National forum for Australian eResearch service providers
Approximately 60 people attended a forum in Sydney addressing issues facing the sector nationally.
Intersect has hosted a forum of Australasian eResearch providers aimed at developing a collaborative program to strengthen eResearch and address issues facing the sector nationally.
Significant national interest was demonstrated when representatives of 60 organisations met in Sydney to consider a framework for improved co-operation and to prioritise a work program. Those in attendance included NCRIS and EIF Super Science funded organisations, state-based eResearch service providers, university eResearch Directors, representatives of CAUL and CAUDIT, and Federal science agencies.
The seven state-based eResearch service providers, who have been working in close collaboration for some time, organised the forum to engage more broadly with other organisations with an interest in providing eResearch services to university researchers. The group of seven has recently signed an MOU agreeing to cooperate on a number of aspects around the provision of eResearch services nationally.
Among other topics the informal forum discussed strategies for improving adoption of eResearch platforms and services. The forum identified a number of key areas on which to concentrate immediate efforts, including skills development and sustainable business models.
Slides from the forum are now available at https://www.intersect.org.au/reports If you are interested in participating contact the group via aero@intersect.org.au
NeCTAR Stage 2 RFP opens soon
Expect the next call for NeCTAR proposals to be announced soon. NeCTAR’s RFP is the process by which the Australian research community can apply for funding to create or develop research infrastructure. Stage 2 RFP release is scheduled for 30 April.
So get ready: speak to your research communities, eResearch organisations and software support experts to collaborate on proposals you may submit. For information on NeCTAR programs see http://www.nectar.org.au//documents.
NeCTAR’s new research cloud – hands on days for developers
Target audience: developers and technically proficient researchers.
Intersect, NeCTAR and the Australian National Data Service (ANDS) are working together to create a series of one-day workshops aimed at technically proficient eResearchers, software developers, and systems analysts interested in hosting software services and data in NeCTAR’s new research cloud and networking. The aim of the workshops is to increase the skills of the technical and developer community by demonstrating how to build appropriate software services and data tools in the cloud.
Dates in NSW are to be confirmed – for more information or to register interest in the short term please email communications@nectar.org.au
HPC training
Another round of HPC training is underway. HPC for WIMPs: an introduction to Intersect’s High Performance Computing facility is being offered at the University of Sydney during April and at UWS Penrith campus on 17 – 18th April.
The course outline is here: https://www.intersect.org.au/docs/HPCforWIMPs_Course_Outline.pdf
Please register your interest by emailing elise@intersect.org.au
ANDS ANNZN Data Capture project
Intersect has begun work on a web-based data collection system for the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN). This will allow ANZNN contributors to submit their data to ANZNN via either a web form or bulk upload, with full validation at time of entry.
The system will provide the following benefits:
– ensure all data is valid at time of entry
– speed up data entry
– reduce manual administrative work
– allow administrators to track the status of submissions.
This project is supported by the Australian National Data Service (ANDS). ANDS is supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy Program and the Education Investment Fund (EIF) Super Science Initiative.
Papyri data capture project kicks off
The DC12C Papyri project will produce a data capture system specialised for data and metadata associated with papyri from the Museum of Ancient Cultures at Macquarie University. The system will allow for accurate recording, classification and subsequent retrieval of data from these unique textual artefacts from ancient Egypt, mostly written in Greek, Demotic Egyptian or Coptic and dating from the period 500 BCE to CE 500.
The project will remedy the lack of access which has limited the potential of the Macquarie University papyri collection as an object of research and information. More online soon.
This fascinating project is supported by the Australian National Data Service (ANDS). ANDS is supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy Program and the Education Investment Fund (EIF) Super Science Initiative.
New Staff
Penny Cooke is our new eResearch Analyst for Charles Sturt University. Penny has a Bachelor’s Degree in IT from CSU and has recently submitted her PhD.
Recruiting
Intersect is looking for a software engineer, a project manager and a PERL developer. For more information see https://www.intersect.org.au/job-opportunities
