Call for Presentations

Theme: Connecting with Community

We are excited to announce the Call for Presentations (CFP) for the Research Software Asia Australia Conference 2025 (RSAA25), taking place online from September 17th to 19th, 2025. This year’s theme, “Connecting with Community,” focuses on fostering collaboration and engagement within the research software community.

We invite you to share your insights, experiences, and innovations during our dedicated presentation session on September 18th, 2025.

Conference Theme & Topics

The Connecting with Community theme explores how research software practitioners collaborate, build networks, and develop sustainable solutions. We welcome presentations covering, but not limited to, the following sub-themes:

• Infrastructure and Resources: Best practices for research computing infrastructure, cloud computing, HPC, and resource allocation. Presentations are encouraged to explore community-driven models for shared access to infrastructure and collaborative resource utilisation.
• Digital Accessibility in Research Software: Strategies for developing accessible software, ensuring usability for diverse communities, and implementing inclusive design principles.
• Collaboration Across Domains: Case studies on interdisciplinary teamwork and knowledge-sharing in research software.
• Sustainability in Research Software: Strategies for long-term software usability, maintainability, and funding models.
• Open Science and FAIR Principles: How research software can promote transparency, interoperability, and reproducibility.
• Skills, Training, and Career Pathways: Approaches to training, mentoring, and professional development for research software engineers and researchers.

Presentation Session Details

• Date: September 18th, 2025
• Format: Individual presentations
• Presentation Options:
  • 5-minute Lightning Talk – A concise, impactful presentation to share a new idea, emerging trend, or brief case study.
  • 10-minute Demo/Showcase – A hands-on session to demonstrate tools, techniques, or workflows, offering practical insights or a quick tutorial.
  • 15-minute Presentation – A deeper exploration of a specific topic, including research findings, best practices, or community-driven initiatives.
  • Flexible Presentation Format – If your content doesn’t fit into the above options, propose an alternative presentation format. Non-presentation formats, such as posters, are not included in this CFP.

Submission Guidelines

We invite submissions that align with the conference theme and sub-themes. Proposals should include:

• Title of Presentation (clear and concise)
• Abstract (150-300 words summarising the content and relevance to the theme)
• Learning Objectives (3-5 key takeaways for the audience)
• Presenter Information (name, affiliation, bio up to 150 words, and contact details)

For more detailed submission requirements and formatting guidelines, please refer to the Author Guidelines.

Submission Timeline

• CFP Opens: April 15th, 2025
• Submission Deadline: June 8th, 2025
• Notification of Acceptance: July 31st, 2025

Selection Criteria

Submissions will be reviewed based on:

• Relevance to the conference theme
• Clarity and coherence of the abstract
• Practical applicability and potential impact
• Alignment with the interests of the research software community
• Inclusivity of speaker(s) – Talks from beginners, early-career RSEs, and those covering fundamental topics are encouraged. The conference welcomes diverse perspectives and aims to lower entry barriers for new speakers.

Diversity and Inclusion

We encourage submissions from individuals of all backgrounds, disciplines, and career stages. RSAA25 is committed to creating an inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives and experiences. The conference actively promotes Digital Accessibility, and we encourage presenters to:

• Use clear and readable slides with high contrast.
• Provide alternative text (alt text) for images, charts, and figures.
• Include captions in videos to improve accessibility.
• Avoid reliance on color alone to convey information.

Submission Process & Contact

Submit your proposals via the RSAA25 online submission system at [submission link coming soon]. For questions, please contact the RSAA25 Organizing Committee at [email protected].

We look forward to your participation in RSAA25, as we come together to strengthen our community connections and advance the field of research software!

For more information, visit https://rseaa.org.

*The Microsoft CMT service was used for managing the peer-reviewing process for this conference. This service was provided for free by Microsoft and they bore all expenses, including costs for Azure cloud services as well as for software development and support.*