Joint Information Systems Committee

1. Joint Information Systems Committee JISC Strategies & Support of e-Science for Research

2. The JISCMission is: “to provide world class leadership in the innovative use of Information and Communication Technologies to support education and research”.

3. Budget

4. Priorities 2004-06 • Maintain and develop a world class network and infrastructure for institutions • Provide sustainable procurement and delivery services for online content • Develop a common information and communications environment • Create MLEs from VLEs & MIS • Provide coherent, economical advice and guidance services to staff within institutions

5. Priorities Cont • Improve information and feedback mechanism • With Becta and the Academy help embed ICT • Develop e-Research infrastructure • Help institutions manage ICT investment • Provide technology observatory • Support widening participation • Improve effectivness of JISC • Partnership role

6. JCSR activities • JCSR is funding projects relating to authentication, authorisation and accounting • JCSR with EPSRC is funding projects relating to semantic grids and autonomic computing • JCSR with ESRC is funding projects to train social scientists in the use of new e-research approaches

7. JCSR activities (Continued) • JCSR with CCRLC is funding National Grid Service; four computing clusters to allow researchers to work in a ‘safe’ Grid environment • JCSR with e-Science Core Programme and JCCS is funding a Digital Curation Centre to provide advice and support on the preservation and re-use of digital material • JCSR with AHRB is funding to train arts and humanities researchers in the use of innovative ICT approaches

8. JCSR activities (continued) • JCSR with BBSRC and EPSRC is funding a UK Text Mining Centre to enable researchers to excavate richer seams of electronic material • JCSR is funding three projects to demonstrate e-science in schools to capture the imagination of young students

9. UK Light HEFCE is investing £6.5 million in a UK initiative, known as ‘UKLight’, in the area of optical networking UKLight will enable the UK to participate in the next era of international network collaboration, based on a global integrated testbed. JCSR provides policy direction for UKLight, with operational support from UKERNA.

10. Virtual Research Environment • HEFCE has allocated funding to JISC of £3.2 million to develop a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) • 15 projects approved • implementing portals + tools for portals • range of frameworks • CHEF/SAKAI, OGCE, Boddington

11. In The Future • JCSR looking at • Visualisation • Middleware • Security • Collaborative working • Work plan for the next year being developed now.

12. JCSR Membership Chair: • Professor Tony Hey, Director of e-Science Core Programme, EPSRC Members: • Ms Alison AlldenDirector of IS, University of Bristol • Dr David Boyde-Science Core Programme • Professor Peter ClarkeNational e-Science Centre, Edinburgh • Professor Robert Crouchley, University of Lancaster • Dr Neil Geddes, CCLRC e-Science Centre • Mr Brian GilmoreDirector, University of Edinburgh • Dr John Gordon, Deputy Director, e-Science Centre, CCLRC • Professor Roy Kalawsky, Loughborough University • Dr Ross KingDepartment of Computer Science, University of Wales Aberystwyth • Dr Bryan LawrenceNERC Information Systems • Dr Ian NusseyIBM United Kingdom Ltd • Professor Alan RectorDirector, Medical Informatics Group, University of Manchester • Professor David RobeyDirector of ICT in Arts & Humanities Programme, AHRB and Head of the School of Modern Languages, University of Reading • Professor David de RoureDepartment of Electronics & Computer Science, University of Southampton • Observers: • Professor Chris CooperRepresenting UKERNA • Dr Liz LyonRepresenting UKOLN • Professor Wim LiebrandRepresenting the SURF Foundation, The Netherlands • Ms Jan WilkinsonRepresenting the British Library