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Abstract

The JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) has recently taken forward a set of ‘e-Infrastructure’ programme activities which directly build on the work arising from the UK e-Science Core Programme, and the OSI (Office of Science and Innovation) e-Infrastructure initiative. It has also been informed by European and international developments within the grid and e-research communities.

The vision for this programme of work follows the initial five-year investment in the UK e Science Infrastructure, which is being developed with the Research Councils and other partners to expand the uptake and effective use of e-infrastructure from early adopters and researchers across disciplines.

A particular focus in the proposed presentation concerns JISC’s role in addressing ways in which the UK Research community can be enabled to exploit e-infrastructure services, tools, and resources to support new capabilities and research practices, for example, through such initiatives as examining barriers to uptake and what needs to be resolved in order for e-infrastructure services to be better used.

About the speaker

Dr. Ann Borda is a Programme Manager (e-Research) in the Development Group at the JISC (Joint Information and Systems Committee) based in the UK. Ann has managed a diverse portfolio of projects and development services, and was initially under the Core Middleware Programme where she was responsible for overseeing the first early adopter projects of Shibboleth. This activity led to the set up of the Middleware Assisted Take-Up Service and preliminary discussions on creating a UK-wide Access Management Federation.

Ann's work on early adoption has carried over to her current remit of responsibility in the JISC e-Research programme in which she is engaging with e-Research communities to facilitate broader and more effective use of the UK e-infrastructure (e.g. grid networks, infrastructure service providers), as well as support for new capabilities and research practices over the research life cycle. This involves close working with a number of organisations such as UKERNA, the National Grid Service, OMII-UK, and the e-Science Centres, and key stakeholders across the UK Research Councils and a range of sectors to identify national requirements.

Due to the remit of her activities, Ann actively liaises with international organisations and projects and is keen to foster discussion in the areas outlined and to ascertain synergies and collaborative ways of addressing common issues.

Finally, Ann oversees The Open Source Software Advisory Service (www.oss-watch.ac.uk) which provides support for all of JISC development projects and provides advice on open source licensing and best practice.