I must not be the first person to think that government sponsorship can play a positive role with funding and promoting critical software projects. Just as basic science research is funded by agencies such as the NSF, NIH, DARPA, DoD, and so on. Even the Arts have the NEA. Where is the National Institute of Critical Software?
People working on software projects could apply for grants, which would be reviewed by a panel of peers and experts, then funded, and the impact of the software project can be reviewed. I would think that judging the value of a software project would be easier than many basic science research, because the impact of software is more immediate and easier to measure. Yes, any system that involves money will be susceptible to some amount of fraud, waste, and deception. But most people still support funding science and medical research.
People working on software projects could apply for grants, which would be reviewed by a panel of peers and experts, then funded, and the impact of the software project can be reviewed. I would think that judging the value of a software project would be easier than many basic science research, because the impact of software is more immediate and easier to measure. Yes, any system that involves money will be susceptible to some amount of fraud, waste, and deception. But most people still support funding science and medical research.