Intersect Australia at eResearch Australasia 2024

As the curtains closed on another successful eResearch Australasia conference, Intersect Australia celebrated a remarkable week of presentations, discussions, collaborations, and connections. We had the privilege of attending and presenting at this year’s event in Melbourne, where our team showcased innovative solutions to empower research.

Highlighting Intersect’s Expertise and Services

Our participation at eResearch 2024 underscored Intersect’s commitment to supporting researchers through cutting-edge technologies and expert advice. Our services, designed to drive breakthroughs in healthcare, engineering, science, and more, were on full display:

• DataBolt: This innovative tool automates research data capture, transfer, and storage in a secure, reliable, and scalable manner. By leveraging DataBolt, researchers can focus on their core work while ensuring the integrity of their data.
• Digital research skills training: Our hands-on training courses empower researchers at every level to maximise their research impact. Delivered in person or online, our courses cover essential areas like research computing, programming, data science, data analytics, machine learning, AI, and more. Whether you are building foundational skills or advancing your expertise, our training is designed to empower your research.
• AI Training Bootcamps: Led by experienced research data scientists, these bootcamps provide hands-on training and direct application of cutting-edge AI techniques. Researchers can develop the skills necessary to harness the power of AI in their projects.
• IDEA Platform: This end-to-end data management platform ensures that research data is properly categorised, described, and managed throughout its entire lifecycle. By utilising IDEA, researchers can maintain the highest standards of data quality and integrity.
• Advanced Analytics & AI (3AI): Our team of research-oriented data scientists and AI experts collaborates with researchers to leverage data science and AI methods combined with digital tools, technologies, and infrastructure. Together, we provide full end-to-end hands-on support for data-intensive research.

Conference Highlights

The eResearch Australasia conference was a resounding success, with numerous highlights that showcased the power of collaboration and innovation:

• Franciska de Jong’s Keynote: Franciska presented CLARIN, an aggregator of data, tools, and resources to support language sciences. Her keynote highlighted the importance of the PARADISEC collection, which has received international recognition for its significance in linguistic diversity.
• Katharine Michie’s Keynote: Kate presented the challenges and opportunities of Deep Learning, and in particular AlphaFold, to drive innovation in the field of structural biology. Michael Grogan, one of our Software Engineers, was part of the UNSW ResTech team that worked behind the scenes to set up the infrastructure to host AlphaFold and developed a user-friendly interface to provide access for UNSW researchers. 
• We presented 3 presentations on:
  •  the factors that allowed our training program to become the largest such program in Australia. The presentation discussed what we’ve learned along the way and our vision for the future, emphasising the importance of human expertise and institutional support.
  • Research data management challenges 
  • Empowering researchers with access to AI and data science expertise
• Birds of a Feather Sessions: Along with other experts, we participated in 3 BoF convened a sessions to discuss different models of training delivery, the skills gap for AI research, and how to leverage cloud services to drive AI adoption and use. This led to engaging discussions on challenges and opportunities to work as a community using a collaborative approach towards viable and sustainable solutions.  like reuse vs development of materials and convincing decision-makers that high-quality training requires funding.

Ensuring Enduring Infrastructure

The conference wrapped up with a panel discussion on enduring infrastructure, featuring renowned experts, including Intersect’s CEO, Satish Nair, who emphasised the need to ensure infrastructure, data, and resources last into the future. 

Conclusion

Intersect Australia is proud to have participated in eResearch Australasia 2024, where we showcased our commitment to supporting researchers through innovative technologies and expert advice. We look forward to continuing this mission and working together with the research and eResearch community to drive breakthroughs and advancements in various fields.