Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A consortium documents that its open-source software will be maintained for at least 3 years post-project by a designated partner, with infrastructure funded from institutional commitment.
- Is an instance
A research data centre commits to host the project's dataset for at least 10 years with a published preservation policy.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A short-lived demo website with no maintenance plan is the opposite of sustainability.
- Not an instance
Treating outputs as disposable at project end shows no sustainability planning.
Editorial commentary
Sustainability planning is increasingly required by funders (Horizon Europe sustainability plans, NIH data-management plans, UKRI exploitation plans). It addresses questions such as: who will maintain the software once the grant ends; how will the dataset remain accessible in five years; will the community of practice continue to meet; will there be follow-on funding; what is the route to commercial sustainability; will outputs be transferred to a permanent host (institution, society, open-source foundation). Lack of sustainability planning is a long-running critique of project-funded research.
References
- European Commission Horizon Europe Sustainability Plans guidance; NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy.
Also known as
Sustainability plan · Post-grant sustainability · Long-term sustainability (project)
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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vocab-term="Post-project sustainability"
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