Renewed e-IRG Roadmap published: Towards the e-Infrastructure Commons
The e-Infrastructure Reflection Group (e-IRG) has published a new version of its Roadmap document. The e-IRG Roadmap 2016 is taking up the e-Infrastructure Commons concept and intends to define a clear route on how to evolve the European e-Infrastructure system further, in order to turn the vision of the e-Infrastructure Commons into reality by 2020.
The e-IRG Roadmap has recommendations to all stakeholders to progress on the way towards the e-Infrastructure Commons. E-IRG was established in 2003 and CSC has been involved as a national delegate almost from the beginning.
– The renewed roadmap clearly supports the objectives of CSC's research support work on national as well as international level. Key objectives include the development of a common European platform for the utilization of open data (Collaborative Data Infrastructure), and the provision of computing services with the use of cloud services (European Open Science Cloud) and high-performance computing (PRACE). The services are available for researchers via high-speed data networks (GÉANT), views Director Leif Laaksonen, Finland's e-IRG delegate from CSC.
The key recommendations, further elaborated in the Roadmap are:
- Research infrastructures and research communities should reinforce their efforts to:
- elaborate on and drive their e-Infrastructure needs;
- participate in the innovation of e-Infrastructure services;
- contribute to standards and take care of their data.
- e-Infrastructure providers should further increase their efforts to:
- work closely together to fulfil the often complex user needs in a seamless way.
- National governments and funding agencies should reinforce their efforts to:
- embrace e-Infrastructure coordination at national level and build strong national e-Infrastructure building blocks, enabling coherent and efficient participation in European efforts;
- together analyze and evaluate their national e-Infrastructure funding and governance mechanisms, identify best practices, and provide input to the development of the European e-Infrastructure landscape.
- The European Commission should (e.g. in future Work Programmes):
- provide strong incentives for cross-platform innovations and further support the coordination and consolidation of e-Infrastructure service development and provisioning on national as well as European level
The implementation of the e-Infrastructure Commons, loosely integrating the different types of e-Infrastructures, builds on establishing coordinated access to all e-Infrastructure services and tools. The establishment of such a "marketplace" will provide a one stop-shop for the users, providing choices and directing them to a suitable set of services. The marketplace can make use of several technologies and services, such as cloud technologies, a searchable service catalogue and a common identity- authentication-authorisation scheme.
Further information:
e-IRG Roadmap 2016 (pdf)
e-IRG is a self-regulated and independent body consisting of delegations from the EU Member States and Associated Countries and the European Commission. The e-IRG vision is to facilitate integration in the area of European e-Infrastructures and connected services, within and between member states, at the European level and globally. In its series of Roadmaps, e-IRG builds on this vision to fulfil its mission to support coherent, innovative and strategic European e-Infrastructure policy making and the development of convergent and sustainable e-Infrastructure services. http://e-irg.eu.