Presentation on the Oxford e-Research Centre at the PLAN-E kickoff meeting, 29th September 2014, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1. The Oxford e-Research Centre,
interdisciplinary research from the
institutional to the international

2. Cambridge
Newcastle
Edinburgh
Oxford
Glasgow
Manchester
Cardiff
Southampton
London
Belfast
DL
RAL Hinxton
UK e-Science CentresOxford e-Science Centre
• Distributed virtual research centre
• Domain, Computer Science and IT services
Oxford Interdisciplinary e-Research Centre
• Physical research centre with Vice Chancellor support
for start-up
• Sited outside university structure to be truly
interdisciplinary
Oxford e-Research Centre
• Physical research centre with new building
• Part of the regular university
• Research only – no student admissions i.e. teaching
Image courtesy Tony Hey

3. Innovative digital methods
transforming research
A collaborative
research hub for
Digital Oxford
A full department in a
leading science division

8. Research
Problem
Application
modelled
Create or
adapt
technology
Disseminate
and reuse

9. Our Mission
To create a sustainable research platform across
participating organisations and their collaborators
by applying innovative computing technology to
interdisciplinary problems of increasing scale and
complexity
The consortium works individually and collectively in
attracting new support for e‐Research activities.
Driven by specific application areas and building on
existing e-Infrastructure technologies e-Research South
works to:
• enhance the ease of use, uptake and ‘accessibility’ of
e-Research
• develop know-how & tools for dealing with research
data
• provide development of and access to advanced
visualisation
• create a regional community
• provide opportunities for public engagement with
science

10. UK e-Infrastructure
LHC
ISIS TS2
HECtoR
Users get common access, tools, information,
nationally supported services, through NGS
Integrated
internationally
VRE, VLE, IE
Regional and
Campus grids
Community Grids
HEIs

11. www.egi.euEGI-InSPIRE RI-261323
EGI Cloud Infrastructure
EGI Core Platform
Federated
AAI
Service
Registry
Monitoring Accounting
EGI Cloud Infrastructure Platform
Instance
Mgmt
11
Information
Discovery
GSIGLUE2
OCCI
Storage
Management
CDMI
Cloud Management Stacks
(OpenStack, OpenNebula, Synnefo, …)
SAM UR
Help and
Support
Security Co-
ordination
Training
and
Outreach
EGICollaborationTools
EGIApplication
DB
ImageRepositoryEGICloudServiceMarketplace
Providers Cloud Management Framework
(new one we don’t now about and don’t want to care about)
OVF
Sustainable
Business
Models

12. PLAN-E
• All here are successful centres
• Different models and strengths
• Need to match expectation of collaboration between
members with reality
• Diversification is key to achieve sustainability
– Different models available including subscription, direct grant etc.
• Recognise that collaboration can happen at multiple different
levels to be of benefit
– E-infrastructure
– Technology
– End user communities
• Training – look to how to ‘upskill’ through CPD & not create
‘Research tool professors’ – share materials & people