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Software Requests

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The Open Source with SLU program invites researchers and members of the wider community to submit proposals for open source software projects to be developed by teams of students. Teams work over two semesters, and work with project sustainability in mind so projects can be picked up by successive teams. Work can involve improving and sustaining existing software, or it can be a completely new tool. Check out our portfolio of work for examples of the kinds of things we've done already. Our Whether you require software to support a research initiative or have an idea for an application that could benefit the broader community, we welcome your project proposals. To submit a project proposal, please complete this form.

Submitted proposals will be evaluated based on the minimum requirements and additional factors outlined below to determine their suitability for selection by the program.

Minimum Requirements​

These questions must have a yes answer for the project to be selected (either to the main question or the sub-question).

  1. Will this project involve software development?
  2. Can students develop this software without needing access to specialized equipment? If no:
    1. Will the client provide remote access to the necessary equipment dedicated to our student team? (Equipment is considered dedicated to our student team if our student team can use the equipment either exclusively or the equipment can be used simultaneously by multiple users). If no,
    2. Is the necessary equipment available to be placed in the Open Source with SLU lab space?
  3. Does the client agree to keep the source code in a public repository? If no:
    1. Will the client pay for the software development efforts?
  4. Does this project have clear and achievable work objectives?

Additional Factors​

These questions will be used to rank submitted project requests.

  1. Is this software necessary for a grant funded project? If no:
    1. Will having this software help the client apply for a grant in the next year?
  2. Will building this software help Open Source with SLU establish an industry partnership?
  3. Will building this software help promote Open Source with SLU within the St. Louis region?
  4. Will this project involve contributing to an existing open-source software (package/library) with a significant user base? If no:
    1. Is this a project to replace a legacy tool that can no longer be supported/modified/maintained?
    2. Will this project transform timely manual work into a software solution?
  5. Will this project involve using programming languages our students are familiar with (python/javascript/java/c++)?
  6. Is this software necessary to achieve a specific research outcome that is not achievable with existing software solutions?
  7. Are there any students interested in working on this project?

Please note that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee project selection. We will evaluate all submissions based on their alignment with our program goals and the potential benefits for our students and the broader community.