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KIWI ADVANCED RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK

Trans Tasman eResearch BOF

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Organising Committee
Nick Jones, Director, BeSTGRID, Manager, Centre for eResearch, University of Auckland
Jenni Harrison, eScience & Research Analyst, Ministry of Research, Science + Technology
Prof. Paul Bonnington, Director eResearch, Monash e-Research Centre, Monash University
Julie Watson, Communities Manager, REANNZ (Research & Education Advanced Network NZ Ltd)
Facilitator
Prof. Mark Gahegan, Director eResearch, Centre for eResearch, University of Auckland
Location
Copthorne 3, Copthorne Hotel & Resort
Access via Video Conference has also been arranged at both the University of Auckland and at REANNZ in Wellington. Please contact the session organisers for access via video conference.
Programme description
http://www.karen.net.nz/eresearch-strategy-bof/

Contents

Agenda

The main focus of this session is to prepare for a deeper collaborative engagement with e-Research activities in Australia, and to leverage the best of what both countries have to offer in terms of science, IT infrastructure and education in the e-Research realm.

Below are some questions that we will use to frame our discussions, in order to help us understand:

  • the current landscape of e-research activities in new Zealand,
  • an accurate and complete map of current e-Research collaboration with Australia, and
  • opportunities for collaboration that are not yet being taken.

It would be very helpful if each participant could reflect on answers to the above and be prepared to share their thoughts during the workshop. We would be delighted to receive responses (however brief) by email prior to (or after) the meeting. We have also set up this wiki page to this end and begun to populate it with some themes that we know about already. We would be delighted if you added to the Wiki directly if you wish.

Questions to think about prior to the Workshop:

  1. What activities currently underway in NZ are potentially of interest to e-Researchers in Australia? (These activities might be anything from grid middleware development to specific science workflows.)
  2. What activities involving e-Research collaboration with Australia are currently underway? (Again, from IT to Science)
  3. What are the opportunities for e-Research collaboration between New Zealand and Australia that we are currently not taking, but should be?
  4. Any thoughts you have on how we (in New Zealand) should support our Trans-Tasman collaborations, and the opportunities and impediments we face?
  5. Any thoughts you have on the education, outreach and training needs we share in the e-Research space, and how these might also be met?

During the meeting we will try to build a consensus picture on the above, and use this as the basis for further discussions with our Australian colleagues at the e-Research Australasia conference 29 Sept - 3 Oct 2008 in Melbourne (www.eresearch.edu.au).

Activities currently underway in NZ of potential interest to e-Researchers in Australia

Activities involving e-Research collaboration with Australia currently underway

Opportunities for e-Research collaboration between New Zealand and Australia currently not taken

  • PRAGMA - BeSTGRID is a member of PRAGMA, which has working groups in the following areas, with participation from Australian institutions:
    • Biosciences Working Group
    • Geosciences
    • Resources and Data
    • Telescience
  • NCRIS Platforms for Collaboration
  • NCRIS Capabilities in Evolving Biomolecular Platforms and Informatics (includes associate membership of European Molecular Biology Laboratory) ($53.0 million), Integrated Biological Systems ($40.0 million), Characterisation ($47.7 million), Fabrication ($41.0 million), Biotechnology Products ($35.0 million), Networked Biosecurity Framework (1) ($25.0 million), Optical and Radio Astronomy ($45.0 million), Integrated Marine Observing System ($55.2 million), Structure and Evolution of the Australian Continent ($42.8 million), Platforms for Collaboration ($75.0 million), Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Network (2) ($20.0 million), Population Health and Data Linkage (3) ($20.0 million)
  • Australian Government International Science Linkages

Support needs for Trans-Tasman collaborations, and the opportunities and impediments faced

  • TBD

Education, Outreach and Training needs we share in the e-Research space, and how these might also be met

  • Advanced Network Capability Building Roadmap 2007 – 2009 outlines three areas for development: skills, technologies and awareness. It provides a useful framework for educators, researchers, policy makers and funding agencies to direct the effort required to make KAREN essential infrastructure.

Participants

  • Nick Jones, Auckland (Minutes / wiki)
  • Paul Bonnington, Monash
  • Julie Watson, REANNZ (in spirit)
  • Jenni Harrison, MoRST
  • Tim Chaffe, Auckland
  • Nevil Brownlee, Auckland
  • Michael Uddstrom, NIWA
  • Robert Gibb, Landcare Research
  • Mark Gahegan, Auckland (Facilitator)
  • Chris Myers, VeRSI
  • Lisa McCallum, ESR
  • Philip Lindsay, AgResearch
  • Vladimir Mencl, Canterbury
  • John Hine, Victoria
  • Allen Rodrigo, Auckland
  • Gerrit Bahlman, Massey (via Video Conference)
  • John Haulker, NZTE

Notes from meeting

Mark Gahegan introduced the topics for the session, and posited questions to stimulate and focus discussion, around areas of potential interest, current activity, opportunities, and what support, education, outreach, etc would be required. The following notes are a quick compilation of the points raised by various attendees, and represent a crude and initial insight into the possibilities for trans Tasman eResearch.

In capturing the points raised, an attempt has been made to identify the specific group that would be primary contact, along with the person who made the suggestion. It is envisioned that in some cases you will need to contact that person to gain enough clarity for further follow up. This principle was raised with and agreed to by the group.

Capabilities / Activities

Looked first at existing activities and areas of potential interest:

Education / Outreach

Shifted focus at this point, to narrow discussion onto educational opportunities:

  • Marine Science, possible scope for joint teaching
  • Mark Gahegan, Auckland
    • Noted PRAGMA PRIME undergraduates programme
  • Allen Rodrigo, Auckland
    • eResearch for students a priority to support cultural change longer term
  • Robert Gibb, Landcare Reseach
    • referred to outreach programme to schools and undergraducates by SCION, namely Andrew Dunningham
  • Vladimir Mencl, Canterbury
    • Atmospheric science on BeSTGRID, making real experiments available to undergraduates
  • Nick Jones, Auckland
    • Massey received partial funding for a Grid summer school, but partial funding has lead to difficulty in making it work
    • noted many countries run national grid summer schools to provide specialist and targeted education to emerging researchers on the latest technologies etc in their specific fields.

Support for collaborations

Shifted focus to discuss how to better support trans Tasman collaborations:

  • John Hine, Victoria
    • Institutional focus a necessary starting point for any collaboration
    • requires funding support, awareness raising
    • Noted that REANNZ are developing a sustainability plan, which includes being an anchor tenant on a tran Tasman cable
  • Allen Rodrigo, Auckland
    • Funding agendas of institutions and agencies an issue
    • Need to take a long term view
    • eResearch education for students a priority to support cultural change longer term
  • Gerrit Bahlman, Massey
    • Standing Committee for IT; focuses on infrastructure so aligned with needs; coordinate in both Australia and New Zealand
    • researchers in both locations bumping into corporate infrastructure operational management models
  • John Haulker, NZTE
    • a review of the Australian innovation system is underway
    • trans Tasman Bio Fund might provide a good example
  • Robert Gibb, Landcare Research
    • collaboration is not necessarily data intensive when trans tasman, so technology transfer essential first point
  • Mark Gahegan
    • good Australian / New Zealand collaboration on middleware, workflows, etc is also possible, as there are many areas of alignment
  • Phillip Lindsay, AgResearch
    • build pragmattically, to improve standardisation
    • need seed fund grants to support maturity (such as in areas of identity management, access, authentication), as there is no compelling institutional incentive to achieve industry interchange
  • Michael Uddstrom, NIWA
    • pragmattic solution will only ever reach about 20% of total investment required
  • John Haulker, NZTE
    • Nationally significant databases ($22m) allocated, but doesn't address meta data, data preservation, service based publication, etc
    • budget allocated for trans Tasman connectivity, then justifies investment in leverage / skill development
  • Jenni Harrison, MoRST
    • Commented re budget allocated for trans Tasman connectivity
      • $15m to strengthen communication, collaborations
      • may go to REANNZ, but not definite
    • MoRST keen to make eResearch part of mainline funding, noting $4.2M of eResearch funding announced in '08/'09 budget
    • MoRST actively engaged with MoE and TEC to seek better alignment, keen to pursue relations. If interested, please direct interest to MoRST contact, now George Slim

Photos

Links

New Zealand

Australia

Retrieved from "http://www.wiki.karen.net.nz/index.php/Trans_Tasman_eResearch_BOF"