels of experience and across a variety of domains, genders, and ethnicities.

We welcome participation from:

- Researchers at any career stage who develop software for research purposes;
- Software developers working in a research context, whatever their job title or field;
- Those interested in advancing the understanding of how best to use existing research software (e.g. with respect to scalability, performance and/or reproducibility);
- People from any organization providing tools, platforms or services that benefit research software;
- Anyone with a stake in research software (funders, publishers, decision makers, etc).

We especially encourage first-time presenters and can offer mentoring and other support with preparing your contribution.

### Getting involved

In order to make this a successful conference, we will need help from volunteers to ensure that all the logistics and practicalities work smoothly. What's in it for you? All conference helpers get a free conference ticket! Please get in touch with the organizing committee ([e-mail]) if you would like to help or if you have any questions on how to get involved with Nordic-RSE2020.

We will also need sponsors to cover costs, keep the conference fee as low as possible and to be able to offer travel grants to younger participants. We have already received generous offers for sponsorship from the [Swedish e-Science Research Centre (SeRC)](https://e-science.se/), the [Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC)](https://snic.se/) and the [Swedish e-science collaboration (eSSENCE)](https://essenceofescience.se/). By supporting us, our sponsors are helping to raise awareness of the importance of developing RSE career path in the Nordics.

### Inviting new sponsors

Nordic-RSE2020 is the first networking and community-building event of Nordic-RSE. We will meet to network, to learn about best software practices, reproducible research and open science, and to further develop communication and project management skills required by RSEs.

~~RSEs and RSE leaders often shape decisions about tools, contracts and approaches to research software and computing – either directly or through their role in advising, training and collaborating with researchers. By associating yourself with the flagship RSE event in the ways described above you will have the chance to raise awareness of how your products or services are relevant to their work and gain connections and trust within our community.~~

RSEs are the connection between technology and research. If you want to get a message directly to those who facilitate research with technology, you want to sponsor this conference. Our attendees often shape decisions about tools, contracts and approaches to research software and computing – either directly or through their role in advising, training and collaborating with researchers. In addition to the chance to raise awareness of how your products or services are relevant to modern research, sponsors will get mentions, visibility, and depending on the sponsor package chosen, [conference tickets and contributed workshops/posters/short talks](https://nordic-rse.org/conference/sponsorship/#sponsor-packages). For information on sponsorship see [our webpage](https://nordic-rse.org/conference/sponsorship/) or [get in touch]([e-mail])