Understanding biomedical open-source software to support health research
Official title: SoS: BIO: The Anatomy of Scientific Biomedical Open-Source Software--From Code to Communities
Funded at Carnegie-Mellon University · NIH-11413385 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aimed at scientists and doctors, this grant studies how biomedical open-source software is built, shared, and kept up-to-date to ensure reliable health research.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Carnegie-Mellon University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | September 5, 2025 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $246,632 |
| NIH project number | 5R01GM164731-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11413385 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable (software-focused grant; no direct patient participation)
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient involvement or benefit in this phase.
What this research studies
This project will map where biomedical open-source software comes from, how it evolves, and how people use it. It will build models to understand maintenance practices, team dynamics, and risks of software being abandoned. It will also connect software health to real research outcomes like productivity and reproducibility using multiple data sources. The work is designed to help researchers rely on trustworthy tools and improve the efficiency of biomedical studies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could make biomedical software more sustainable, improving study reliability and accelerating health discoveries.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows that software maintenance and community practices influence reproducibility and tool reliability in science.
Where this research is happening
-
Carnegie-Mellon University
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vasilescu, Bogdan — Carnegie-Mellon University
- Study coordinator: Vasilescu, Bogdan
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.