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Abstract

VeRSI – the Victorian eResearch Strategic Initiative was funded in 2006 by the Victorian Government. This presentation will describe how the VeRSI program is providing a cohesive and coordinated approach to accelerating the uptake of eResearch by Victorian researchers.

VeRSI will deliver research leadership by harnessing enabling technology in a way that fosters a productive, collaborative research environment and by developing key examples of how eResearch can enhance research outcomes. The paper will describe the five complimentary projects that will establish essential infrastructure, develop resources for collaborative working and support exemplar use-cases and the development of applications in the Life Sciences.

VeRSI, like similar eResearch activities elsewhere is acutely aware of the IT skills shortage developing in Australia. This exacerbates the need to develop skills and expertise in eResearch. The paper will highlight the need to bridge the skills and expertise ‘gap’ between research disciplines and technology implementations.

About the speaker

Paul Davis has played a seminal role in the development of eResearch in Australia. In 2006 he authored the successful proposal to create VeRSI – the Victorian eResearch Strategic Initiative and is now the Executive Director of VeRSI. He is a member of several eResearch and middleware committees and a member of the eResearch Coordinating Committee’s Technical Working Group. He has provided advice to DEST and the NCRIS facilitators on the implementation of NRCIS as well as advice and opinion to State and Federal government departments and industry.

Paul is the Director of Paul C Davis and Associates Pty Ltd, a company specialising in the management of science programs and eResearch. Paul was the Director of GrangeNet, Australia’s first 10Gbps optical research network, from 2002 to 2006. Prior to joining GrangeNet he was the CTO of ac3 (the Australian Centre for Advanced Computing and Communications) and responsible for the technical development of one of Australia’s foremost high performance computing centres. Paul spent 25 years in scientific based computation the last twelve years of which involved supercomputing. He has been Head of IT with the Biomolecular Research Institute and IT Manager at CSIRO Division of Molecular Science.