Project Partner and Open Source
 

This issue covers two updates for funders: the new Project Partner feature, planned for release in November 2026, and Elsevier’s plans to make the Researchfish source code available as an open-source resource, currently planned for August 2027.
 
 

Project Partner
 

Coming soon: recording what project partners actually delivered  
 

When applying for funding researchers can often note the support that other organisations are committing to their project. Project partners can bring significant additional value to funded research through cash contributions or in-kind support such as staff time, specialist expertise, equipment, data or access to facilities. However, the support promised when an award is made may not always reflect what is ultimately delivered as the project progresses.  
 

Researchfish is introducing a new Project Partner feature, currently planned for release in November 2026. The feature will enable funders to ask researchers to review project partners associated with their awards and confirm what happened to the contributions originally committed.  
 

For each partner, researchers will confirm the organisation involved and record the value delivered to date. They will then indicate whether the contribution was delivered as planned, is still expected, has changed, or did not go ahead. Cash and in-kind contributions are captured separately, so that project partner support can be distinguished from other sources of funding, such as follow-on funding.  
 

For funders, this confirmed record of partner contributions can provide:  
 

• A more complete picture of the additional resources supporting funded research.  
• Clearer evidence of what partners contributed in practice, rather than only what was proposed.  
• More consistent information about partner organisations across awards.  
• Better-quality data for portfolio reporting, evaluation and accountability.  
• Insight into how partnerships develop and perform during the life of an award.  
• A clear distinction between collaborations and further funding that are/are not part of the original project.  
   

Nothing supplied at application stage is overwritten. The information originally provided by the researcher is retained, and the confirmation of what was actually delivered is added alongside it, so funders can see both the original commitment and the eventual outcome in a single, traceable record for later analysis and reporting.  

Interested in using Project Partner?

Contact the Researchfish Customer Success team if you would like to explore whether Project Partner could support your organisation’s reporting or evaluation needs.  

Open Source Researchfish
 

Looking ahead: making Researchfish available as open source  
 

Elsevier is working towards making the Researchfish source code available as an open-source resource, with release currently planned for August 2027.  
 

Open source is a licensing approach that makes software source code available for others to access and, subject to the applicable licence conditions, use, modify and redistribute. For the research funding community, this could provide an opportunity to reuse or further develop Researchfish, or selected parts of it, after the current Researchfish service comes to an end.  
 

An open-source release could be approached in several ways. A funder might choose to operate its own version, appoint a supplier to host and manage it, or work with other funders through a consortium or shared-service model. Organisations may also be interested in particular components or capabilities rather than adopting the complete platform.  
 

Open source provides flexibility, but it does not in itself provide an operated service. Any organisation or group considering adoption will need to think about how the software would be hosted, governed, maintained and supported. Important considerations are likely to include:  

• Intended use: whether the organisation needs the complete platform or only particular components or capabilities.  
• Operating model: whether the software would be run internally, by a specialist supplier or through a shared arrangement.  
• Governance: who would make decisions about priorities, changes and future releases.  
• Sustainable resourcing: how hosting, maintenance, development and user support would be funded.  
• Security and compliance: who would be responsible for access controls, security monitoring, vulnerability management, data protection and operational resilience.  
• Data and migration: what existing information would need to be transferred, how it would be managed and which integrations or external data services would be required.  
• Community participation: whether the organisation could contribute technical expertise, funding, governance capacity or other resources to a wider community initiative.  

An open-source release is therefore a starting point rather than a finished solution. Any successful future model will need clear ownership, appropriate technical capability, and sustainable arrangements for decision-making, maintenance and support.
 

Interested in the open-source future of Researchfish?

Funders do not need to have a fully developed implementation plan at this stage. If your organisation is interested in potentially using the open-source release, exploring particular Researchfish capabilities or participating in a wider community or consortium model, please contact the Researchfish Customer Success team. Early expressions of interest will help us understand the types of adoption and collaboration the funding community may wish to explore.